By Emily Clark

In society, when you share your problems with somebody, they might talk about you, but in Cursillo, when you share your problems with somebody, they pray for you.

This is what Eileen Masaryk of Stratford realized shortly after she embarked on a transformative weekend over 30 years ago. Unlike other retreats, when participants may feel inspired and energized for just a few days afterwards, she found this to be a powerful encounter with herself, with Christ and with others, one that has made a lifelong impact and helped her grow spiritually.

It begins with a long weekend, three days of spiritual refuge on the grounds of a retreat center with only one responsibility – to deepen one’s connection with their faith. This “short course” (the literal meaning of the Spanish word cursillo) is part of a worldwide Catholic movement designed to empower laypeople to become leaders in their parishes and communities as they live out the Cursillo motto: Make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ.

“It’s a wonderful movement because it’s filled with brothers and sisters in Christ. We share our struggles, we share our challenges and we share our plans. We’re always growing and renewing our faith in Christ through each other,” said Masaryk, now a chairperson for the local Cursillo chapter.

During the weekend retreat, now held at Graymoor Sisters of Atonement Retreat House in Garrison, N.Y., participants focus on three pillars of the Christian life: piety as they direct their life toward God, study as they grow in knowledge of the faith and action as they evangelize through their community. Part of that time is spent in a cloistered environment which allows for reflection and meditation. Additionally, they engage in small group discussions, attend daily Mass and Confession and listen to talks by priests and laypeople. According to Mike Bonomo of Monroe, one of the lay directors, during the weekend, the wider Cursillo community offers prayers and sacrifices for the success of the candidates’ weekend, making this the spiritual powerhouse of the movement.

“Before my Cursillo weekend, I had never experienced such a deep feeling of the Holy Spirit in my life,” Bonomo said. “It’s an awakening within oneself. I saw how our faith is so much deeper than just going to Mass.”

While Masaryk decided to make her Cursillo weekend after the urging of her sister-in-law, Bonomo did so as a promise to his wife who said she was deeply impacted by the experience when she herself went. Though the retreats themselves are so rewarding, both Masaryk and Bonomo feel that what comes afterwards – the post-Cursillo or “Fourth Day” – sustains the fire ignited by the first weekend. This includes small weekly meetings with groups of three to five people.

For Bonomo, that grouping has helped to keep him accountable to the Cursillo method and motto. “I’ve had this same group of guys for 20 years. We meet at Bill’s Diner in Monroe and talk about spirituality. It’s all built on friendship and a deep relationship around Christ,” he said.

In addition to the weekly meetings, a reunion of these groups from the original retreat weekend gather once a month for witness talks, music and fellowship in regional locations including Bridgeport, Bethel and Monroe. Called “Ultreyas” (the Spanish word for onward), these get-togethers begin with prayer followed by breakout groups in which members are encouraged to share their piety, study and action. They are a great catalyst for spiritual growth, Masaryk said, especially when, in their own parishes, they find their charism and become leaders in the ministries to which they are drawn.

“From the Ultreya, you get inspiration to go back into your daily routines,” she said, adding that women always group with women and men with men. “You really learn so much about people from the Ultreya – what they’re doing in their environment and where they find themselves, where they are called to be Christ and how they are leaders. And we have great fellowship.”

Cursillo differs from other spiritual retreats because it is considered a movement, added Masaryk. “Movements are like rivers. They are not stagnant. They move and change, and we’re there to inspire and uplift one another. It’s almost like having a spiritual director.”

One aspect of that movement, in addition to the weekly meetings and Ultreyas, is regular gatherings among various Cursillo groups, like the one on August 2 at Saint Margaret Shrine in Bridgeport which brought together the local Spanish, English and Vietnamese communities. After a Mass celebrated in both Spanish and English by Father Rolando Torres of St. Mary’s Parish in Bridgeport, the faithful enjoyed a potluck lunch. It was a celebration of faith and community, Masaryk said.

She likens Cursillo to the famous quotation by John F. Kennedy, Jr., saying, “Ask not what God can do for you. Ask what you can do for God.”

Added Bonomo: “Cursillo is a way for Catholics to become more Catholic.”

Begun on the island of Majorca, Spain in the 1940s, the Cursillo movement was developed by Eduardo Bonnín Aguiló, Father Sebastián Gayá and Bishop Juan Hervas who together created the “short courses” (cursillos) to revive the Christian faith and train lay leaders. Today, Bonnin Aguiló is recognized as a servant of God. His cause for sainthood opened in 2015.

The movement is open to all practicing Catholic adults. Because Cursillo is based on sponsorship, interested individuals usually find a sponsor – someone who has already lived the Cursillo weekend – to guide them through the application process. The three-day retreats are held once a year for both men and women. For more information, contact lay director Mike Bonomo at [email protected] or pre-Cursillo chair Eileen Masaryk at [email protected].