By Christina Gray
Sabina Gotuaco, diocesan coordinator for the San Francisco Cursillo community, calls the local Cursillo movement the archdiocese’s “hidden gem.”
“If you ask around your parish and invite parishioners to raise their hands if they are Cursillistas, you may be pleasantly surprised to see a few hands proudly raised, each representing a unique journey of faith and joy,” she said in a message to Catholic San Francisco.
A “Cursillista” is the name the movement has given to a man or woman who has made the formative three-day Cursillo retreat.
The Cursillo community in the San Francisco area was formed in 1961, about a dozen years after the first Cursillo groups got their start in Spain. The local community has a vibrant, flourishing membership, but despite this, said Gotuaco, many Catholics here have not discovered the movement that seems to offer hope and inspiration to all who encounter it.
What is Cursillo?
Cursillo translates from Spanish to English as a “short course” in Christianity. It is an apostolic movement of the Catholic Church conceived on the Spanish island of Mallorca in 1949 by layman Eduardo Bonnín Aguiló (1917-2008).
Born and raised in a Catholic family, Bonnin was moved by a text from Pope Pius XII to the parochial pastors in Rome on Feb. 6, 1940 seeking “new roads” to Christ. Cursillo was that new road, Bonnin believed. Today, Cursillo is a worldwide renewal movement recognized by the Vatican as a member of the International Catholic Organizations of the Pontifical Council for the Laity in Rome.
“Bonnin’s purpose was to joyfully share the good news and help everyone discover a closer, loving relationship with God,” said Gotuaco. She described the three-day retreat as one of “spiritual discovery.”
“Each participant has the chance to discover themselves, God and others in new and inspiring ways,” she said. The retreat is filled with enriching experiences such as short courses on Christianity, the sacraments, Mass and adoration, music, art, fun activities, prayers and moments of silence and reflection.
What sets Cursillo apart from other retreats shines brightest on the final day, when many leave transformed by God’s grace, Gotuaco said.
“The Holy Spirit moves in each person in unexpected and wonderful ways, just as it did for St. Paul, the patron saint of Cursillo.”
Friendship and faith
After the weekend retreat, a supportive community of Cursillistas continues to gather monthly for faith sharing, encouragement and friendship. That happened on Jan. 3, when Catholic San
Francisco met a joyful roomful gathered at Our Lady of Mercy parish hall in Daly City. This meeting of the San Francisco Cursillo School of Leaders congregated three days into the new year for a full day of recollection, fellowship and talks by Sister Mary Peter Tengco and Deacon Ben Agustin.
The School of Leaders is a formation program open to participants after their Cursillo three-day weekend. The recollection was a lead-up to a Cursillo weekend retreat scheduled to be held in the Archdiocese of San Francisco from July 9-12 at Vallombrosa Center in Menlo Park.
Cursillo Spirituality
The solidarity participants feel after this weekend is evidenced in the way Cursillistas regularly addressed each other as “brothers and sisters in Christ” at the Jan. 3 event.
Deacon Ben Agustin said in his talk that “Cursillo helps each person discover that their relationship with Christ is the unshakeable axis of their life.” Without being grounded in Jesus Christ, “we run out of steam, motivation and energy quickly.”
Referencing the first psalm, he said that a spiritually grounded person is like a tree planted near a stream, which yields its fruit in season. “The tree bears fruit not because it tries harder, but because it is planted where the water is,” he said. “A Cursillista who is spiritually grounded is planted by the living waters of prayer, the sacraments, the word of God and authentic Christian friendship. The person bears fruit naturally, joyfully, without forcing it.”
Sister Mary Peter is a Catholic educator who founded the Adoration Sisters of St. Francis, a community committed to observing the Gospel as taught by Jesus Christ embodying the virtues of St. Francis. She spoke in morning and afternoon sessions on Cursillo spirituality.
“It took years before I really understood the meaning of spirituality,” she admitted in her introduction. Before leading a short meditation, she asked participants to “look inside yourself.”
“That is the first bit of difficult travel that I have for you,” she said. “There will be trials and tribulations that we encounter in coming into the highest spirituality of Cursillistas, but that is where the Spirit resides. It is there that is the center of peace and joy, despite every chaos you are encountering every day.”
Christina Gray is the lead writer for Catholic San Francisco.
