OFFICIAL NAME
World Organisation of the Cursillo Movement
ACRONYM
OMCC (Organismo Mundial de Cursillos de Cristiandad)
ESTABLISHED
1980
HISTORY
OMCC was established as an organisation to coordinate the Cursillos de Cristiandad Movement that was founded in Majorca, Spain, at the end of the 1940s by a small group of laymen and priests. They felt the need to provide religious instruction for people to enable them to restore a Christian impetus to a life that had ceased to be Christian. Based on the conviction that, through the strength of the sacraments of baptism and confirmation, the lay faithful have a specific role to play in the mission of evangelisation, the Movement strives to set up groups of baptised Christians to act as leaven for the evangelisation of the places in which they live and work. The aims of the Cursillos, which make themselves available to serve the Bishops as an instrument for their pastoral work, are achieved in three phases: the precursillo, to identify the environments that are in greatest need of evangelisation, and within them, the leaders, meaning the individuals that can "lead" others to the good news; the cursillo, which is a short spiritual experience of great intensity, during which a team of priests and lay persons present the selected people with the fundamental truths of Christianity accompanied by their own personal testimony of life. During the three days of the "short course", many people both within and outside the Movement offer our Lord their intentions, that is to say, their prayers and sacrifices to pray for the conversion of the participants in the cursillo; the post-cursillo, to guarantee perseverance in the life of grace, by assiduously frequenting the sacraments, prayer and the weekly meeting of the cursillo members (Ultreya), at which they share their experiences, reflect on them in the light of the Word of God, and then programme their apostolic actions and the formation of evangelisation groups.
IDENTITY
Officially recognised on 31 May 2004 by the Pontifical Council for the Laity as a structure to coordinate, promote, and disseminate the experience of Cursillos de Cristiandad, the OMCC is at the service of the dynamic unity of the Movement worldwide, and is responsible for coordinating its initiatives and its policy and organisational directives. It exercises its authority over the international Groups, the national Secretariats and the diocesan Secretariats of the Cursillos, in order to support the Movement’s fidelity to the Church and the Magisterium; to preserve identity and unity in fidelity to the original Charism; to promote unity and cooperation between the international Groups, coordinating their activities; and to spread the Movement to countries where it is not yet present.
ORGANISATION
OMCC comprises its own Executive Committee and the Executive Committees of the Cursillos International Groups. The Executive Committee is made up of the President, representing the Movement which is all the international Groups; the Vice President; the Ecclesiastical Assistant; the Secretary and the Bursar.
MEMBERSHIP
OMCC is at the service of Cursillos de Cristiandad which are present in 63 countries as follows: Africa (5), Asia (17), Europe (18), North America (3), and South America (20).
PUBLICATIONS
Bollettino OMCC, published half-yearly.
WEB SITE
HEADQUARTERS
Organismo Mundial de Cursillos de Cristiandad
St Agatha's Church
Attn: OMMC
52 Oriel Road
Clayfield 4011 - Australia
Tel. [+61] 7 38566887 - Fax [+61] 7 31370262
Email: omcc.org@gmail.com
