The Weekend

How To Make a 3-day Cursillo Weekend

Step 1: Find a Sponsor

If you wish to attend a Cursillo Weekend, you will need a sponsor. Anyone who has attended a Cursillo Weekend can be a sponsor, but the ideal sponsor is someone you know. You might ask people in your parish who have been on a Cursillo if they will sponsor you.

Your sponsor will help you complete the Cursillo Weekend Application (see below) and drive you to the Weekend on Thursday evening and pick you up on Sunday evening. He or she will answer any questions you have about the Weekend and explain what you will need to bring with you. Your sponsor will also take you to the follow-up events for your weekend. The sponsor can help you find a small group and answer any questions you may have about the after events of Cursillo.

If you do not know anyone who has attended a Cursillo Weekend, please send an e-mail to Sponsor_Needed. We will try to match you with someone in your area who can sponsor you. Please allow a few days for a response.

Step 2: Select a Weekend

Select the next suitable 3-day Cursillo Weekend from the Calendar.

Step 3: Submit an Application

Complete an application (see below) for a Cursillo Weekend with your sponsor.
Your sponsor will then request your parish priest, deacon, or administrator to sign your application to attest to your readiness to attend a Cursillo Weekend.
Finally, your sponsor will mail your application to the Seattle Cursillo Movement address.
Applications should be received by the Seattle Cursillo Movement at least two weeks prior to the Weekend.

Applications for a 3-Day Cursillo Weekend are available by clicking on the appropriate link below:

For more information about going to a Cursillo Weekend and finding a sponsor see the 'About Cursillo' page.

Step 4: Acceptance Notification

You and your sponsor will be contacted within one week of receipt of your application regarding your acceptance and the availability of an opening at the 3-day Cursillo Weekend of your choice.

Step 5: Read Instructions for the Weekend

Weekends begin Thursday evening and end Sunday late afternoon.
Men have separate Weekends from women.
Sponsors are responsible for preparing candidates for the Weekend and transporting them there and back.
Weekends include talks by laypersons and spiritual director(s), small group discussions, singing, prayers, reflection time and laughter.
All meals are included from Friday breakfast to Sunday lunch.
Bring a sleeping bag and a pillow.
Weekends offer an opportunity for a real, life-changing encounter with Jesus.
Closings for Weekends are Sundays normally at 4:30pm for English-speaking and 3:30pm for Spanish-speaking

Sponsor's Instructions

Support Your Candidate BEFORE the Weekend

Ensure that your candidate is a Roman Catholic in good standing. Please contact the Leader (Rector/Rectora) of the Weekend if you have questions about readiness and preparation of a candidate for the weekend.
Accompany your candidate to Group Reunion.
Offer prayer and sacrifice for your candidate.

Support Your Candidate DURING the Weekend

Ensure your candidate has had dinner before arrival at the Weekend facility on Thursday evening.
Transport your candidate to the Cursillo facility and introduce your candidate to a Weekend Team Leader or member. At this point, your candidate becomes a Cursillista.
Offer prayer and sacrifice for your Cursillista.
Attend the Cursillo Closing on Sunday afternoon.
Provide transportation home for your Cursillista on Sunday.
If necessary, help your Cursillista shoulder the cost of the Weekend experience.

Support Your Candidate AFTER the Weekend

Accompany your Cursillista to Group Reunion.
Offer prayer and sacrifice for your Cursillista.
Accompany your Cursillista to the next Archdiocesan (Grand) Ultreya and local Ultreya.
Actively support your Cursillista in the Fourth Day for at least six months through prayer, frequent contact, encouragement to attend Cursillo activities, etc.

Co-Sponsors Are Recommended

The Fundamental Ideas of the Cursillo Movement, the basic book of the worldwide Cursillo Movement, says: "It really should be a group or a community that sponsors and supports the candidate, because the living witness of community life adds so much to the effectiveness of the preparation. The ideal would be for the candidate to be already a part of a community conducive to his or her union with other Cursillistas in the post-Cursillo."
If you plan to sponsor a candidate who is not from within your parish or Ultreya community, a co-sponsor from the candidate's local community will help with the necessary Fourth day contacts after the Weekend.
New Cursillistas should become active in a Group Reunion and Ultreya for at least six months after your Cursillo Weekend before taking on this responsibility as an individual. It is highly recommended that you co-sponsor with a Cursillista who has been following the Fourth Day life for a number of years.