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 therefore feel the need to come together to share their lives. In this way they strengthen one another in their determination and ability to live what is fundamental for being a Christian and to discover in very specific terms the place and manner in which they should each be living it, in accordance with their respective vocations.

The Ultreya spurs the Groups on toward evangelization of their various environments, while each Group spurs on the individuals within it; both the Ultreya and the Group Reunion give momentum to the work of evangelizing the world. The  Group satisfies the basic needs of the individual in terms of growth and community, while the Ultreya satisfies the need for community growth—the community, because it is the Church in the world, needs to keep growing into more of a community. For the individual, then, the Group Reunion is the most important feature, whereas the Ultreya is more important for the community as a whole. But both of them are necessary to the ongoing work of evangelizing the environments of the world.

The purpose of the Ultreya is to create groups of evangelizers—groups made up of people who are capable of living, together with other people, what is fundamental for being a Christian.  The Ultreya:

1. Facilitates the living and sharing of what is fundamental for being a Christian, by promoting situations for sharing; for individuals, there are the groupings, and for the community as a whole, there is the witness given by the speakers.

2. Creates an atmosphere of enthusiasm, where all participants can witness to their own vivid experiences of loving God, loving their neighbor, loving the world;

3. Fosters the on going conversion of the participants by giving them an opportunity for spiritual direction, offering them personal help from the leaders, challenging them each to incorporate into their own lives what they have heard in the witness of others, and helping them to discern their  respective vocations; and

4. Makes possible the evangelical leavening of environments,

· By the simple fact of being a witnessing community;

· By forming and fostering friendship groups, providing  personal contact that encourages personal and communal evangelization; and

· By promoting holiness, metanoia¹, reconciliation, Christian community, and a sense of mission.

The Ultreya is to environmental evangelization what the heart is to the body. Just as the heart speeds oxygenated blood to the body in order to sustain life, so too the mission of the Ultreya is to transform every family, every environment, and every social structure into a small Ultreya: sustaining a community of Faith, Hope, and Love.

There is no specific method that is essential to the Ultreya. The best method is whatever leads people to live to share, and to grow in the spirit enkindled in them by the Cursillo weekend. Even though there is no set format for the Ultreya, in many places and in the Los Angeles Cursillo it has been found beneficial to use the following format:

· Grouping

· Witness talk

· Comments on the witness talk

· Spiritual direction

· Prayer

The Eucharist is the source and summit of all evangelization and of every community, and the Cursillo Movement is no exception. It is, therefore, the very essence of the Ultreya to inspire Christians to enter into the Eucharistic mystery more fully and deeply each time they attend Mass.  This does not, however, mean that the Eucharist has to be celebrated as an integral part of the Ultreya.

Since the Lord wants to make Himself known through Scripture, the Ultreya should give Christians an opportunity to experience the joy of finding Him there and to go on deepening their understanding of how Scripture relates to their lives.

The Fundamental Ideas of the Cursillo Movement

 

Ultreya

Cursillos in Christianity

Los Angeles English Cursillo

®

The Ultreya is the Cursillo community
gathered together, making itself visible
as community in reunion.

For assistance in preparing an Ultreya contact

Ed Polanco