St. Theresa Church, Cursillo

Cursillo at St. Theresa Church

Cursillo (pronounced cur-SEE-yo) is a Spanish word meaning "short course"; it might be best described as a seminar. Cursillo, in this context, means "a short course in Christianity". It begins with a weekend, starting on a Thursday evening and continuing until Sunday evening. The weekend consists of daily celebration of the Mass, visits to the Blessed Sacrament, talks, meditations, singing, and good old-fashioned Christian fellowship. The goal of the weekend is to empower the attendees to become Christian leaders in their environments.

Notice that Cursillo begins with a weekend. At the end of the weekend, the attendees begin their Fourth Day. This Fourth Day is the rest of one's life. After encountering Jesus Christ in such a special way on the Cursillo weekend, the attendees return home with the challenge of remaining focused on Brother Jesus, and inviting Him to become a part of all facets of life. Two major tools are used to achieve this goal:

GROUP REUNION A regular, preferably weekly, gathering of a group of 3 to 6 friends. These friends share their experiences and activities of the past week, and the ways in which they encountered Jesus Christ since they last met. Special emphasis is placed on Piety, Study, and Action.
ULTREYA (ull-TRAY-uh) A weekly or monthly gathering together of all Group Reunions in an area to share prayers and songs and snacks. At each gathering, one member gives a witness talk about how our Lord is present in their life.

Other members of the local Catholic Cursillo Movement sponsor attendees on Cursillo weekends. If you feel that Cursillo might be for you, contact John & Martha Esser by E-mail or by phone: 703-729-1959.

This is a work in progress. Please e-mail us with any comments, questions, or suggestions.