The Cursillo Movement of the Archdiocese of New York is planning an annual Renewal Retreat for Saturday, June 13, at St. Augustine’s Church in New City (Rockland County). The English-language gathering is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.     

Father Gil Gentile, a Jesuit priest living at a retirement residence in the Bronx, will be the spiritual director for the retreat. The event will be sponsored by the English-language chapter of Cursillo in the archdiocese.       

That chapter, based at St. Augustine’s, will also sponsor its Summer Cursillo Picnic and Mass on Sunday, June 28, at Patterson Veterans’ Park in Patterson (Putnam County), noon to 5 p.m. For more information: https://cursillousa.org/newyork.

“These kinds of retreats for the Cursillistas, the members, strengthen their journeys,” John Meenagh, coordinator for the English-language chapter, told The Good Newsroom May 6 via telephone. “We have events throughout the year. This retreat (in New City) will focus on evangelization, on apostolic action. We need to be strengthened regularly to be equipped to live the Catholic life in the modern world.”  

Gatherings in Spanish 

Upcoming events planned by the Spanish-language chapter of Cursillo in New York include a women’s retreat (Cursillo de Damas) at Holy Cross Church in the Bronx, Thursday, May 28 to Sunday, May 31.  

Also sponsored by that chapter will be a men’s retreat (Re-encuentro Colores de Hombres) at Holy Cross, Friday, June 12 to Sunday, June 14. The Spanish-language chapter is based at Holy Cross. For more information: https://newyorkcursillos.com 

“Cursillo is characterized by living a fundamental Christian life, based on joy and friendship.”  

Manuel de la Cruz, a prominent leader in the Spanish-language Cursillo Movement of the archdiocese, told The Good Newsroom this week. “It’s about developing healthy friendships. When you become a Cursillista, you immediately feel like you are part of a big family.” 

Cursillos de Cristiandad (Cursillos in Christianity; short courses in Christianity) focus on the friendly testimony of dialogue among friends and being loyal witnesses of the faith. It was founded in 1944 in Majorca, Spain, by a group of laymen led by Eduardo Bonnín Aguiló, Servant of God, who died in 2008 at age 90.        

Spiritual renewal, rebirth     

Cursillo leaders encourage members to “pray that we might lead others to Jesus Christ by the way we live our lives—ultreya, ‘onward,’ as we say in Cursillo.” The movement remains a mostly Spanish-speaking apostolic ministry of the Church that attempts to give life to the essential Christian truths in the “singularity, originality, and creativity of the person.” The Cursillo offers spiritual renewal or rebirth through a three-day Cursillo course to begin membership.  

The annual National Cursillo Encounter USA is multilingual, reflecting the diverse language communities within the Cursillo Movement, including English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Filipino, Portuguese, Korean, and Chinese. The 2026 National Cursillo Encounter is set for July 23-26 at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois.