A Promise Fulfilled

Florencia Urias

In April of 1963, an Ultreya (Spanish for perseverance, but also refers to a meeting) of the Cursillo Movement took place at Holy Family Church where Fr. Tomas Fernandez was the parish priest. He was also the Spiritual Director of the Men’s Spanish Cursillo for the Diocese of Corpus Christi.

Back then, there were no Cursillos for women in the diocese. At this Ultreya, I was asking a group of ladies, including Adelmira Ortiz, Janie Burgess and Elvira Swetish if they would help me organize a Cursillo for Women.

”We can all make a strong force, talk with Bishop Garriga and ask permission to establish a Women’s Spanish Cursillo in the diocese,” I said to the ladies.

All of us were anxious to experience a Cursillo, just as our husbands had done. We wanted to express our fervent love for Jesus Christ and all agreed to see the Bishop.

The following Monday, I called the Bishop’s office and the secretary told me we could meet the Bishop the next week. I let the group know and we all started praying to the Holy Spirit.

Meanwhile, I was worried Fr. Fernandez would be opposed to our meeting with the Bishop. Since we had already set up the appointment and were so excited about the possibilities, we decided not to tell Fr. Fernandez until after our meeting.

Twenty ladies, including Elvira, Janie and myself, attended the meeting. Nervously, we arrived at the Chancery and upon entering the Bishop’s Office a priest greeted us and told us to have a seat.

Soon, the Bishop arrived and invited us into his office, where we each kissed his ring and introduced ourselves. Since I was the spokesperson, I immediately addressed our concerns with the Bishop: ”We have come to ask permission to establish a Spanish Cursillo for women because the diocese only has Cursillos for men, not for women.”

The Bishop responded, ”You all can go on a retreat.” Elvira and Janie politely answered, ”No, Your Excellency, a retreat is not the same. We have gone to retreats but according to what we have seen through our husbands’ experiences, the Cursillo changed the way they live. They have totally different lives from the ones they lived before their Cursillo.”

The Bishop told us, ”Well, I’m asking you to pray a novena to St. Theresa de Jesus (the one with the flowers),” and directing himself to me continued, ”Mrs. Urias, you and Elvira leave your telephone number with the secretary.”

Then he asked: ”Are you from Holy Family? Does Fr. Fernandez know that you are here?” We answered, ”No, we did not tell Fr. Fernandez. Your Excellency, we will let him know.”

Bishop Garriga gave us a blessing and we agreed to let Fr. Fernandez know.

We met with Fr. Fernandez and, in speaking with him, he told us, ”Since you already spoke with the Bishop, now I’ll wait for him to call me.”

The next day, the Bishop called me with his answer.

”Mrs. Urias,” the Bishop said, ”You have permission to hold a Spanish Cursillo for Women in the Diocese of Corpus Christi. You and Elvira need to go with Fr. Fernandez and look for a place to have the Cursillo.”

At Friday’s Ultreya, Fr. Fernandez told everyone about the Bishop’s decision and asked us all to pray.

On Monday, my husband Jose prepared the car for us and along with Elvira, we took Fr. Fernandez to look for a place. Unfortunately, we did not find anything. Elvira suggested we go to Rockport, where the Schoenstatt nuns lived.

The kind nuns showed us their home and we concluded a Cursillo could be held there if we made repairs to a dilapidated house. We wanted to use it as a dormitory for the Cursillo candidates. The following Friday at the next Ultreya, Fr. Fernandez relayed the plans to all Cursillistas who attended and asked for help in repairing the house at Schoenstatt.

During the following two weekends, the Cursillistas cleaned, repaired and painted not only the house that was to be used as a dormitory, but also an old small chapel on the premises.

Once the place was ready, the Cursillistas asked Fr. Fernandez who was going to coordinate the Cursillo. Without hesitation, Fr. Fernandez responded, ”Flora Urias.”

I quickly answered: ”But, Father, I can’t because I would not know where to begin.” Fr. Fernandez told me, ”No one is born knowing. People learn like Celso Moreno and Joel Garcia who have coordinated the Men’s Cursillo.”

And so it happened. The first Spanish Cursillo for Women in the Diocese of Corpus Christi took place October 25-27. We are forever grateful to Bishop Garriga for giving us permission to establish the Cursillos of Christianity for the women of the diocese.

I wanted to write this because I lived my Cursillo in Round Rock in the Diocese of Austin in April 1963. When I left my Cursillo, I told my Lord, ”If you help me, I promise to take this Cursillo for Women to our Diocese of Corpus Christi.”

It has been 46 years since I lived my Cursillo in Christianity and I have not forgotten the impact I felt when, in front of the altar, the Spiritual Director placed the Apostle’s crucifix on my neck saying, ”Florencia, Christ is with you” and I emotionally responded, ”and I with Him.”

Blessed are the Cursillos of Christianity. It was a sacred blessing for my husband Jose, who is now deceased and for our entire family.