Jul. 1964 M#1, Spalding Institute Gym, 17 candidates
Sep. 1965 W#1, Bergan High (now Notre Dame High), 39 candidates (also first ecumenical women's Cursillo)
Mar. 1966 M#9, first men’s ecumenical Cursillo
Jun. 1971 First Cursillo with Fr. Tom Henseler as Spiritual Director
Jun. 1971 First Apostolic Hour with candlelight
Sep. 1971 First Cursillo at a non-Roman Catholic facility, St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, Peoria
Mar. 1973 First Boy’s TEC held in Peoria Diocese, at King’s House in Henry
Apr. 1973 First Girl’s TEC held in Peoria Diocese, at King’s House in Henry
Sep. 1973 M#36, beginning of a four-year stay at Newman Center (Bradley University), Peoria
Jan. 1974 Clausura time is changed from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Aug.10, 1974 10th Anniversary of Cursillo in the Peoria Diocese, Holy Family Church and Exposition Gardens, Peoria
Dec. 1974 Spin-off from Peoria Diocese, first men’s Cursillo with M#1 at Franciscan Seminary, Quincy
Jan. 1975 W#70 marks the switch to consecutive numbering of Cursillos, following completion of M#42 and W#27 Cursillos
Feb. 1975 Spin-off from Peoria Diocese, first women’s Cursillo with W#1 at Franciscan Seminary, Quincy
Apr. 1975 M#73, first Men’s Cursillo at Holy Trinity Convent, Bloomington
Aug. 1975 W#78, first Women’s Cursillo at Holy Trinity Convent, Bloomington
Jan. 1976 Fee for Cursillo weekend is changed from $30 to $40
Jul. 1976 M#94, first prison Cursillo (now called Walk to Emmaus), Vienna Correctional Center, Vienna
Aug. 1976 M#95, First men’s Cursillo at Northwest Area Center, Villa de Chantal, Rock Island
Oct. 1976 W#99, First women’s Cursillo at Northwest Area Center, Villa de Chantal, Rock Island
Oct. 1976 M#100, St. Mark’s (near Bradley University), Peoria
Jan. 1977 M#103, First Cursillo in St. Augustine Manor, Peoria
Apr. 1977 M#108, First men’s Protestant spin-off, Upper Room (Methodist), Peoria
May 1977 W#110, First women’s Protestant spin-off, Upper Room (Methodist), Peoria
Mar. 1982 M#200, Holy Trinity Convent, Bloomington
Sep. 18, 1982 25th Anniversary of Cursillo in the U.S. (18th year in Peoria Diocese), Civic Center, Peoria
Jun. 1983 W#224, largest Cursillo class of candidates with 61
Oct. 1983 M#I, W#I, First international spin-off, Le Cenacle Convent Geneva, Switzerland
1985 Peoria Steering Committee is formed from Secretariat
Jun. 1986 M#286, W#287, First Cursillos at Illinois Valley Area Site, Marquette High School, Ottawa.
Feb. 1987 W#300, Villa de Chantel, Rock Island
July 1988 M#333, W#334, First Cursillos in Eastern Area, Holy Cross Church and School, Champaign-Urbana
Sep. 23, 1989 25th Anniversary Celebration of Cursillo in Peoria Diocese, Civic Center, Peoria
Feb. 1991 Announcement that Cursillo is moving from St. Augustine Manor to the Spalding Institute building
Apr. 1991 Announcement of the Spalding Renewal Center Reconstruction Committee with Ted Krupa as General Chairman. The Capital Fund Drive Goal is $700,000 (raised $800,000)
Jun. 1991 Palanca Chapel at Spalding Renewal Center is completed
Sep. 1991 Weekend fee is increased to $80
Sep. 22, 1991 Open house held at Spalding Renewal Center
Sep. 1991 M#392 first Cursillo held at Spalding Renewal Center
Mar. 1992 M#400, Bloomington
Oct. 1993 Prison Cursillo Steering Committee is established
Dec. 1993 Cursillo gift shop “Odds N Ends” opens
Sep. 5, 1995 Death of Spiritual Director Deacon Dennis Woiwode
Sep. 1995 The first “DECOLORES CLASSIC” golf day
Mar. 1996 Walk to Emmaus / Cursillo take Walk to Emmaus M#1 & W#2 to Hong Kong
Mar. 1996 W#500, Champaign-Urbana
Mar. 1997 The palanca scroll is replaced with the “Palanca Love Script”
Apr. 1997 Eduardo Bonnin, one of the Founding Fathers of Cursillo, speaks at the Civic Center in Peoria
Jun. 1997 Weekend fee increased to $90
Jun. 1997 The first “Day of Renewal” is held, a one-day refresher course for Cursillistas
Jan. 1998 “In the Footsteps of Jesus” a Peoria Cursillo pilgrimage to the Holy Land
Jun. 1999 M#600, Pekin Federal Prison, Pekin
Jul. 27, 1999 Death of Assistant Spiritual Director Deacon Dennis Fahey
Aug. 1999 First “Rainbow Celebration” (Cursillo, Walk to Emmaus, and Via de Cristo)
Sep. 29, 1999 Death of Bishop Edward O’Rourke
Oct. 19, 1999 Death of Assistant Spiritual Director Deacon Charlie Tuerk
Apr. 2000 Edna Wagner makes her Cursillo at the age of 89 years and 10 months, making her the oldest “new Cursillista” in Peoria
Mar. 2002 M#700, Peoria
Feb. 2004 W#750, Peoria
Sep. 18, 2004 40th Anniversary of Cursillo in Peoria Diocese, Civic Center, Peoria
Fr. Lawrence Morrissey, 1964 – 1968
Fr. Joe Nickerson, 1968 – 1969
Viatorian Fathers:
Fr. Brumlevy, 1969 - 1971
Fr. Schooley, 1969 – 1971
Fr. Tom Henseler, 1971 – 1991
Co-Spiritual Directors:
Deacon Dennis Woiwode 1991 - 1995
Sr. Jacque Schroeder, 1991 – 1996
Fr. Tim Nolan, 1996 – 2000
Fr. Brian Brownsey, 2000 – present
*Deacon Bill Read, 2003 – 2009
*Deacon John Skender 2009 - 2016
* Appointed as Peoria Area Spiritual Director while Fr. Brownsey remained as the Diocesan Spiritual Director
ASSISTANT SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS
Deacon Charlie Tuerk, 1976 – 1999
Deacon Dave Reising, 1995 – 1998
Deacon Dennis Fahey, 1998 - 1999
Sr. Janice Keenan, 1996 – 1998
Sr. Diane VandeVoorde, 1998 - 2003
LAY DIRECTORS / LAY COORDINATORS *
Charlie Tuerk, 1966 – 1976
Bill Clarey, 1977 – 1980
Bob Pendergrass, 1980 – 1983
Roger Weber, 1983 – 1986
Bill Roth, 1986 – 1989
Marta Templin, 1989 – 1993
Bill Fitch, 1993 – 1997
Jim Behme 1997 – 2000
Wes Valade 2000 – 2003
Nancy Franzwa 2003 –
* The Title “Diocesan Lay Director” was changed to “Diocesan Lay Coordinator” in 2000
ASSISTANT LAY DIRECTORS / PEORIA LAY COORDINATOR *
Bill Roth, 1977 – 1980
Roger Weber, 1980 – 1983
Mary Etrick, Don Smith, 1983 – 1986
Lou Ann Williams, Marta Templin, 1986 – 1989
Judy Lander-Ryan, 1989 – 1992
Dick Oakford, 1992 – 1993
Sherry Killian, 1993 – 1995
Ron Thorne, 1995 – 1997
Ken Zika, 1997 – 1999
Gene Sweeney, 1999 – 2001
Nancy Franzwa, 2001 – 2003
Dave Urbanc, 2003 – 2004
Mary Stein, 2004 –
Peoria Prison Cursillo dates back to 1976 when father Tom Henseler and the late Deacon John Holtzman took a team into the prison at Vienna, Illinois. Buoyed by that experience, Peoria Cursillo returned to Vienna in 1977 and 1978, but it would be 15 years before Peoria Cursillo was again conducted in the prisons in Illinois. During that lull, a study was made regarding the viability of Peoria Cursillo in the prison system. After a positive recommendation by the study team, Bishop John Myers gave Peoria Cursillo the mission of taking Cursillo into all the prisons in the diocese. Activities began in earnest late in 1993, when Rector Ron Ghidina and his team went into the prison at Sheridan, Illinois.
Prison Cursillo has grown steadily since that time, reaching a peak of seven to nine Cursillos being conducted each year between 1998 and 2001 at six prisons in the diocese. Recent closures of facilities at Hanna City and Sheridan, as well as severe budget cuts within the state of Illinois, have had an adverse effect on the number of Prison Cursillos conducted since then. Nonetheless, the appeal of Cursillo is impressive, with the number of candidates totaling more than 3000 since that first Prison Cursillo back in 1976. At this writing, Sheridan Prison has reopened and plans are being made to conduct a weekend there late in 2004 or early in 2005. Tom Tesar, Site Coordinator at Pekin Prison indicates continued acceptance of Peoria Prison Cursillo by the residents there with 40-60% of the female population as Cursillistas (at times perhaps as many as 75% depending on turnover.).
Prison Cursillo is structured to "fit" the prison system. Teams enter prison facilities in the morning (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,) and leave early in the evening. There are twelve talks on the weekend, with combinations made of Sanctifying/Actual Grace, Environment/CCIA and Total Security/4th Day.
The talk outlines are the same in prison as they are in "street" Cursillos. Teams report that through the Cursillo method..."the Grace of God works on the hardest of hearts, no matter the environment.”
Our commitment to the prisons includes not only the weekend, but also the follow-up Ultreyas, which are held monthly. The Illinois Valley Prison Core Group reported a record of 60 straight Ultreyas at Sheridan through the late 1990's and early 2000's before Sheridan closed. This was indeed a remarkable feat, considering the many reasons a prison might have for denying access to its facilities.
Along with the euphoria of a successful weekend, there can be the agony of defeat. The prison may not allow an individual, even a whole team, to enter its gates on occasion. The viability of conducting a weekend in the prisons sometimes changes from month to month and depends on the situation inside the walls, as well as the availability of guards and prison officials. Volunteers have to be trained, tested, and badged, and the paperwork can sometimes be overwhelming. Trust in God, patience, and faith in the Cursillo method are the keys for all prison volunteers. Fred Payne, former Site Coordinator at Lincoln Correctional, has a motto: "be flexible." The Site Coordinator at Hill Correctional in Galesburg, Maryellen Rogers, put it this way: "It's our job to prepare and pray and do Palanca. God has the hard part, getting us in and achieving success...”
It's amazing how successful God has been at Prison Cursillo in the Diocese of Peoria
Bloomington Normal Cursillo History
April 11, 1975 was the beginning for the Bloomington Normal Cursillo community. We started with a very small community of fifty-eight candidates and a Catholic rector. Blessedly, we had help from a Peoria spiritual director and a huge amount of support from the Peoria Cursillo community, which provided us with direction and many of the team members in the early days. Without Peoria's help we could not have come as far as we have.
The Bloomington Normal community has used a variety of facilities over the past twenty-nine years. First, we moved into the old Dominican convent next to Holy Trinity church in 1975. Thanks to a great amount of work and money donated by the small Cursillo community, the old convent was home for Cursillo in Bloomington for 26 years. In 2001, Holy Trinity decided that it was too expensive to maintain the old building and the decision was made to tear it down. The demolition of the convent resulted in mixed emotions, and there was a great sense of loss.
For the next two years, we used the old Central Catholic High School for Cursillo weekends, but it forced us to make some changes in the way the Cursillo events were held. This was a learning experience. Unfortunately, we knew that the high school was only a short-term solution to our needs and that a day would come when this temporary home would also disappear. The high school closed its day-to-day operation in the fall of 2003, and once again we were without a home
Thanks to a lot of prayer and hard work, this past men's weekend was held at the Holiday Inn in Normal. We still use Holy Trinity church, but our new home for the next few weekends will be the hotel in Normal. There were a lot of changes that led to this new home, but once a decision was made the community got behind the project and made it a great success. The results have been positive and we are now embarking upon a new path, which has shown us that a community that pulls together can survive and grow.
Cursillo is alive and well in Bloomington /Normal. We have met many challenges and with prayer and hard work we are growing. In the past twenty-nine years over 3500 men and women have taken a short course in Christianity within the Bloomington/ Normal Cursillo facilities and are now living a new and better life as a result. The facilities have come and gone, the leadership has changed, but our focus is still on track.
Our history would not be complete without thanking our spiritual leadership. For the past twelve years we have had Deacon Darrell, Deacon Ed Ulbrich and Deacon Brendan as part of our permanent spiritual leadership team. Without their direction, and the efforts of all the assistant spiritual directors of all faiths, I am sure that we would have lost our way. But with the Lord's help, and that of these men and women, we have crossed many hills and valleys in our journey. Now twenty-nine years later a Lutheran rector led our last Cursillo weekend. We have always been an ecumenical movement, and this has led to many of the successes that our community has experienced. Now we are looking forward to the years to come.
The beginning of an active community in the Champaign/Urbana area began in 1971 when Fr. Tom Henseler attended an Ultreya with six couples at a Cursillista’s home. This small community became very active in the Peoria Cursillo Center where they helped in the kitchen, in the Palanca chapel and by being on teams. Later when the Cursillo Center opened in Bloomington, the Eastern Area Cursillistas became active participants in all aspects of Bloomington's center. A Secretariat member was appointed from the Eastern Area and work was begun toward finding a center in the Eastern Area.
In 1988 the first men’s (# 333) and women’s (# 334) Cursillo weekends were held at Holy Cross School in Champaign. Teams were made up of people from both the Bloomington and Champaign areas. Subsequent Cursillos were held at the Alpha Phi Sorority house at the University of Illinois between 1989 and 1991.
By 1992 we were known as the Eastern Area Cursillo community, and we held our first Cursillo in a “permanent” home in St. Joseph’s Parish, in Pesotum. We had only one Cursillo that year, men’s #411. We held a men’s and a women’s weekend in each of the next two years, and in 1995 we started holding two men’s and two women’s Cursillos each year. That pattern has continued to this day, with only two exceptions. Over the past 16 years, the Eastern Area Cursillo has held 46 Cursillos and has touched the lives of 722 candidates.
Of course there have been a number of challenges along with abundant blessings in the Eastern Area. Before we could start Cursillos in St. Joseph, some major remodeling had to be done to allow for bathroom and shower facilities. We were fortunate in that we could use St. Joseph’s kitchen pretty much as it was, and having the church centered in the middle of the building was a special blessing.
While the facilities were being readied, the administrative details also had to be sorted out. A steering committee was established and secretariat members appointed to serve as liaisons to Peoria. We also created a mission statement, bylaws, and a newsletter, as well as manuals for rector(a)s, board advisers, and assistants. A membership database was established and used for team selection. The blessing connected with all this was the willing hands and hearts of people in the Eastern Area who volunteered their time and talent and treasure to make it happen.
We now face yet another challenge: St. Joseph’s is no longer a Parish and the facilities there are in need of major repair. Temporarily we will conduct a men’s and women’s Cursillo in the beautiful facilities of St. Thomas Moore High School. The dates and frequency of our Cursillos will have to be adjusted to fit a very active school schedule. Sleeping arrangements will also require some creative thinking, and other logistical problems will need to be addressed. So we have now come full circle from Champaign to Pesotum and back to Champaign. We are confident that the Lord will continue to guide our direction and bless us as He has thus far.
Northwest Area Cursillo History
Believers Together Center
Recognizing a need to bring Cursillo to the Northwest area by providing a permanent local center, Fr. Duane Jack, Jesse Ramirez (soon to be Deacon Jesse) and several other Christian leaders from the area established our first home in Rock Island at the Villa de Chantal in 1976 with Cursillo #95. By 1984 we had become so large that the Villa was no longer able to accommodate the Apostolic Hour or Clausura, so candidates and team members had to be bussed to local churches. When the Villa was sold in 1992 we began searching for another home.
A temporary arrangement was made at Camp Milan, a Methodist retreat center, while a committee searched for a permanent home. Only two weekends were held at Camp Milan before the spring of 1993 when our prayers were answered in the form of a new addition to Sacred Heart Church in Moline. Cullman’s Hall was new, all on one floor, large enough to host the entire weekend and welcoming to our growing Cursillo family. For many years Cullman’s Hall was our home, but when the growing Sacred Heart Parish and the new Seaton school building needed more room we knew a different facility would be in everyone’s best interest.
The year 2000 was not only the beginning of the new millennium; it was also the beginning of a new era for the Northwest area Cursillo. While committee members considered every conceivable option for a new home, Fr. Jack met with Fr. Don Levett of Christ The King Church in Moline and both discussed their needs for a building. From those discussions a unique co-operative venture between Christ The King Parish, Northwest Area Cursillo and Teens Encounter Christ produced the Believers Together Center that opened in 2002. The 3.2 million dollar center is a tribute to all involved. Never before had three separate entities worked so hard to see that each other’s needs were met.
Along with the new permanent home came an expansion for Cursillo from four weekends to six weekends per year. We were also able to allow more candidates to attend each weekend. Some say that building a new home can be stressful, but the opposite is true of the Believers Together Center. Many Cursillistas, TECites and Christ The King members donated money, time, and talents to make Believers Together a reality.
In the past 28 years the Northwest area has held 122 Cursillos with more than 4,000 Candidates being brought closer to Christ. It is not unusual to see several hundred Cursillistas at an Ultreya or Apostolic Hour. The Lord has truly blessed the Northwest area
Illinois Valley Cursillo History
The first Cursillo was held in the Illinois Valley Cursillo Center in 1986 at the old Marquette High School, under the guidance and spiritual direction of Rev. Duane Jack. It then moved to St. Columba's School in Ottawa before finding its current home at St. Pat's School in La Salle. Deacon John Murphy was appointed spiritual director of the Illinois Valley Cursillo in 1988. He and his assistant spiritual director, Deacon Vince Slomian, continue to provide the Illinois Valley Cursillo family with their dedicated service and guidance. Throughout the years, 531 men and women have been touched by the grace of the Cursillo experience in the Illinois Valley.
During the past 18 years, Illinois Valley Cursillistas have also participated in Cursillos and Ultreyas at the Sheridan Correctional Facility. These activities were put on hold with the temporary closure of the facility, but we look forward