Organization

The Raleigh Catholic Diocese Cursillo Movement is comprised of English,Spanish and Vietnamese speaking community segments. As a US NationalCursillo practice, all Vietnamese community segments are administeredat the National level (see National Contacts athttp://www.cursillo.org/affiliated.html).The Raleigh Diocesan Movement is led locally by aSecretariatwhich provides oversight and guidance to anAnglo School of Leadersand aHispanic School of LeadersunderBy Lawsadopted in November 2000. The Schools of Leaders (SoL) areresponsible to accomplish the work of running the Movementin their respective community segments, and to work togetherto ensure that the Diocesan Movement operates as a unifiedCatholic Cursillo community. In addition to the ByLaws, thework of the Anglo SoL is accomplished in accordance with a set ofOperating Practicesthat provide details on the work tasks of the Anglo SoL Sections,and are updated periodically to address changing community needs.

Directors

The Director of the Anglo SoL is Steve lavesque (919-518-2454) ~and the Anglo SoL Pre Cursillo Section Chairpersonis Mary Levesque (919-518-2454 ~).

Section Details

The Pre Cursillo Section insures that the Movement maintains its focuson the environments (social groups, work groups, etc) identified withinthe diocese to be evangelized. Continual efforts must be exerted inorder to identify key environments, and the influential people withinthose environments. PreCursillo works to assure that Candidates andSponsors are properly formed, and manages procedures to effect a smoothtransition from the Pre Cursillo to the Post Cursillo, by way of the3-Days Weekend.



Got a candidate ready to take the first step?

Sponsoring Tips

Here are some helpful ideas about the formation of candidatesprior to the 3-Day short-course in Christianity that is theCursillo. There is good information about the role of thesponsor, the role of Leaders and more. It is all takenword-for-word from the National Secretariat WWW-site. Moreinformation of use to sponsors can be found athttp://www.go4th.org/pre_cursillo.htmwhich is part of the Diocese of Evansville WWW site.

Current Raleigh Diocese English language formsfor application are here.

What is the role of a sponsor?
A sponsor for a candidate can either be an individual or, better still, a group. Whether a group, a community (Ultreya), or an individual, whoever is responsible for enrolling and preparing the candidates - the following is expected:
  1. That they understand the purpose of the Cursillo Movement, the environments that have been selected as priorities for evangelization, and the basic criteria as to who can, who should, and who should not make a Cursillo;
  2. That they be well acquainted with their candidates, through close personal contact;
  3. That as "servants of the truth" they try, through their witness of word and of life, to awaken in their candidates an attitude of openness to inquiry, to friendship, and to change;
  4. That in cases where the sponsor is an individual, that person should be an active member of a group, so as to help the candidate by example to become incorporated into a group of Christians, while accompanying him or her for a reasonable length of time in the Post Cursillo. (F.I. #234)
What is involved in the preparation of a candidate?
Ideally, the preparation of the candidate should be by personal contact to dispose him or her to be open to what the weekend will offer in a better understanding of themselves, of their relationship with God and the Church and in experiencing Christian community. Preparation should also include an invitation to join a community afterwards. The weekend should be pictured as an introduction to something better, not an end in itself. (L.M. pg. 68-71)
How do you make sponsors follow through with their candidates?
Cursillo leaders are responsible for the candidates before, during and after the Cursillo Weekend. That responsibility may be shared with sponsors. The critical point in selection is that the leader and the sponsor know the candidate, his or her disposition, personality, etc. A sponsor who knows a candidate will obviously take the follow-up responsibility more seriously. A sponsor who is in a group reunion, attends Ultreya, and can group with the candidate afterwards will be more responsible than someone who hands out an application. (L.M. pg.74)
Is it best to set a date for a Cursillo Weekend and get the candidates for it, or get the candidates and then set the date?
Both have merit, but from experience we have seen that when dates are set, getting candidates seems to be the overriding factor. It would seem that if we want good candidates, it might be better to find and prepare them first, rather than the filling a weekend way.
The Leaders' Manual states: "Cursillos should be scheduled when a sufficient number of good candidates have been selected when there is a guarantee that the participants will be assisted in the Post Cursillo." (L.M. pg. 75)