The Painful but Fruitful Spread

THE CURSILLOS IN CHRISTIANITY IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF DAVAO 1964 – 2014
(compiled, researched and written by Bong Baldoza MC #188)
6th of a series

Despite the success that the Movement enjoyed with the avid support and blessing of Bishop Juan Hervás, there was much opposition from some of the clergy and conservative laypeople. The private secretary of Bishop Hervás, Fr. Bartolomé Miguel, who lived the religious phenomenon intensely because of his position, writes the following: “In the Christian life, all novelty produces a crisis of euphoria or of mistrust. In both cases, the crisis is always a moment of testing and of pain. Cursillo came to the peaceful island of Mallorca like a hurricane that lifted a dust cloud of comments, of mistrust and of renewed hopes. In the euphoria of the new experiment, next to the happy songs for the sheaves that were gathered into the barns of the Church, voices of alarm, of distrust, were not lacking.”

Finally, a report was sent to Rome documenting all the supposed theological, moral and methodological errors of the Cursillo. After some weeks, the Holy See called Bishop Hervás, who energetically defended the Cursillo Movement before the high tribunal. In his own words he said: “Yes, they denounced me to the Holy See, because they charged that in Cursillo heresies were spoken, such as “de colores”, meaning to live in grace. In Cursillo Jesus was called “The Boss”, when he has a name so significant as Jesus, but also, because in Cursillo they emitted doubtful moral judgements. And mainly, because in the Method, things were done that were contradictory, swearwords were used, they told rude jokes, they used a very vile language… Well, they called me to the Holy See, which was something like saying: ‘They will suspend you’. AND I WAS. They read me the accusations and I responded. I believed that the answers had satisfied the interrogators and I returned to my diocese (Mallorca) thinking that the case was finished.”
This was not to be. A few days later, bishop Hervás was told officially by the Nuncio that he is transferred to Ciudad Real in mainland Spain. Out of obedience he accepted and leave the Diocese of Mallorca taking the Cursillo with him. Though with tightier control, the Movement began in Ciudad Real by accepting only mature men and those from a certain social level and the focus on reaching out to those who were far away from God and the Church, became the exception rather than the rule. It took on an official clerical focus, moving away from the lay orientation of its origins. “The postcursillo stressed formation and had little to do with personal experience, it orchestrated the movement as the servant for other organizations and the various works and activities of the diocese. The Cursillo movement, an instrument of Christian renewal, was to become the Cursillo Movement, instrument of the pastoral needs of the diocese”. And from Ciudad Real it slowly went to every place in Spain and Mexico.

There is no doubt that Bishop Juan Hervás, while he was in Mallorca, was a great advocate and supporter of the Cursillo Movement. Presumably in his desire to see Cursillo continue and develop in his new diocese, he allowed some adaptations which he hoped would meet the concerns of the hierarchy, but which in hindsight would be seen as compromises that would distort the nature of Cursillo. Eventually, he himself came to accept these adaptations as proper to Cursillo.

Meanwhile, in Mallorca, the new bishop was not in favour of the Cursillo, and life for the Mallorcan Cursillistas became very difficult, culminating eventually in a directive to cease all Cursillo activities, weekends, ultreyas, schools, etc.

Before this happened, a young flight lieutenant in the Spanish air force by the name of Bernardo Vadell, participated in what was to be the last Cursillo for some time and he gave himself entirely to the whole process. Shortly afterward, he found that, in accord with the Spanish-USA mutual military agreement, he would be sent for a training program to a military base near Laredo, Texas, USA. This was near Waco, in the Diocese of Austin, USA. It happened that a Franciscan from Mallorca, Fr. Gabriel Fernandez was also working there. He had made a Cursillo in his home country years before and was looking for ways to establish the movement in his new home.

Using this military course as an opportunity, the Mallorcan leaders put the young airman through a crash course in the Cursillo method in the short time he had before leaving for the United States. When he left, his bags carried more Cursillo materials than personal belongings. When he arrived he found another Spanish officer, Agustin Palomina, who was also a Cursillista.

Eventually, through the work of these three, the first Cursillos in the United States was held in the Diocese of Austin on May 1957. This Cursillos was followed by many others in the US and eventually, in 1963, spread to Canada and in the Phillipines via the now Archdiocese of Cebu. It was also at this time that Pope Paul VI designated the Cursillo a renewal movement of the Church and named St. Paul as patron saint of the Movement.