Los Angeles is now the seat of the world Cursillo movement, beginning with a liturgical celebration and transfer ceremonies Jan. 28 at All Souls Church in Alhambra that drew several hundred people.

Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Solis presided. Concelebrating priests included Bishop James Tamayo of Laredo, Texas, the national episcopal advisor to the Cursillo movement, and Father Modesto Perez, archdiocesan spiritual director and pastor of All Souls Church.

The seat of the World Organization of Cursillos in Christianity has been transferred to Los Angeles for the next four years following the completion of the most recent term in Brazil. Members of the outgoing delegation from Brazil were present for the transfer ceremonies.

The objective of the world organization is to coordinate four international working groups --- European, North American and Caribbean, Asian Pacific and Latin American --- and to foster the unity of the movement. Juan Ruiz, the new president of the executive committee, said the next term would include an in-depth study of the movement's foundational charism.

Cursillo --- Spanish for "short course" --- is a lay Catholic movement that began among youth in Majorca, Spain, in the 1940s and spread globally. A Cursillo weekend retreat for men or women emphasizes prayer, study, Christian action and living out one's faith in daily life. Those who complete the weekend are called "Cursillistas." The movement has become popular among adults in the United States, with some 30,000 Cursillistas in Los Angeles.

Father Perez described Cursillo as a "ministry to do the joyful proclamation of the good news. He added that the weekend retreat is "an encounter with self, with Christ and with the community of faith."

The movement, he added, "preceded the Second Vatican Council in calling the laity to their proper role within the church and the world."

In the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, where the movement began in 1962, Cursillo retreats take place in English, Spanish, Tagalog (Filipino), Korean, Chinese, Portuguese and Vietnamese, and each movement has a spiritual director.

Ruiz, a parishioner at Beatitudes of Our Lord Church in La Mirada and a retired engineer with SBC, told The Tidings that the basic Cursillo message is "God loves you as you are."

With an awareness of God's foundational love and the friendship of other retreatants, Cursillistas continue to transform and develop their lives. "People turn out to be very good Christian leaders," said, Ruiz, a husband, father and grandfather who made his retreat in 1977. "The Cursillo brings you an awareness of your responsibility as a Christian and your values as a person. You discover potential you didn't even know you had."

Ruiz hopes that the movement can once again emphasize greater youth involvement.

The new executive committee includes Ruiz and Maribel Gomez of Los Angeles as Secretary. Gail Terrana of Buffalo will serve as vice president and James Wells of Wichita, Kansas, as treasurer. The spiritual advisor to the executive committee is Father David Smith of Miami.

For more information about Cursillo retreats, call All Souls Church at (626) 281-0466, or see http://cursillola.org (Spanish) or www.natl-cursillo.org (English).