Pope John Paul II Speaks on the Cursillo
John Paul II Encourages the Cursillo Movement
"Follow Confidently the Way You Have Undertaken"
"The little seed sown in
The basic concept of its spiritual way is the "cursillo" (little course): a three-day retreat for those who are seeking God, to hear the fundamental truths of the Christian faith. The idea was first implemented in 1948, with a pilgrimage of youth to the shrine of Santiago de Compostela. The initiative spread and today is lived by over 8 million people.
John Paul II and members of the movement recalled the Holy Father's words when he met with the new movements at Pentecost 1998: the need to "grow in ecclesial awareness and identity."
On this point, the Cursillo movement recently took an important step by petitioning for canonical recognition and approval of its statutes by the Holy See.
On Saturday, John Paul II appealed to its members to be "courageous witnesses of the 'deaconry of truth' and to act with the 'force of communion.'"
The proclamation at the heart of this movement is the call "to fix one's gaze on the face of Christ," the Pope said, as he requested in his apostolic letter "Novo Millennio Ineunte."
The Holy Father emphasized that this gaze implies "trust in the primacy of grace to undertake a journey of catechesis and prayer, of conversion and holiness of life," whose fruits will be "a solid sense of belonging to the Church and a renewed impetus for evangelization in the realms of daily life and activity."
"Dear Cursillistas! Follow confidently the way of formation and Christian life that you have undertaken with so much generosity," John Paul II concluded. "Duc in Altum! [Go into the deep!]"
From the National Ultreya Encounter of the Cursillos in Italy
"I embrace all of you! Humanity needs apostles of the Gospel that do not put anything above fidelity to Christ, men and women who proclaim the truth and who transmit with their testimony their joy at having found the Savior. This is your role in the Church, to create a nuclei of believers that convey the message of salvation everywhere with their testimony of life rather than the imposition of their opinion.
But to be able to develop such an important role it is necessary before anything else to rediscover your vocation and deepen it by daily prayer, the sacraments and your group meetings. Your Fourth Day is a long day; it means that the rest of your life you should be faithful, watchful and persevering. It is comforting to know that where your movement has spread throughout the nations, a chain of prayer you call palanca is a spiritual solidarity and is a means to help everyone persevere in their vocation.
I encourage you to grow in enthusiasm and generosity. I entrust all of you and your Movement to Mary Mother of Christ and the Church. Make her the one who guides and supports and protects you. In her name I impart to you a special apostolic blessing."
In 1980 Pope John Paul II, addressing the first National Italian Ultreya in Rome
"Your movement, which recently celebrated its thirtieth anniversary, devotes itself to drawing forth from Christians a commitment to live lives consistent with their faith -- whether individually or as a community -- and to bring this ferment to the environments where you live.
"You have discovered anew the explosive truth of the evangelical message: God, Father of all, comes to us as we encounter Him in Jesus Christ to reunite us through the grace of the Spirit in one family which is the Church.
"In her we are truly able to experience even now the love which will be the inexhaustible fountain of eternal joy in heaven. Here then is the synthesis of all the Christianity. This is the news that all human hearts hope for without realizing it. Therefore dedicate yourselves more and more to being tireless apostles in your environments.
"My apostolic blessing goes with you as a pledge of this divine grace which enables you to live forever."
~ Pope Paul VI Speaks on the Cursillo
In Rome
"Cursillos de Cristiandad, that is the word, purified through experience, affirmed by its fruits, that today travels with citizenship papers throughout the world....
"Whether some methods become obsolete, whether new manifestations of the Spirit arise, the permanent task of the layman will continue to be the infusion of Christianity into life through the encounter and personal friendship with God and in communion with his brothers. The layman, upon forming himself in Christianity, reforms his mentality and conforms his life to Christ's image by means of faith, hope and charity; acting with complete responsibility he transforms the temporal structures in which he is immersed; guided in his action by the glance of Christ he continually tries to remake the world according to God's plan and design....
"We know that in your plan of spirituality and apostolate in the Cursillo Movement the 'Sensus Ecclesiae' (mind of the Church) is the guiding light that orients you....
"Beloved sons and daughters: Our soul is so oppressed by the vision of the evils which afflict the Church and mankind. But permit us to express our overwhelming joy that at this moment floods our soul before the immense chorus of your manly faith in Christ, your fidelity to the Church, your fervent loyalty to this Chair of Peter and to the ministry of the episcopal hierarchy.
"Cursillos de Cristiandad! Christ, the Church, the Pope, are counting on
you!"
Pope Paul VI, First World Ultreya,
May 28, 1966