by Marietha Góngora V.
PROSPECT HEIGHTS — More than 55 parishes participated in the diocese’s annual Ultreya Mass at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph on Nov. 15.
Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Octavio Cisneros celebrated the Mass, which was attended by some 300 members of the Cursillo movement — one of the most historic and traditional apostolates in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
In his homily, Bishop Cisneros reflected on the history of this Cursillo movement in the diocese and the profound impact it has had on Hispanic ministry. He called on the Cursillistas to persevere in the faith and evangelize.
“We here must, once again, dedicate ourselves to continuing these efforts, because many do not share our faith — many have lost their perseverance,” he said.
Bishop Cisneros reflected on the Fifth General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops, commonly known as the Conference of Aparecida, held in the city of Aparecida, Brazil, in 2007. The continental assembly placed an emphasis on the need for renewal of the Church, and for the faithful to proclaim the Gospel as missionary disciples of Christ.
“So let us go home today with these four words: prayer, perseverance, disciples, and missionaries,” he said. “I have often wondered what would have become of the Hispanic apostolate, of the immigrants who arrived on these shores in the 1940s, 1950s, and even more so in the 1960s and 1970s — what would have become of our diocese without the Cursillistas.”
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Bishop Cisneros also credited Cursillistas for their history of organizing communities, pastoral support, and evangelizing in the diocese.
“If there was a choir, there was a Cursillista. If there was a procession, who prepared it? The Cursillistas. If there was a meal, the Cursillista prepared it. If the priest said, ‘I need the sanctuary cleaned,’ we have to talk to the Cursillistas,” he explained.
Concluding his homily, Bishop Cisneros thanked the members of this apostolate in the parishes of Brooklyn and Queens for their commitment and dedication. He urged them to encourage young people to get involved in parish life, so that apostolates such as this one may continue over time.
The Cursillo movement’s origins date back to 1944 in Spain, where laypeople, under the guidance of clergy, engaged in spiritual renewal and evangelization.
It soon became a worldwide movement. In the early 1960s, before a Hispanic ministry existed in the diocese, the Cursillo movement was bringing the faith to people locally, in their homes and on the streets of Brooklyn and Queens.
“Ultreya” means “go ahead,” so the annual Mass is intended to reunite Cursillo groups, which are found in many parishes throughout the diocese.
This year’s Mass was concelebrated by Father Patrick Keating, rector of the co-cathedral; Father Vicente Villamil; and Father Álvaro Morales Sanchez.
Afterward, Father Pedro Angucho, spiritual director of the diocese’s Cursillo movement, thanked the diocese’s Office of Hispanic Ministry, those who organized the event, and the Cursillistas present for their commitment and participation in activities throughout the year.
“You are the ones who keep the movement growing,” Father Angucho said. “Mother Church is you, the people of God, walking together with your pastors.”
Following the Mass, everyone gathered for Ultreya activities, which included prayer, song, and small group testimonies on living out the faith.
Speaking with The Tablet, Bishop Cisneros discussed the fruits that the Cursillo movement has borne throughout the diocese, recalling the origins of the “Movimiento de Jornadas de Vida Cristiana.”
“It was seen in the Cursillo that something was needed for young people, and so the Vincentian priests created the ‘jornadas’ for the children of the Cursillistas,” he said.
Roberto Saravia, national coordinator of the Cursillo movement, told The Tablet that he is grateful for the pastoral accompaniment and support that Bishop Robert Brennan has given to the Cursillo movement.
“Wherever there is one of us, a Cursillista, it can be noticed, not by the greeting of ‘decolores,’ but by our apostolic action and support for each of these parish pastors,” Saravia said.