Cursillo – the Small Course of joyful Christianity – celebrated its 50th anniversary in Croatia on September 29, 2024. The colorful Cursillo filled Tabor – The House of Encounter in Samobor, where the first Small Course (Spanish cursillo) was held in 1974.
More than a thousand associates and friends of Cursillo gathered in Tabor for a two-day celebration and giving thanks to the Lord for half a century of meetings, grace and joy in Small Course. In addition to the rich event program, there was also an exhibition about the history of Cursillo in Croatia.
The small course, started in Spain after the Second World War and arrived to Croatia in the 1970s thanks to Rev. Andrija Vrane and numerous laic people, as well as priests, who responded to God’s call for cooperation and laid the foundations of this movement in Croatia. Photos of more than 30 married couples who started their life journey together in Cursillo testify to the numerous fruits of Cursillo.
The celebration was crowned with a solemn Eucharistic celebration on Sunday, September 29, presided over by the Apostolic Nuncio in the Republic of Croatia, Msgr. Giorgio Lingua, in concelebration with the military ordinary in peace, Msgr. Juraj Jezerinec and bishop in peace Msgr. Josip Mrzljak and numerous priests who are associates of Cursillo.
The opening speech was given by the host, head of Tabor – The House of Encounter, Fr. Ivan Matić, OFM, with thanks to the nuncio, who readily responded to the invitation to lead the solemn celebration. Fr. Matić addressed a special greeting to the leader and priest of Cursillo, Rev. Andrija Vrane.
Rev. Andrija Vrane, who devoted the past 50 years of his priestly life to serving through Cursillo, was visibly moved and thanked good God and all the associates of Cursillo who have incorporated themselves into this great work of God over the past half of a century. He gave a warm greeting to all the priests associates of Cursillo in the concelebration, greeting everyone by name and the apostolic nuncio, Msgr. Lingua, who then began the mass celebration.
The Holy Mass in the crowded large hall of The House of Encounter was attended by about a thousand friends and associates of Cursillo from all over Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Prominent guests were also delegates of the European secretaries of Cursillo from Spain, Austria, Hungary, Great Britain and the Czech Republic.
In a characteristically warm and substantive homily, Nuncio Lingua referred to the first liturgical reading from the book of Numbers, in which the two Israelites prophesy in the camp and not in the meeting tent, which was against the law and customs (Numbers 11, 25-29). Drawing a parallel with Cursillo, Nuncio Lingua spoke of the Holy Spirit as the giver of every good gift and encouragement, whether it inspires the laics or priests. The preacher recalled the Lord’s words from Mark’s Gospel – “He who is not against us is for us” (Mk 9:40) and then explained the topic of importance of the laity in the Church.
Speaking about the life of the Church from the 1960s until today, the nuncio noted that changes are not always simple, nor is it easy to implement every inspired idea. No one has exclusive “ownership” of the Holy Spirit, the nuncio pointed out and emphasized the importance of the role of the laity, both in Cursillo and in the Church in general. Laity are, as asserted Msgr. Lingua, bearers of important innovations that, in cooperation with priests, form an irreplaceable part of the living Church.
The nuncio evoked the charism of Cursillo with the image of a game, in which we are as simple and innocent as children, and he concluded the sermon with the words: “And may Our Lady laugh joyfully, watching you play, like children, in love and simplicity”.
The Eucharist was magnified by the vocal-instrumental composition of Cursillo, giving it a real celebratory atmosphere. Final greetings and thanks were sent by the president of the Croatian Secretariat of Cursillo Krešimir Percela. As a sign of gratitude, Nuncio Lingua was presented with a wooden crucifix, the work of artist Robert Tomić, and the attending priests also received commemorative souvenirs of Cursillo.
The mass celebration was followed by lunch, and the celebration program continued in the afternoon. Associates of Cursillo gave strong testimonies about the Lord’s action through Cursillo in all aspects of life, from marriage and family to work, life with illness and the importance of community. Congratulations and messages of encouragement for further action were also sent by members of the Cursillo movement from all over the world, from the United States of America and Australia to Costa Rica, Argentina, Spain and Ukraine. Rev. Andrija was especially pleased with the folklore performance of his family members, and a monograph of Cursillo and a new prayer book “Hymns on the Way to God” which were presented, and which Rev. Andrija considers the crown of his work for Cursillo.
With song, prayer, tears of joy and lots of laughter, everyone present felt the Spirit that flows through Cursillo and that in the past 50 years has changed the lives of more than 40,000 souls in our homeland. In a real family birthday atmosphere, the celebration ended with the hymn of Cursillo De Colores and the blessing of Rev. Andrija.
Kresemir.
