Cursillo for lay Catholics
I am a member of Dublin Cursillo or a ‘Cursillista’ as we call it in the movement. My husband and I have 5 children. We first encountered Cursillo at a gathering in our local parish in Jobstown, Tallaght, in 2011.
A local priest wanted to offer a Cursillo retreat to a group of young local men. My husband was in that group.
He had a tremendous experience on the weekend and was eager that I experience Cursillo also, so I completed a Cursillo weekend shortly after him.
To say it was life-changing is a major understatement. As someone who has been a practising Catholic my whole life, I never realised how much about my faith and belief that I just didn’t understand.
Cursillo opened my eyes to a whole new way of looking at faith and community. The strength of my faith reached a deeper level and I was finally able to share that faith with other people, especially my friends, family and local community.
Cursillo is a lay Catholic movement. However, it proposes no new type of spirituality, but is simply a method through which men and women develop their spirituality.
The focus is on the person of Jesus, on coming to grasp that he is risen from the dead and is now alive, and that he calls each of us to a personal friendship with himself and a share in his mission.
The Cursillo retreat consists of a 3-day weekend which can be described as an encounter with self, Christ and others. Cursillo offers:
• An opportunity to grow in faith;
• A chance to experience the love and grace of God and the joy of Christian fellowship;
• A way of building a continuing Christian community to help one another on our spiritual journey;
• An insight into the teachings of the Catholic church;
• A method to seek and develop a Christian spirit, a Christian view on life and on the issues of our time, Christian action and a Christian community.
Members try to live their Christianity in the environments they find themselves, and by their witness to act as a Christian leaven in our homes, neighbourhoods, and workplaces.
Cursillo began on the island of Mallorca in 1944. It was founded by a layman, Eduardo Bonnin. He saw the need for greater community among people in the Church and an urgent need for evangelisation in the wider community.
Each Cursillo retreat led to the formation of small groups which kept on meeting for mutual support in prayer, study and action.
Today there are over 3 million Cursillistas all over the world (including Pope Francis!). The movement in Ireland has been growing over the last 50 years since the first Cursillo weekend was held in Kilkenny.
Thousands of cursillistas are spread all over the country with the largest numbers currently in Belfast and Derry.
The Dublin community is growing steadily with a base in Jobstown, in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel on Batchelors Walk in Dublin and also in Priorswood Raheny.
We have held a number of friendship nights to introduce people to the Cursillo community and invite them to do a weekend if they are interested. On July 18th last, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin attended the night in Jobstown.
Cursillo also organises a 1-day pilgrimage to Knock each September, where we come together as a community from around Ireland. We also have a July pilgrimage each year, known as the ‘Knock Walk’.
From Wednesday to Sunday pilgrims walk together from the four corners of Ireland to Knock in prayer and community.
For more information visit Cursillo.ie or to find out about coming weekends contact justineredmond@gmail.com.
Justine Redmond
A local priest wanted to offer a Cursillo retreat to a group of young local men. My husband was in that group.
He had a tremendous experience on the weekend and was eager that I experience Cursillo also, so I completed a Cursillo weekend shortly after him.
To say it was life-changing is a major understatement. As someone who has been a practising Catholic my whole life, I never realised how much about my faith and belief that I just didn’t understand.
Cursillo opened my eyes to a whole new way of looking at faith and community. The strength of my faith reached a deeper level and I was finally able to share that faith with other people, especially my friends, family and local community.
Cursillo is a lay Catholic movement. However, it proposes no new type of spirituality, but is simply a method through which men and women develop their spirituality.
The focus is on the person of Jesus, on coming to grasp that he is risen from the dead and is now alive, and that he calls each of us to a personal friendship with himself and a share in his mission.
The Cursillo retreat consists of a 3-day weekend which can be described as an encounter with self, Christ and others. Cursillo offers:
• An opportunity to grow in faith;
• A chance to experience the love and grace of God and the joy of Christian fellowship;
• A way of building a continuing Christian community to help one another on our spiritual journey;
• An insight into the teachings of the Catholic church;
• A method to seek and develop a Christian spirit, a Christian view on life and on the issues of our time, Christian action and a Christian community.
Members try to live their Christianity in the environments they find themselves, and by their witness to act as a Christian leaven in our homes, neighbourhoods, and workplaces.
Cursillo began on the island of Mallorca in 1944. It was founded by a layman, Eduardo Bonnin. He saw the need for greater community among people in the Church and an urgent need for evangelisation in the wider community.
Each Cursillo retreat led to the formation of small groups which kept on meeting for mutual support in prayer, study and action.
Today there are over 3 million Cursillistas all over the world (including Pope Francis!). The movement in Ireland has been growing over the last 50 years since the first Cursillo weekend was held in Kilkenny.
Thousands of cursillistas are spread all over the country with the largest numbers currently in Belfast and Derry.
The Dublin community is growing steadily with a base in Jobstown, in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel on Batchelors Walk in Dublin and also in Priorswood Raheny.
We have held a number of friendship nights to introduce people to the Cursillo community and invite them to do a weekend if they are interested. On July 18th last, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin attended the night in Jobstown.
Cursillo also organises a 1-day pilgrimage to Knock each September, where we come together as a community from around Ireland. We also have a July pilgrimage each year, known as the ‘Knock Walk’.
From Wednesday to Sunday pilgrims walk together from the four corners of Ireland to Knock in prayer and community.
For more information visit Cursillo.ie or to find out about coming weekends contact justineredmond@gmail.com.
Justine Redmond
