The
Of The
1. Fundamental Ideas of the Cursillo
Movement 188-192
2. Leaders manual pgs 118-131
3. 3-Day Manual Group
Ultreya
is primarily a reunion of the various groups in a particular locale or area of
a diocese. The Ultreya is the members of friendship groups coming together to
form a larger community. The members of the
Ultreya must always be willing to draw new cursillistas into that living
community
502 The purpose
of the Ultreya in context of the purpose of the Cursillo Movement as a whole is
to create groups of evangelizers ‑ groups made up of people who are
capable of living, as a community, what is fundamental for being a Christian. (1)
498
The Ultreya is the Cursillo community gathered together, in a reunion. It is a
community of people who have an attitude of ongoing conversion, who feel united
in one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and who feel the need to come together to
share their lives. (1)
499
Whereas the Friendship Group Reunion provides for the good of the individual,
the Ultreya provides for the good of the community. Both are essential in terms of the method. Both are important to realize the direction of
our whole life in the light of the Gospel and sharing that life with other
evangelizers. An isolated Christian is a paralyzed Christian. So too is a
group, if it is not tied to other groups.
The reunion at the Ultreya unifies the Movement as
well as aiding the incorporation of new cursillistas into the Cursillo
community. The group satisfies the basic
need of the individual for a sense of growth and community, and the Ultreya
satisfies the need for growth in community and being Church in the world. Thus,
for the individual the Friendship Group Reunion is the most important aspect of
the method, but for the community the Ultreya is. Both are necessary to achieve
the ongoing work of evangelizing the environments in the world.
The Ultreya should be kept short and simple. Those who
plan the Ultreya should take into account the time pressures already on others.
For this reason, it is important to choose a time, location and format that does
not add to these pressures. The Ultreya
should be habitual; short; simple, and with substance.
504 The true mission of the
Ultreya, is to transform every family, every environment, and every social
structure into a small Ultreya: a community of faith, hope, and love. (1)
519 The success of the Ultreya
depends not only on the sharing and witnessing of those who take part in it,
but also on the attitude of its leaders. They should serve everyone as simply
and humbly as they do on a Cursillo weekend, giving personal attention and
making a concerted effort to create and sustain an evangelizing community made
of love. (1)
The Ultreya leadership should meet at least monthly to
coordinate the planning of Ultreyas. In
addition, they need to coordinate the various witness speakers that will be
present at the Ultreyas.
510 The ideal would be for Ultreyas to be celebrated
on a weekly basis; however, it is the responsibility of each Secretariat to
decide how often they will be held, depending on local circumstances.
The Ultreya leaders play a very important role in the
Ultreya.
·
facilitating the new cursillista's
incorporation into the Ultreya,
·
greeting and
bringing the brothers and sisters into closer contact, creating the climate proper
to the Ultreya,
·
arranging
interviews of an apostolic character,
·
setting straight
and helping the straying, etc.
The Ultreya leaders must have an attitude of humble
servants, radiating the life and joy of the Holy Spirit.
It is inconceivable that anything associated with the
Cursillo Movement would not begin with prayer. It is always so important that
we invoke the Lord's presence in anything and everything that we do.
During the Group Reunion the Ultreya leaders must
listen intently to what is being shared in their particular group. They must take the opportunity to:
1. Hear how cursillistas are striving to
transform their environments. As the cursillistas share these evangelistic
efforts, the Ultreya leader needs to make a mental note of that particular
sharing. Later on, the team member needs to establish personal contact with
that cursillista to ask him or her to share that particular evangelistic effort
as a witness at a future Ultreya. Using this approach we begin to direct the
type of witnessing that is shared.
2. As Ultreya leaders, it is paramount that
time management is maintained.
Each participant needs to have the opportunity to share the events of her/his evangelistic journey. Each participant needs to have the opportunity to grow from the sharing that comes from others. To assure this proper growth, the Ultreya team members must ensure that all participants have an equal opportunity to hear and to be heard.
A member of the laity should give the witness talk at
the Ultreya. This talk should last
approximately 10 minutes (15 at the absolute maximum).
The witness
talk should reveal what attempts the speaker is making to bring about a
transformation of an environment to make that environment more Christian. The talk should encourage by example, not by
theory. Witness speakers at the Ultreyas
give witness to their growth in living union with Christ so that others may be
encouraged to go and do likewise.
A witness
talk is delivered as a living experience of what the speaker is or believes. As
in all Cursillo talks, a truth is presented and then a living experience from
the life of the speaker is provided as a recent example from the speaker's life
to demonstrate the validity of the "truth" in a concrete situation. The witness should be a personal sharing of
one's:
·
growing union
with Christ
·
growing knowledge
of Christ
·
bringing others
to know Christ, or the changing of circumstances so that Christ is better
known, loved and served.
The speaker
should keep the witness talk short, simple and enthusiastic.
The person
giving a witness talk should be one who is living the truth to which he or she
is going to witness. When a person talks about what he or she is living, it is
almost always told well.
Basic witness talk (usually
given by newer cursillistas) ‑ This type of witness will usually focus on
a reflection of where they were, where they are now, how they got there and the
joy/sorrow experienced along the way. It is important to occasionally have
these types of witnesses for two reasons:
a. It helps the newer cursillistas become an
accepted part of the larger community
b. It helps the seasoned cursillistas to
remember the journey that they have been on.
Typical witness‑given
by anyone who is striving to put into practice all three elements of holiness,
formation, and evangelization. It should
strive to show the relationship of each of these three phases.
Evangelization of
environments witness‑given by someone who has made a conscientious effort
to transform a particular environment.
Following the
witness talk, there should be one or two cursillistas who will each provide a
short comment about their views of the information contained in the witness
talk.
Those providing
the comments should avoid giving an additional witness talk. Their comments
should stay focused with the speaker.
The Spiritual
Advisor's Summation is to be given by either a priest, deacon, or vowed
religious. From the information in the
witness, the Spiritual Advisor should prepare
a summation in light of the Gospel. This is
the point where the Spiritual Advisor attempts to unite the evangelistic growth with the spiritual
growth. This summation should further
encourage the participants to go forth and evangelize with a Gospel spirit.
Whenever possible, the Ultreya should conclude with a visit to the Blessed Sacrament for prayer. Having a closing prayer is essential, even if it is not possible to visit the Blessed Sacrament.
We begin and end every Ultreya with an acknowledgement that without Christ, we can do nothing.
This
enables each person to experience how others are striving in their own
spiritual and evangelistic growth.
Here
we have the opportunity for a cursillista to fully elaborate on the situations
that they deal with, as they strive to utilize the method of Cursillo.
These
are the cursillistas that provide additional support to the witness that has
been presented. These should help
awaken a desire amongst the other participants to go forth and do likewise.
This
is the time for putting the witness and the commentaries in proper perspective
with the Gospel, the Church, and/or other elements of the Church (i.e., other
biblical passages, encyclicals,
7:00 Meeting of Ultreya leaders to set up and make final plans for the Ultreya.
7:30 The Ultreya starts on time.
7:35 Ultreya Group
7:55 Short song while chairs are
arranged.
8:00 Lay witness talk (10‑15
min.).
8:15 Two short (1-2 min)
comments on the talk.
8:20 Spiritual Advisor's
summation (3‑5 min.).
8:25 Closing song and prayer
(before Blessed Sacrament if possible).
8:35 Time for personal contact on a one‑to‑one basis for those who want to.
In planning and
conducting the Ultreya, we should always
keep in mind what is essential in it. Its dynamic and active character
should always be remembered. We come to Ultreya
to unite with our brothers and sisters and to share with them rather than
to teach or to learn Catholic doctrine.
522 The important thing is not
to persevere in the Cursillo Movement but to live an authentic Christian life,
to build up the Church and construct a better world. Many of the people who
have made a Cursillo are not now making use of the specific methods of the
Postcursillo, and yet they are living a life that is authentically Christian.
(1)
The Ultreya fulfills the words
of Pope Paul VI, when he stated: "Those who sincerely accept the Good
News, through the power of their acceptance and shared faith, therefore gather
together in Jesus' name in order to seek together the Kingdom, build it up and
live it. They make up a community which is in its term evangelizing." (On
Evangelization in the Modern World, No. 13, p. 8).