Cursillo and the New Evangelization
Bringing the Year of Faith into the Parish
"To be Christian means to be missionaries, to be apostles. It is not enough to discover Christ - you must bring him to others!" - Pope John
Paul II, Fourth World Youth Day
Why you should think of Cursillo when you think of the New Evangelization
The foremost fact about Cursillo is the it is Christian evangelization to other Christians.
Explicitly endorsed by Pope Paul VI himself, the Cursillo movement exactly fulfills the mission expressed in Evangelii Nuntiandi
# 18.
Just as every Christian is called to live and authentic Christian life and has been given a mission to bring Christ
to others, and just as the New Evangelization is clearly a call to action in the regards, what Cursillo Clearly offers is
a Specific response to this call to action.
What
Cursillo proposes is a practical plan of action for achieving the Christian mission. With a charism focused on piety,
study, and action, the Cursillo method is summed up in the maxim, "Make a friend; be a friend;bring a friend to Christ."
To the question,
"Why Cursillo?," we say, "Because there is no better gift one can give to a friend than an introduction to
the Master of the Universe." This is why, when you think of the New Evangelization, you should think of Cursillo
(and vice versa). In short, Cursillo is the New Evangelization.
What Cursillo Is, and Is Not
The word, "Cursillo" simply means "short course," a reference
to our "Short Course in Christianity," a three-day weekend retreat centered around the Eucharist
and focused on the question is what it means to live an authentic Christian life, and how to accomplish this.
The vocation of the Curillista (one who was been through the
Cursillo weekend retreat) is not personal salvation; the vocation of the Cursillista is to radiate God's love to others and
bring them to Christ.
Within the body of Christ, the Cursillista strives to be the backbone.
The Weekend
Cursillo begins with a weekend retreat, but Cursillo is more than just a weekend.
That said, the Cursillo method begins at the beginning - with
an encounter. The Cursillo weekend changes lives because the Cursillo weekend is above all, an encounter with Christ.
The real presence of Christ is at the heart of the Cursillo weekend retreat. As such, the Eucharist plays a central
role on a Cursillo weekend.
Organized by team of Lay leaders with the help and participation of priests, deacons, and spiritual
directors, the weekend begins with a night of silent meditation before three full days of talks, small group reflections,
personal sharing, prayer, Mass, Reconciliation, learning about the Sacraments, Eucharistic adoration, singing, eating, and
much more.
The Next Weekend
Retreats are:
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For More Information Please contact
Jim Byrne at 540-547-2932
For more information, visit us online www.arlingtoncursillo.org