APC History Page

The History of Presbyterian Cursillo

The Cursillo Movement was born in Spain in the late 1940's as part of an effort to prepare leaders for a spiritual pilgrimage, renewing young men of the Catholic Church. It was also intended to overcome the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, which had left Spain and the Catholic Church bloodied and divided just prior to the start of World War II, the first Cursillo was held in 1948.

Cursillo spread to Latin America, where the first Cursillo for women was held in Columbia. It was then brought to the U.S. by airmen from Spain who were training in Texas. The first weekend in the U.S. was held in 1957, in Waco, Texas. From Texas, Spanish-speaking Cursillo weekends spread throughout the Southwest and into New York and Ohio. In 1961, the first English-speaking Cursillo weekend was held at San Angelo, Texas. As of 1985, the Catholic Church estimated that 600,000 people in the U.S. and more than 3 million worldwide had participated in a Cursillo weekend.

Since coming to the U.S., Cursillo had found expression in several other denominations, including Episcopal, Methodist, Lutheran, and Presbyterian churches. The Episcopal church was introduced to Cursillo in 1970 in Iowa with the help of the Catholic church, and it developed into a denominational renewal process throughout the U.S.

Approximately 12 years ago, six Presbyterians from the Charleston Presbytery, PCUS, including a minister and his wife, were invited by friends from the Episcopal Church to participate in a Cursillo weekend at Camp Saint Christopher on Seabrook Island, S.C. These six people left the weekend with the benefit that this program had filled the need for spiritual nurturing in their own lives would perhaps benefit members of their churches.

From this simple beginning, Presbyterian Cursillo was born. Based on a joint agreement between the Catholic and Presbyterian Churches, a Cursillo program was developed that honors the Reformed Theology and Presbyterian heritage of our church. The Presbyterian Cursillo id now guided by a committee of the Charleston-Atlanta Presbytery, PCUSA. Directed by a 15-member council of lay persons and clergy, several Presbyterian Cursillo weekends are offered in Charleston area each year.

The Presbyterian Cursillo National Board was formed in 1994, with representation from the four initial communities offering Cursillo- South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Oklahoma. This group is now able to respond to new areas of our denomination that request the formation and development of Presbyterian Cursillo communities by offering National Presbyterian Cursillo Weekends in various parts of the country. Part of this development includes the continued reformation of the weekend to be consistent with Presbyterian Heritage. The formal name is Cursillo: A Presbyterian Pilgrimage.