Cursillo Movement and Methodology: What is an “Ultreya”?

This is an on-going series of articles which discuss the Cursillo Movement and its Methodology, and an invitation for you to join us.

In past articles we discussed how small friendship groups are an integral part of the Cursillo Methodology, their purpose (spiritual growth and furthering God’s Kingdom) and structure (sharing our piety, study and action). Today we discuss what an “Ultreya” is, and its role in the Movement.

Ultreya is a Spanish word, derived from the original Latin, meaning “Onward”. In the Cursillo Movement, this is expressed through a large gathering known as an Ultreya. Here, Cursillistas throughout the Diocese come together and create “floating” group reunions, which utilize the same sharing method as do friendship groups, which is to share their piety, study and action. The idea of the “floating” group reunions is to allow each person to experience how others outside their usual small groups are striving in their own spiritual and evangelistic growth, rejuvenate existing small groups, and for those new to the Movement, to discover and become part of an existing friendship group, or create a new one.

Following the floating group reunion session, a personal “Witness Talk” is given by an individual Cursillista to illustrate how he/she strives to live what is fundamental for being Christian, love of God, and love of neighbor. This is followed by one or more brief “Echo” talks given by others in support to the witness that has been presented. The purpose of the personal witness and subsequent echos, is to awaken a desire amongst others to go “onward” and do likewise, hence the meaning of “UItreya”.

Lastly, A Spiritual Advisor gives a summation of the witness talk and echos in relationship to the Gospel.

If you are interested in finding a small group to join, we invite you to contact us via our web page at https://tucson-yuma-cursillo.weeblysite.com and send us your contact info. We look forward to meeting you.