Archbishop re-launches Cursillo
By Chris McMullen
Cursillo is Spanish for a short course on practical Christianity. Last spring more than 70 members of the New Brunswick Anglican Cursillo community gathered at Christ Church (Parish) Church in Fredericton to praise God and encourage one-another in their Christian walk, as well as to receive a new secretariat and new operating guidelines, from Archbishop Claude Miller.
Everyone present was very enthusiastic and grateful for the launching of a full secretariat and the mandate of evangelism and discipleship training the archbishop gave to our community in the revised guidelines. The new secretariat includes people who have served before, new people, and representatives from many different regions of the diocese.
Archbishop Miller also presented those gathered with an Ultreya! Sticker. The word Ultreya loosely means onward and upward and was used by Spanish pilgrims to encourage one-another in their pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. It is also a name for Cursillo reunions and regional meetings for praise. “By God's grace, I am praying that Cursillo will be an active part of our diocese's moving onward and upward in transformation into witness and mission,” said Archbishop Miller. Cursillo dovetails nicely with the diocesan Nicodemus Project with its focus on Anglican identity, leadership development, mission, self-assessment and a commitment to transformation.
The new, 12-member secretariat replaces an interim secretariat appointed by Archbishop Miller in 2006. Its mandate was to review and re-tool the Anglican Cursillo movement in our diocese. Marianna Stack, the Rev. Gordon Thompson and I were its initial members. Allen Gilliss, Sandy MacPherson, Barry Mawhinney and Ngaire Nelson joined us later. As a group we evaluated the health of Cursillo in our diocese and encouraged “fourth day” discipleship among Cursillistes. (A three-day weekend precedes Cursillo membership. All the time after that weekend is considered the “fourth day,” a time for perseverance in spiritual renewal.) We also hosted small group meetings for mutual encouragement and support, sponsored several training events in the Cursillo method, and reviewed and revised the movement's operating guidelines, which will soon be available to all on our website. A printed copy may be purchased at Fourth Day book-tables at Ultreya gatherings.
With the appointment of a full, new secretariat the archbishop opened the way for the Cursillo community to again sponsor weekends for the inspiration and training of a new generation of Christian leaders for our diocese.
As important as the three-day initial Cursillo weekends are, the real work of the Cursillo movement takes place in the hundreds of ways that Cursillo-trained Christians live out their faith in the apostolic action of "making friends, being friends, and bringing friends to Christ.” Rules of life based upon regular personal study, piety, action and the mutual support of group reunions give Cursillo-trained Christian leaders the resources and encouragement they need for this vocation. Indeed that mandate, the archbishop pointed out, was central to Cursillo's role in the transformation of the Diocese of Fredericton into a mission-oriented, growing Christian community. He also emphasized the Cursillo methods of piety, study and action are the underpinnings of both the individual and corporate transformational change called for by the Nicodemus Project.
Archbishop Miller called on the new secretariat and the wider community they will lead — by the power of the Holy Spirit — “to meet the challenge of change and transition in the life of our Church."
Ngaire Nelson of Saint John is lay-director of the secretariat, I continue to serve as spiritual advisor and the Rev. Ellen Curtis is assistant spiritual advisor. An assistant lay director will be named soon. The other nine members of the new secretariat are Clare Box, Allen Gilliss, Anne-Marie LeGrand, Sandy MacPherson, Paul MacDonald, Deanna Morrison, Clyde Spinney, Capt. Rose Steeves, and Frank Trevors.
Cursillo activities are open for everyone to attend.
