GLCC: Latin America
Executive Committee
Guillermo Mejía
President
país
Dominican Republic
Gustavo Quiñonez
VicePresident
país
Paraguay
Yolanda Ruiz
Secretariat
país
MÉXICO
Juan Reyes
Treasurer
VIETNAM
Dominican Republic
Mons. Faustino Burgos Brisman
Spiritual Advisor
país
Dominican Republic
Alberto Stang
Responsible OMCC
país
ARGENTINA
History
In this perspective we can find the origins of the history of the GLCC, in the preparatory process of the 1st Latin American Encounter, held in Bogota, Colombia, between August 14 and 18, 1968, which gathered under the theme “Mission of the Cursillos in the general mission of the Church in Latin America”, would be, without a doubt the first opportunity in which the cursillistas of America would be constituted in an international assembly, fully deliberative and with decision-making capacity. Before this, the only event that had brought together cursillistas from different countries had been the 1st World Encounter and the 1st World Ultreya held in Rome, May 27-28, 1966.
Cesáreo Gil Atrio, and the accurate vision of Father José María Pujadas, the most influential factors in the creation of what was originally called “Latin American Office of Cursillos of Christianity (OLCC), which will also have the merit of being the first international structure of the Cursillo Movement, when there were even some countries in our continent that still lacked a National Secretariat
Although it is true that in Bogota it was not easy, exempt of difficulties, due perhaps to incomprehensions historically explicable for some, the situation will be stabilized and consolidated definitively in the 2nd Latin American Encounter, celebrated in Tlaxcala, Mexico, between May 14 and 17, 1970. Mexico, between May 14 and 17, 1970, and in which, gathered under the motto “Means and ways to incorporate the CCM more effectively in the pastoral of the Church”, Brazil will be officially constituted and will be elected as the first host country and responsible for it for the period 1970-1972.
In its beginnings, its fundamental objective and mission would consist of being a servant of the continental unity of the Movement, for this reason it was born and this is how the continental leaders of the Movement visualized it.
Now, in order to fulfill its initial objective and fundamental mission, the OLCC in its beginnings was concerned with organizing and systematizing an important information and intercommunication service among the National Secretariats of America, whose main link would be the “FE Bulletin” and the exchange of different publications of the countries that were part of it. However, as time went by, this initial objective, due to the force of events, would be largely surpassed.
It was gradually becoming a model and inspiration for the birth and organization of other international operational structures of the Cursillo Movement; it will assume with great responsibility and efficiency as a coordination service, the organization of the Continental Encounters, which undoubtedly are one of the great successes of the Cursillos in Latin America.
MEETINGS AND ACTIVITIES
- The 1st Latin American Pre-Encounter in Lima, Peru on August 28, 1971 with the purpose of preparing the 3rd Encounter to be held in Itaicí, Brazil.
- The 3rd Latin American Encounter, held in Itaicí, Brazil, May 21-25, 1972, under the theme “Essential postulates and general lines of the Cursillo Movement in Latin America”, whose documents and conclusions would be published by the OLCC in the book “The Cursillos are renewed”. In this Encounter Venezuela will be elected as the OLCC headquarters for the period 1972-1976.
- The 2nd Latin American Pre-Encounter in Panama City, Panama from November 20 to 23, 1975 with the purpose of preparing the 4th Encounter to be held in Caracas, Venezuela.
- The 4th Inter-American Encounter, held in Caracas, Venezuela, between June 28 and July 3, 1976, under the theme “The Cursillo Movement as an agent of evangelization and Christian transformation of Latin American environments”, whose documents and conclusions were published by the OLCC in the book “The Cursillo Movement as an agent of evangelization”. After this, the Encounters changed their denomination from “Latin American” to “Interamerican”. In this Encounter the Dominican Republic will be chosen as the OLCC headquarters for the period 1976-1980.
- The 5th Inter-American Encounter, held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, June 23-27, 1980, under the theme “The Cursillo Movement in the light of Puebla”, whose documents and conclusions would be published by the OLCC in the book “Cursillos and Puebla”. From this Encounter, the OLCC will be entrusted, as a new service, the coordination of the Regional Groups, an institution that will have great influence in the continental life of the Cursillos, creating the Group of Bolivarian Countries, the Group of Countries of North and Central America and the Caribbean and the Group of Countries of the Southern Cone. At this Encounter, Costa Rica was elected as the headquarters of the OLCC for the period 1980-1984. The first headquarters of the OMCC was in the Dominican Republic. Although it could be an “experimental” phase, it was already official and, therefore, effectively, the OMCC began to exist as soon as it was created in the Latin American Meeting of Santo Domingo.
- The 6th Inter-American Meeting, held in San José, Costa Rica, June 26-30, 1984, under the theme “The Cursillo Movement in the face of the new reality of the world and of the Church”. At this meeting, Colombia was chosen as the seat of the OLCC for the period 1984-1988.
- The 1st Inter-American Meeting of Ecclesiastical Advisors held in Caracas, Venezuela, July 20-21, 1988.
- The 7th Interamerican Encounter, held in Caracas, Venezuela, July 22-24, 1988, under the theme “The Postcursillo and the evangelization of cultures” In this Encounter Argentina will be elected as OLCC Headquarters, for the period 1988-1992.
- The 8th Inter-American Meeting, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, September 8-11, 1992, under the theme “The Cursillo Movement and the New Evangelization of Culture”. At this meeting, Paraguay was elected as the OLCC headquarters for the period 1992-1996.
- The 2nd Inter-American Meeting of Ecclesiastical Advisors held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, September 8-11, 1992.
- The Regional Meeting of the Bolivarian Countries held in Guayaquil, Ecuador, July 20-22, 1995, with the theme: “Examination of the social, family and religious reality so that the Cursillo Movement can be a response to the challenge of inculturation of the Gospel”. This event counted with the presence and participation of Eduardo Bonnín.
- The 9th Inter-American Meeting, held in Tuparenda, Ypacaraí, Paraguay, between November 4 and 7, 1996, under the theme “The Cursillo Movement and the process of inculturation of the Gospel”. At this meeting, Guatemala was elected as the seat of the OLCC for the period 1996-2000.
- The 3rd Inter-American Meeting of Ecclesiastical Advisors held in Tuparenda, Ypacaraí, Paraguay, on November 8, 1996.
- The Southern Cone Countries Regional Meeting held in Santo Angelo, Brazil, September 24-27, 1998.
- The Regional Meeting of Bolivarian Countries held in Caracas, Venezuela, September 24-27, 1998.
- The Southern Cone Countries Regional Meeting held in Santa Fe, Argentina, March 9-12, 2000.
- The 10th Inter-American Meeting, held in Guatemala City, Guatemala, November 7-11, 2000, under the theme “Profile of the CQI Leader in the third millennium. “. From this Encounter the denomination of the “Latin American Office of Cursillos of Christianity, (OLCC)” will be changed to “Latin American Group of Cursillos of Christianity (GLCC)”. In this Encounter Mexico will be elected as the Headquarters of the GLCC, for the period 2000-2005.
- The 4th Inter-American Meeting of Ecclesiastical Advisors, held in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on November 8, 2000.
- The Extraordinary Inter-American Meeting, held in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, on July 25-28, 2001, was convened to elect the seat of the OMCC, which according to the regulations was to be assumed by one of the GLCC countries, and in which the “Organic Statute of the GLCC” was approved.
- The 3rd Latin American Pre-Encounter held in the city of Barranquilla, Colombia from June 25-27, 2003 with the purpose of preparing for the 11th Encounter to be held in Monterrey, Mexico, and as a way to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the Cursillo in the American Continent. It was Colombia where the first Cursillo in Latin America and the first Cursillo of Women in the world was celebrated in 1953, taking into consideration that an event of faith and grace such as this could not be ignored or pass in silence, given the enormous significance that it has for the Church and for the Movement itself.
- The 1st Latin American Ultreya, celebrated in the city of Barranquilla, Colombia on June 28, 2003 with the purpose of commemorating the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the Cursillo Movement to the American Continent, since it was Colombia where in 1953 the first Cursillo in Latin America and the first Cursillo of Women in the world was celebrated, taking into consideration that an event of faith and grace like this could not be ignored or pass in silence, given the enormous significance that it has for the Church and for the Movement itself.
- The 5th Inter-American Meeting of Ecclesiastical Advisors, held in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, October 4-6, 2004.
- The 11th Inter-American Encounter, held in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, October 6-9, 2004, under the theme “Fidelity and Renewal in the Cursillo Movement”
- Extraordinary Inter-American Meeting, held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, October 26-30, 2005, taking advantage of the presence of Latin American leaders in that country on the occasion of their participation in the 6th World Meeting. In this Encounter, Colombia will be elected as the GLCC Headquarters for the period 2005-2010.
- The 1st Forum of Presidents of National Secretariats of the GLCC, held in Bogota, Colombia, between September 24 and 26, 2006, summoned extraordinarily, according to Art. 28 of the Statutes of the GLCC, for the analysis of the current situation of the Cursillo Movement in Latin America, for the analysis of the current situation of the Cursillo Movement in Latin America, due to the concern manifested by some countries of the Group, for communications and procedures that would not be respecting the conclusions of the 6th World Encounter, and facing the unusual fact that some Dioceses of Mexico had made Cursillos of Cursillos, without approval of the National Secretariat of that country and with different themes, breaking the unity of the Cursillo Movement, directed by a Group that is not part of, nor recognized by the structures of the Cursillo Movement. This event will also aim to remind that it is the duty of the National Secretariats to build the unity of the Movement in their countries based on the basic texts: the Statutes of the OMCC and the book of “Fundamental Ideas”, fully valid and in force until they are not modified in a World Encounter. Finally, the 1st Presidents’ Forum will take the opportunity to prepare for the 12th Meeting to be held in Los Angeles, USA.
- The Regional Meeting of Bolivarian Countries held in Chiclayo, Peru, November 9-11, 2007.
- The Southern Cone Countries Regional Meeting held in Asunción, Paraguay, March 28-30, 2008.
- The Regional Meeting of North and Central American and Caribbean Countries, held in Panama City, Panama, April 10-13, 2008.
- The 12th Inter-American Encounter, held in Los Angeles, USA, on July 31, 2009, under the theme “The Cursillo Movement in the American Continent, in the light of the Aparecida document”, taking advantage of the displacement of Leaders that would take place on the occasion of the 4th World Ultreya, in this Encounter Argentina will be chosen as the GLCC Headquarters, for the period 2010-2014.
- The Southern Cone Countries Regional Meeting held in Mar del Plata, Argentina, June 4-6, 2010.
- The 6th Inter-American Meeting of Ecclesiastical Advisors, held in Mar del Plata, Argentina, July 27-30, 2010.
- The Regional Meeting of Bolivarian Countries held in Trujillo, Peru, October 11-12, 2010.
- The Regional Encounter for North and Central America and the Caribbean, held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, November 27-28, 2010. The 13th Inter-American Encounter, held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, November 18-20, 2011, under the theme “The Cursillo Movement, a path of holiness, which enables us to live and share what is fundamental for being a Christian in our environments.
- As an International Group it has officially participated in the 2nd World Encounter, held in Tlaxcala, Mexico between May 18-21, 1970; in the 3rd World Encounter, held in Mallorca, between November 1-7, 1972; in the 4th World Encounter, held in Caracas, Venezuela, between July 25-29, 1988; in the 5th World Encounter, held in Seoul, Korea, between September 30 and October 5, 1997 and the 6th World Encounter, held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, between October 26-30, 2005. Its members also participated in the 2nd World Ultreya, held in Tlaxcala, Mexico on May 21, 1970; in the 3rd World Ultreya, held in Rome on July 29, 2000; and in the 4th World Ultreya, held in Los Angeles, California, USA, on August 1, 2009. It was also present at the ceremony of Approval of the OMCC Statutes, held in the Vatican on June 11, 2004; it has maintained a permanent presence, through its representatives in the Commission for the Updating of “Fundamental Ideas”, and recently, between June 7 and 10, 2012, participated in Vocklabruck, Vienna, Austria, in the 2nd Ordinary OMCC Meeting.
- GLCC 2018-2023: three regional meetings in Chitré – Panama, later in the town of Beni, Bolivia and in Mendoza Argentina, we were also invited to El Salvador to experience a short course in honor of Our Saint Romero of America, to end the year in Querétaro – Mexico in the 1st Meeting with him Omcc, and thus conclude this intense 2018.
- 2019 with the holding of three Cursillo courses from IFMCC3, Guatemala City – Guatemala, Quito – Ecuador and Montevideo – Uruguay, aiming directly at the training of leaders.
- 2020- pandemic time: three virtual meetings with GLCC priest advisors, three virtual meetings with young people, zoom meetings with Presidents.
- 2022 – Meeting with International Groups convened by the OMCC and the Dicasteries for the Laity, Family and Life. Attendance at the VII Italian National Ultreya.
- 2022 – Attendance at the VIII World Meeting in Mar del Plata, Argentina
- 2023 – Attendance and participation in the IV World Meeting in Monterrey, Mexico.
National Secretariats
Argentina
- President:Eduardo LaHera
- Contact:
- History:
- 1958: Initial Cursillos in Buenos Aires did not establish lasting continuity.
- 1962: The first Tucumán Cursillo concluded on 9 July, following work by Juan Salsenser, Fr Joaquín Cucala and Fr José Ricardo Arbó.
- 1964: A Venezuelan and Tucumán team helped launch Cursillos in Córdoba; a women’s Cursillo followed that October.
1966: The movement resumed in Buenos Aires and began in Rosario.
Bolivia
- President: Ana Pompeya C. Trigo
- Contact:
- History:
- 1956: Alfonso Prudencio and Jorge del Villar returned from Spain after taking part in Cursillos and began promoting them in La Paz.
- 1957: The first men’s and women’s Cursillos were held in La Paz with the support of Auxiliary Bishop Armando Gutiérrez.
- The movement then spread to Cochabamba, Sucre, Santa Cruz and Oruro.
Brazil
- President:Corinto Luiz do Nascimento Arruda
- Contact: Collunar@gmail.com
- History:
- 1962: Brazil’s first Cursillo took place in Valinhos, São Paulo.
- Fr Paulo Cañelles became a major figure in the movement’s early development and expansion.
Chile
- President:Marco Leyton
- Contact:
- History:
- 1963: During a diocesan mission in Temuco, leaders invited a team from Arequipa, Peru, to introduce Cursillos.
- 1964: The movement was established in Santiago.
Colombia
- President: Martha Cecilia Álvarez Moreno
- Contact: macealmo@gmail.com
- History:
- February 1953: Fr Rafael Sarmiento Peralta attended Cursillo No. 71 in Mallorca.
- 1953: With Frs Manuel Segura and Enrique Acosta, he organized the first Cursillo outside Spain, a women’s Cursillo
Costa Rica
- President: Eduardo Gazel López
- Contact: egazel@pequenomundo.com
- History:
- 1964: José Miguel Alfaro Rodríguez and Dr Hermes Sánchez Borbón encountered Cursillos at a meeting in Peru.
- 5–8 December 1964: The first Costa Rican Cursillo was held in Alajuela with a mainly Mexican team and Costa Rican participants.
- 1965: San José held its first Cursillo and later a Cursillo led wholly by a Costa Rican team.
- 1967: Alajuela held its first Cursillo with an entirely national team.
Ecuador
- President: Eduardo Alarcón Noboa
- Contact: ealarcon@redalcon.com
- History:
- 1960: Joaquín Aparicio directed the first Cursillo in Quito.
- Gerino Casal led subsequent Cursillos and helped take the movement to other dioceses.
- 1968: Cursillos revived with help from the Colombian and Venezuelan Secretariats after a period of decline.
El Salvador
- President: José Luis Urias
- Contact:
- History:
- 1966: Priests and laypeople formally established the National Secretariat at Casa San Pablo in San Salvador on 16 March.
Guatemala
- President:Jener Gamarro Taracena
- Contact:
- History:
- 1962: Fr Ricardo Hamm encountered Cursillos in Mérida, Mexico, and obtained Archbishop Mariano Rossell y Arellano’s authorization.
- 4–7 October 1962: The first men’s Cursillo took place at Hotel Aurora in Antigua Guatemala, supported mainly by a Mexican team.
- 1965: The first School of Leaders was operating.
- 1966: The seventh Cursillo used an entirely Guatemalan team; the first women’s Cursillo followed in September.
Honduras
- President:Juan Emilio Aguirre Vides
- Contact: eaguirre@rsm.hn
- History:
- October 1964: The first men’s Cursillo in Tegucigalpa was held.
Mexico
- President: Pedro Segura Gómez
- Contact:
- History:
- 1957: Fr Pedro Hernández Durán experienced a Cursillo in Ciudad Real and gained Archbishop Miguel Darío Miranda’s support for introducing it in Mexico.
- November 1958: The first men’s Cursillo was held at the Marist Brothers’ Instituto Querétaro.
- 1959: The first women’s Cursillo took place; weekly Ultreyas and a School of Leaders began in Mexico City.
- The OMCC identifies Mexico as the site of the world’s first National Secretariat.
Nicaragua
- President: Elsa Regina C. Rivera
- Contact:
- History:
- 1963: A Colombian team brought the first Cursillo to Javier, Nicaragua.
- 23–26 November 1965: The first men’s Cursillo in the León diocese was held at Bella Vista with Mexican collaborators.
- 16–19 April 1968: León held its first women’s Cursillo.
Panama
- President: Juan Carlos Castillo
- Contact: jc06_@hotmail.com
- History:
- By November 1962, the movement had held its fourth men’s Cursillo at Cermeño; this archival record establishes an early national presence without identifying the first Cursillo.
Paraguay
- President:Carlos Torres Ayala
- Contact:
- History:
- 27–30 October 1966: The first Cursillo was held at La Piedad in the Archdiocese of Asunción.
Peru
- President: Julio Arístides Hijar Dios
- Contact: senmcc@gmail.com
- History:
- 1958: Three Cursillo priests from Mallorca arrived in Peru; Fr Martorell settled in Lima and two others worked in Trujillo.
- October 1959: The first Cursillo was held in Arequipa.
- 1959: A School of Leaders was established under Fr José María Cuadrado.
Dominican Republic
- President: Rafael Collado Cruz
- Contact: rafcollado@claro.net.do
- History:
- September 1962: The movement began in Santo Domingo after Archbishop Beras sought help from the San Juan, Puerto Rico, Secretariat.
- 1963: Teams from the capital introduced Cursillos in Santiago, Higüey, La Vega and San Juan de la Maguana.
Uruguay
- President:Mariela Anchen
- Contact: draanchen@gmail.com
- History:
- The first Uruguayan Cursillo was held in the Diocese of Maldonado; the national bishops’ conference does not give a date in the cited account.
- The movement subsequently extended to all ten dioceses of Uruguay.
Venezuela
- President: Jorge Jesús Martín Luis
- Contact: fvcs01@gmail.com
- History:
- 1959: Cursillos reached Venezuela.
- From 1962, Venezuelan teams helped introduce the movement in other countries, including Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica and Paraguay.
- Fr Cesáreo Gil served for decades as a spiritual adviser and contributed to international publications and coordination.
