Presbyterian Cursillo-Presbyterian Pilgrimage 

Spiritual Renewal Retreats

The Niceties - Sponsor, License (or not), By-Laws

Like any national program, Presbyterian Cursillo and Pilgrimage program communities must observe the 'niceties' - what are they and to what extent do they apply to you?

1.  Sponsorship:  In order to become a certified Presbyterian Cursillo or Pilgrimage community, your group will get started under the sponsorship of an existing community.  This will entail an agreement of the responsibilities and duties of each party. 

2.  The License:  Cursillo was founded and is owned by the Roman Catholic Church. Our National Council holds a license from them to certify Cursillo communities.  The principal issue of the license to our communities is that Cursillo communities may accept only members of the Presbyterian Church as pilgrims or staff members.  Some of our communities have chosen not to be bound by this requirement, and thus do not use the Cursillo name. They call themselves Presbyterian Pilgrimage.  Other groups want to use Cursillo as their name and abide by the license.

3. The National By-Laws:  The By-Laws of our National Council spell out much of what is required to operate a Presbyterian Cursillo or Pilgrimage.  The most stringent of these rules deal with the schedules and activities of the retreat weekend itself.  The fact that this amalgam of ordinary worship, study and fellowship practices works so extraordinarily well is awesome and not to be tampered with needlessly.

4. The Denomination:  The only denominational connection we have is that each new group must have the approval of one of our governing bodies - a single Session or Presbytery. 

5. The Legalities:  Federal and state authorities will require that you submit various paperwork and follow various laws and procedures.  They're beyond the scope of a web page like this, but a summary is available from Tom Fox at TOMAE@att.net

 Questions? Contact Jim Cahalan jimcahalan@sbcglobal.net