School of Leaders
THE PURPOSE AND ESSENCE OF THE SCHOOL The Cursillo Movement can be established and can exist within a language or ethnic/ cultural group in a diocese with the local bishop’s permission; however, it is not possible for them “to have an authentic and truly effective Cursillo Movement unless it is served by a group of leaders who exemplify everything the Movement is supposed to “be” (Leaders’ Manual, Ch. 6 & FI #540). Therefore, The Leaders’ Manual, in its introduction to Chapter 6, clearly and strongly asserts that “a diocese can begin a Cursillo Movement when it has a core group of Cursillo leaders who have chosen to serve within the Movement, as their apostolic vocation”. “It was the School that gave birth to the Cursillo Movement, nurtured it and made it strong enough to survive and branch out into a full- fledged movement of the Church. The School has always been and is to this day an Element that is essential to the continuity and development of the Movement.” (FI #531)
This statement underlines the Purpose of the Movement, and also of the School: “the leavening of environments with the Gospel, to be carried out by means of core groups of Christians who live and share what is fundamental for being Christian, on the basis of a total and ongoing conversion begun, renewed or strengthened by the Cursillo Weekendexperience.” (FI #562) In order to attain its stated goal, which is also of the Movement, the School inspires and strengthens the core groups or communities generated by the Cursillos, then deepens the conversion of its leaders and prepares future leaders of the Movement by giving them a formation in holiness, doctrine, technique and the spirit of service. These transformed leaders, in turn, form the Christian backbone of their environments and influence the people around them
THE DIMENSIONS OF THE SCHOOL The Fundamental Ideas emphasize the three convergent dimensions of the School, that means, the School of Leaders is at the same time the School of Holiness, of Communion and of Formation.
All Cursillo leaders participating in the School continue to reinforce their ongoing conversion begun, renewed or strengthened by their Cursillo Weekend experiences, which leads them towards Holiness through Piety, Formation through Study and Evangelization through Action. Together they put into practice what Pope John Paul II calls “the prime and fundamental vocation” the vocation to holiness, and thus they become living witnesses of the dignity conferred on us by Christ. (Christifideles Laici (ChL) & FI #535) The leaders’ commitment to the Tripod helps them persevere in living what is fundamental for being Christian and “stirs up every baptized person to follow and imitate Jesus Christ in promoting the Beatitudes, proclaiming and living the Gospel. As the living witnesses of a holy life, they can effectively move other people to conversion.
They are Christian community, where “communication and communion among its leaders, encompassing all their values, goals and efforts, constitutes the first rule of life.” United in the atmosphere of a Group Reunion, the leaders of the School find this unity and communion an ideal climate for dialogue in which everyone should have something to teach and to learn, questions to ask and ideas to share. The atmosphere should be one of sincerity and trust, of authenticity and freedom, of equality (of rights and duties) and plurality (of vocations and viewpoints), of unity in diversity, and of humility (both personal and communal). (FI #542, 544) Through sincere friendship, the leaders of the School get to know one another better as they freely and comfortably share their thoughts and feelings so that they soon become united in one same mentality and one same purpose of the Church, the Kingdom of God. The leaders strive to be committed to Christ Jesus, their one same Teacher and Lord, and to the Gospel message, they are naturally committed to other people as well. This is the road mapped out by Christ Himself.
As the School of Formation, its task is to provide its leaders, leaders in the Church and in the Cursillo Movement, with a catechetical formation in spirituality, doctrine and human values in addition to the kerygmatic approach of the Cursillo Method. In his “Christifideles Laici”, Pope John Paul II states “everyone is called to grow continually in intimate union with Jesus Christ, in conformity to the Father’s will, in devotion to others in charity and justice”. He also said “The situation today points to an ever-increasing urgency for a doctrinal formation of the laity, not simply in a better understanding which is natural to faith dynamism but also in enabling them to give a reason for their hoping in view of the world and its grave and complex problems…. The cultivation of human values finds a place in the context of a totally integrated formation, bearing a particular significance for the missionary and apostolic activities of the laity.” For the lay person ought to be, through an intimate knowledge of the contemporary world, a member well integrated into his or her own society and its culture. (ChL #60 – FI #551, 552, 553)
Copyright © 2007, National Cursillo Center. All rights reserved.
Besides, the leaders of the School should study the social teachings of the Church as part of formation of their social conscience. This involves, on the one hand, the task of thinking about one’s political and social responsibilities in terms of what is of paramount importance, the wellbeing and advancement of humanity, and, on the other hand, “a moredecided Christian promotion of culture in response to the perennial yet always new questions that concern individuals and society today.” (ChL #60) The purpose of the Cursillo Movement also emphasizes a careful and thorough preparation for the School of Leaders’ apostolic mission so that each leader in the School can more deeply understand the kind of social outreach that characterizes the Movement.
For more information over the School of Leaders, visit the National Cursillo Website.
