The History of Cursillo

December 1922
Pope Pius XI writes 'Ubi Arcano'
Laity called on to be leaven in human dough to counteract anti clerical & anti-Christian influences in world of 1920's and 30's. Gives birth to Catholic Action in Spain of which Catholic Action for Youth is most active section

June 29 1931
Pope Pius XI writes 'Non abbiamo bisogno' on Catholic action in Italy. In which he talks of prayer, study and action – the Cursillo tripod.

December 1932
At a convention Catholic Action for Youth decided to have Pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. James in Compostela, an important place of prayer and Christian renewal since Middle Ages. Scheduled to take place on 25th July 1937.

1939
After Spanish Civil War Manuel Aparici the national chaplain of Spain exorcised national leadership of Catholic Action for Youth. He took up the idea pilgrimage for young men to Santiago de Compostela basilica, and developed plans for session entitled 'Cursillos for Leaders of Pilgrims' – goal to lead 100,000 young men, in a state of grace to Compostela. Manuel Aparici obtained blessing of Pope Pius XI.

1943
Jose Ferregut president of CA for Youth in Majorca while looking for influential people met Eduardo Bonnin. He convinced Bonnin attend 2nd Cursillo for Leaders of Pilgrims given during Holy Week in Luc.
Short course 1 week. The cursillo started in silence, and a priest, SD, gave five sessions on Grace. Every morning a priest lead meditation & Eucharist. A layman, called rector as in university, was responsible for the program and with a helping team, called professors, presented subjects including prayer, study and action. Attendees were split into groups of 10. Sharing seen as the most important part of a session, while a summary of the day was presented in evening in the form of a 'Journal on the wall'

Starting with the idea of the Pilgrimage to Compostella Bonnin moved on to the idea of Pilgrimage to God the Father. He developed his idea suggesting the Cursillo should be open to everyone, it should centre on the basics of faith with the joy and enthusiasm of being a disciple of Christ. He realised that a cursillo lasting a week was difficult if not impossible for people, and so suggested a three day weekend would be better.

Christian Action's objective is 'christianisation of communities by the people of the community'
Bonnin wrote a talk on this called 'study of environments'. Bonnin presented his talk to a Catholic Action Leader's School in Palma de Mallorca on December 8th 1943. His talk was accepted and included in the next cursillo where Bonnin was a professor. It contained in summary the basis of what was to become the 'Cursillo Movement'

Eduardo Bonnin invited six other young people to join him in a study group. They started a systematic study of the Gospels with essays to be completed at home, which Fr Gabriel Segui MSC looked at and corrected. The group believed it was important that they knew Christ and his message intimately before witnessing to others. They went to an early morning Eucharist, then on Sundays cycled to a quiet place where they would sit and read. After a while they would then share what they had discovered. This was the start of the seed groups.

August1944
New 3 day Cursillo first given at Cala Figuera Majorca. Father Juan Juliá was spiritual director, Eduardo Bonnín was Rector, and the professors were Jaime Riutort and José Ferragut, godfather to Eduardo. It was very successful so every year until 1948 on Majorca the 1 week cursillo alternated with the 3 day cursillo

August 1948
Pilgrimage to Compestela finally took place. Majorca sent 600 young men each had a pocket book 'The Pilgrims Guide' containing short prayers already used during cursillos. On returning 50,00 people greeted them at the harbour and moved to the town-hall Square where Fr Gaya the Chritian Action diocesan chaplain gave all the youth a new challenge. "We have been to Santiago to become saints, what next?" The idea of one cursillo a year was replaced by many a month, starting Jan 1949.

January 1949
Juan Capo Bosh a Theology graduate from Rome's Gregorian University led what was later labelled Cursillo 1, which was actually number 6. Bishop Juan Hervas decide to open Cursillo to people outside of Catholic Action. This year there were thirty Cursillos were held. The number of Cursillistas (people who have attended a Cursillo) were far higher than could be taken into existing permanent groups, so Eduardo Bonnin came up with the idea of the Ultreya.

1957
Fr. Gabriel Fernandez a priest from Spain along with two Sopanish airmen, who were in the USA for flight training, put on American Cursillo 1. The early American Cursillos were conducted in Spanish, the first English speaking weekend being held in 1963.

1980/81
Rev. Canon Hywyn Jones of St Asaph's Diocese of the Church in Wales begged for another priest to help him in his Holyhead parish. His bishop, Archbishop Williams, asked if he would be willing to take an American priest since his friend Bishop Davies of Dallas wanted his clergy to have experience of ministry outside of the USA. Fr. James Lee Walker came over from Texas, and talked a lot about renewal through Cursillo. Archbishop Williams knew the impact Cursillo was having in Dallas and so agreed to a group a group coming over from Dallas Diocese to bring Cursillo to Wales. Two weeks the Texans took Cursillo to Gloucester. Within eighteen months Hywyn Jones, Brian Franks and two others met to discuss the future of Cursillo in the UK, soon after B.A.C.C. (British Anglican Cursillo Council) was formed.