The History of the Emmaus Movement

The Emmaus Movement essentially began in Spain just after World War II.  But, it wasn't called Emmaus then...

The Cursillo de Christianidad

The Cursillo movement was born in the Roman Catholic Church.

The Cursillo (pronounced coor-see-yo) was developed in Spain during the 1940's as an instrument of spiritual renewal. Cursillo de Christiandad, the full name of the Cursillo, means "short course in Christianity." After World War II, the Roman Catholic bishop saw the deterioration of the Christian faith in his diocese. Along with some layman, the bishop developed this program to raise up leaders among the men of his parish. The first Cursillos were very penitential in nature. In fact, the team and candidates fasted for the full 72 hours.

Cursillo came to the United States in 1957 when some Spanish airmen came to Corpus Christi for flight training, where there was a Spanish priest who was also a Curillista (one who has attended Cursillo). At first Cursillos were given along the Mexican/American border and only in Spanish. It spread to other Spanish-speaking communities before being translated into English. Cursillo has spread across the United States, and many different denominations have adopted the program. Except for very few areas, Cursillo is not ecumenical.

A Cursillo is an encounter with Christ in which the participant becomes a part of a community abounding in God's grace.  

Catholics began to tell their Protestant neighbors about this extraordinary spiritual experience.  Soon, Catholic centers were accepting applications from Protestants, and great interest grew in making the Cursillo experience available to all Protestants.

The Walk to Emmaus

Because of its interest in the Cursillo movement, The Upper Room, an agency of the United Methodist Church, sponsored two model Cursillos in Peoria, Illinois in 1977. These two events were held under the guidance and helpful leadership of the Peoria Diocese and their Spiritual Director, Fr. Thomas Hensler. As a result, the Upper Room Cursillo community formed in Nashville with the help of the Nashville Catholic Cursillo movement and Fr. Charles Giacosa.

As the Upper Room Cursillo developed, it was greatly aided by ecumenical Cursillos across the country. Not only was the Cursillo an effective tool in energizing disciples for ministry in local congregations, it was a tremendous experience in sharing the fundamental nature of our common faith in the Christian community.

In 1981, by mutual agreement between the National Secretariat of the Roman Catholic Cursillo movement and The Upper Room, the name of The Upper Room Cursillo was changed to the Emmaus (pronounced E-may-us) movement. Thus began the life of the Upper Room Emmaus movement in equipping knowledgable church leaders with a vital piety.

In the years since then, most Cursillo communities have closed themselves to Protestant participation, and urged them to seek out an Emmaus community, instead.

But in the Quincy area, the strong Cursillo community noted that there was not an Emmaus community within a hundred miles.  They decided to remain open to Protestants and Emmaus veterans who had taken retreats elsewhere and to have an ecumenical Cursillo.  This cost them their "official" status, with the Roman Catholic Church but they graciously insisted that they could not abandon their Protestant brothers and sisters in Christ.

But despite the open ecumenism of the Quincy Cursillo, there were people who desired a specifically Protestant for of the spiritual retreat.

The Great River Emmaus Fellowship

Then,the Central Illinois Emmaus Community, which is based in Springfield, working in conjunction with Quincy Cursillo, held its first set of Emmaus Walks in 2004.  The cooperation and support of Quincy Cursillo was invaluable and really helped to boost the Emmaus effort.

In 2004, the Great River Emmaus Gathering Community was born under the sponsorship of the Central Illinois Emmaus Community (CIE). 

As our membership expands, the Great River Emmaus Gathering Community (GREGC) meets in a variety of churches on both sides of the river for monthly Gatherings which normally take place on the third Friday of each month at 7:00 PM.  The Gatherings involve worship and a fellowship time afterwards.

Our steering committee meets on the second Monday of every month at 7:00 PM at Salem Evangelical Church.  This is preceded by a supper which begins at 5:30 at a different local restaurant each month.

Both the Gatherings and the suppers are open to veterans of Emmaus, Cursillo, and Via de Cristo (Lutheran version of Emmaus) weekends, as well as people who are simply interested in learning more about Emmaus.

You can find a schedule of Gatherings and suppers on the Events page.