NACG: North America and Caribbean
Executive Committee
STEVE KRAUSE
President
PAÍS
ESTADOS UNIDOS
Linda Pitkanen
VicePresident
país
cANADÁ
Estellita Rene
Secretariat
país
ST. LUCÍA
Arlene van Diepen
Treasurer
VIETNAM
CANADÁ
Fr. ANDREW BARNARD
Spiritual Advisor
GRENADA
granada
History
Cursillo was introduced in the United States in Spanish in 1957. The rollos and literature were translated into English and the first English Cursillo was held in 1961. This led to the rapid introduction of the Movement throughout the English-speaking world and into Asia and the Pacific region. English language Cursillos began in Canada 1963, Sri Lanka 1964, Australia 1965, Korea 1967, England 1970, and Ireland.
These countries formed the International English Language Group (IELG) to facilitate communication and publication of Cursillo literature, and in 1980, together with the Latin American Organization of Cursillos in Christianity (OLCC) and the European Working Group (EWG), formed the World Organization of Cursillos in Christianity (OMCC).
The Cursillo Movement was initiated in the English-speaking countries of the Caribbean as follows: Jamaica 1967, Trinidad 1970, St. Vincent 1973, St. Lucia 1985, Barbados 1974, Grenada 1976, and together with Guyana and Monserrat, became members of the GELI. In 1985 a Caribbean body was created to assist in communication, as they were still individually part of the IELG.
In 1990, the countries of the Asia-Pacific region formed the Asia-Pacific Group (APG) and were recognized as a separate international body within the OMCC. In 1997, at the World Meeting in Seoul (Korea), Ireland became part of the EWG (European Working Group). As many of the English-speaking countries were now part of other groups, it was at this meeting that the IELG officially became the North America Caribbean Group (NACG).
In 1998, the NACG attended the World Congress of Church Movements in Rome. This was a turning point as St. John Paul II defined what a movement is, that each movement has its own charism, and to discover your charism you must go to the founder – the person who received it. Eduardo Bonnin gave a presentation on Cursillos in Christianity at this World Congress. Laity Today published the papers of this world event – “Movements in the Church”, Proceedings of the World Congress of Ecclesial Movements, Rome, May 27-29, 1998, Vatican City 1999. Canada, the United States and the Caribbean participated in both the IELG and the NACG. In 2006, the 2nd World Congress of Church Movements in Rome was attended by the OMCC, which was then part of the NACG. The theme was “The beauty of being Christian” and fidelity to the charism was requested of all the movements especially to safeguard in the phase of generational change.
That same year, the World Cursillo Movement represented by NACG members was invited to the XXII General Assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Laity with its theme: “The Contribution of the Cursillos of Christianity in the Renewal of the Parish”. Eduardo Bonnin made the presentation for the Cursillos in Christianity.
In 2012, the NACG held an Encounter in Niagara Falls (Canada) with representatives from Canada, Cuba, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and the United States. From this meeting friendships emerged and a concerted effort was made to study the charism of the movement to better serve the Church.
The Caribbean led the NACG during the OMCC Portugal service from 2014 to 2017.
In 2020, the NACG met through Zoom meetings, to study Cursillo techniques, celebrate Ultreya, and pray the Saturday Sabbath Sabbath.
In 2023, the focus is on unity, collaboration, service, and friendship.
To date, the NACG is made up of the following countries: Antigua, Barbados, Canada, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States of America.
Secretariados nacionales
- President:
Carmen Golias
- Contact:
- History:
Two young Cursillistas from Mallorca arrived in Texas for military service in 1956. There they found a Cursillista priest, also from Mallorca, ready to collaborate with them.
In 1957, they made two Cursillos in Waco, Texas. At the beginning all the Cursillos were conducted in Spanish. In 1961, the first Cursillo in English was held in San Angel, Texas.
In 1965, the National Secretariat was organized and called the National Cursillo Center. The expansion throughout the country was very rapid. In less than 20 years, almost every Catholic diocese in the United States had embraced the Movement.
Today, it is one of the countries where there are more cursillistas in the world: close to one million, half of whom are Hispanic.
As a curiosity, the Movement was adopted by several Protestant churches, in particular the Episcopal Church and the Methodist Church, and “Cursillos” are developed in different ways.
- President:
Reino Pitkanen
- Contact:
- History:
The first Cursillo in Canada was held in 1963, in Trois-Rivières, for French-speaking nurses. Unfortunately this Cursillo did not have a fourth day. For this reason, it is considered that the first official workshop of the movement in Canada (in French) was held in Sherbrooke, in 1965.
In Canada, courses are also held in English. There is no exact date of the first course in this language, but it is believed that it could have been carried out around the year 1963.
On the other hand, later, several trainee families who emigrated from Latin America arrived in Montreal. After settling in the country, they looked for a Church where Spanish was spoken so they could meet and continue their fourth day. It is Father Javier Perna
and a community of Cursillos that already existed in Hartford, Connecticut (USA) who helped these Cursillistas carry out the first Cursillos in Spanish in 1982. Years later, this same school would move to Toronto and together with Eduardo Bonnin they would give the first Cursillos. in this city in 1992.
Today, the Cursillo movement is integrated into 47 Dioceses across Canada.
- President: Daniel Morin
- Contact: morindan@axion.ca
- History:
The first Cursillo in Canada was held in 1963, in Trois-Rivières, for French-speaking nurses. Unfortunately this Cursillo did not have a fourth day. For this reason, it is considered that the first official workshop of the movement in Canada (in French) was held in Sherbrooke, in 1965.
In Canada, courses are also held in English. There is no exact date of the first course in this language, but it is believed that it could have been carried out around the year 1963.
On the other hand, later, several trainee families who emigrated from Latin America arrived in Montreal. After settling in the country, they looked for a Church where Spanish was spoken so they could meet and continue their fourth day. It is Father Javier Perna
and a community of Cursillos that already existed in Hartford, Connecticut (USA) who helped these Cursillistas carry out the first Cursillos in Spanish in 1982. Years later, this same school would move to Toronto and together with Eduardo Bonnin they would give the first Cursillos. in this city in 1992.
Today, the Cursillo movement is integrated into 47 Dioceses across Canada.
- President:
Natasha Gonzalez
- Contact:
- History:
The Cursillos in Christianity arrived in Cuba on March 19, 1998, a few months after the visit of St. John Paul II, driven by Father Agustin Torranzo, who was advisor of the area of Chiriqui in Panama and was assigned at that time to the Diocese of Cienfuegos. For this he made use of the support of the Cursillo Movement of Panama. The Cursillo school began with practically no material, except for the book of the structure of the rollos and another of fundamental ideas for all the members.
After 13 years of Cursillista experience, a Cursillo de Cursillos is held for the first time, after having been officially incorporated into the North American and Caribbean Group of the Cursillo Movement.
- President:
Wendy Knight Hunt
- Contact:
- President:
Cecilia Donald St. Louis
- Contact:
- President:
Terri Myrie
- Contact:
- President:
Peter Darius
- Contact:
- President:
Carmillie Belgraves
- Contact:
