Sponsor’s Responsibilities
Pre-Cursillo
~Pray.
~Be active. You should be leading an active Christian life and be a living witness to your love of Christ. You must be a witness to the Cursillo Method (grouping, attending Ultreyas when possible, etc.)
~Speak to God before you speak to your friend. Then, speak to your priest before you talk with your friend; he/she may know reasons why now is not the correct time.
~Pray some more.
~Cursillo is not meant to work miracles. The candidate (pilgrim) should, at the time of the weekend, be free of family stress such as recent death or divorce. Some physical/health limitations may make it difficult for a pilgrim to fully participate in the weekend. Please don’t set them up for failure.
~Pilgrim must be a Christian and should be an Episcopalian.
~Sponsor should discuss Cursillo with the pilgrim and fully answer questions without giving away the special palanca “surprises” that happen during the weekend. It is appropriate to let a potential pilgrim know that there 15 talks, and that there will be worship. Sponsor should make sure the candidate (pilgrim) knows about the Welcoming Ultreya date and is available. Sponsor should discus that this is a beginning and the weekend will talk about additional commitments, i.e. grouping and Ultreyas. It is even appropriate to invite your potential pilgrim to group and Ultreya prior to his/her weekend so that they understand what is expected after the weekend.
~Pilgrim should be strongly encouraged to attend a Cursillo weekend within his/her own diocese.
~Keep praying.
~If the pilgrim is married, the sponsor should recommend that both husband and wife attend a Cursillo weekend. However, this is not an absolute requirement.
~Sponsor (with help from church Cursillo coordinators, if necessary) must assist the pilgrim in completing the online application.
~Don’t forget to pray.
Cursillo Weekend
~Keep praying.
~Sponsor should make sure the pilgrim takes everything he/she needs for the weekend. (Sponsor will receive an e-mail from the Team ahead of the weekend with some packing reminders as well as other necessary instructions in it. The packing reminders can then be communicated to the pilgrim.)
~Sponsor is expected to provide transportation to and from Camp Weed. If a sponsor absolutely can’t personally do this for some good reason, the sponsor must make transportation arrangements for the pilgrim with a co-sponsor or other responsible adult drivers from the church. The sponsor will treat the pilgrim to a simple dinner on the road to and home from Camp Weed.
~Are you praying?
~Sponsor /co-sponsor should arrange to take care of any child or pet care needs for the pilgrim over the Cursillo weekend if no one else will be in the home to do this.
~Sponsor/co-sponsor will arrange for personal palanca notes from the pilgrim’s family/closest friends. These can be referred to as “love letters” when requesting them from family/closest friends. Emphasize that this weekend is one of God’s love. All letters should be positive—no bad news.
~Sponsor must attend the weekend’s Closing (Clausura) and Wake-Up.
~Prayer is still not finished.
Post Cursillo
~Sponsor should drive the pilgrim to and from the Welcoming Ultreya (held on a Saturday morning a few weeks after the Cursillo Weekend) and is to pack a picnic lunch for the two of them. If the sponsor absolutely cannot attend, the sponsor is expected to make arrangements for the pilgrim to ride with a co-sponsor, other pilgrim’s sponsor, or Team member attending. The sponsor is still responsible for the pilgrim’s lunch that day.
~Sponsor is responsible for affording the pilgrim the opportunity for a Fourth Day Life in aiding and encouraging the pilgrim to belong to a permanent group and to attend Ultreyas. If the sponsor can’t fulfill this commitment, the pilgrim should have a co-sponsor that will do this.
~It is difficult to fulfill all responsibilities and sponsor more than 2 pilgrims per year.
~Unless the sponsor is willing to guarantee that the pilgrim will at least be given an opportunity to share in a group reunion (Ultreya), the application should not be submitted.