HISTORY

The movement came from Spain to this country in 1947 when a group of Spanish  airmen were training in Texas. As it spread through the Roman Catholic Church,  Protestants were invited to participate in certain areas. In the early 1970's,  various denominations such as the Lutherans and the Episcopalians developed  their own movement along the lines of the Catholic Cursillo to serve persons from  their churches. Some localities worked toward ecumenical goals. In 1977, the Upper Room modeled two ecumenical ventures in Peoria, Illinois, for the purpose  of bringing the Cursillo movement to a broader ecumenical constituency.