And the Colorful Rooster Crows...

De Colores means “the colors,” in Spanish and this is also the title of a popular Mexican folk song whose lyrics are mentioned in this story. De Colores, (pronounced “day cuh-lor'-ess,”) became the anthem of the Caesar Chavezs Farm Workers Union, (UFW) as well as a theme song for a spiritual movement of the Roman Catholic Church called Cursillo, whose symbol is a rainbow colored rooster. This article will focus on the Cursillo, it's origin and it's practices.

Cursillos are said to be the inspiration of Edward Bonnin and Bishop of Mallorca Spain who were inspired to respond to a plea from Pope Pius XII. They felt it would be a way to restore the then war-torn country to Christian values. The word itself is spanish, and it means “short course;” it means, in this case, a "short course" in Christianity. The first cursillo probably took place sometime between 1944 and 1947, after these men made a pilgrimage to a holy shrine in Spain, called Santiago de Compostela, rivaled only (in the the Catholic mind,) by two other places on the planet, Vatican City and the Holy Land.

The practices of the cursillo then made it's way to the US in 1957, via Spanish Military Exchange Pilots from Spain who were training in Waco, Texas. Since this time, the cursillo movement has not only been used throughout the Roman Catholic Church in the US, but has branched out into other denominations under various names like Tres Dias, Via De Christo, CumChristo, The Emmaus Walk and Chrysalis. Called,"evangelism" as it spreads, all cursillo weekends, even with differences in name, have the same concept and modes of operation, and are commonly thought of as "evangelism."

Today, the National Cursillo website, http://www.natl-cursillo.org/kckcursillo/whatis.html states that the purpose of the Cursillo is: “to make it possible for people to live what is fundamental for being a Christian, and to live it together.” It continues, “it helps people discover and fulfill their personal vocations, and it promotes the creation of core groups of Christians who leaven their environments with the Gospel.” This is surprising verbiage, for in the scriptures, "leaven" has never been presented as a "good" thing.

In the Old Testament as well as the New, “leaven” represents sin. It also represents false doctrines, hypocrisy and evil practices. (1 Corinthians 5-6-8; Matthew 16:12; Luke 12:1) Leaven is always to be put out of the house, (Ex. 12:15) or to be cast out as an unclean thing. Nothing in scripture that is good or desirable, is ever compared to "leaven." (Leviticus 2:11; I Cor. 5:8) So one must wonder why Christians are leavening their environments. More so, why use the term "leaven" and leavening their environments with, (of all things,) with "the Gospel."

Besides the concept of Christians, "leavening" their environments, another interesting thing about cursillos and the cursillo movement, is that instead of unsaved people, or even new Christian converts being openly invited to these weekend retreats, those “invited to attend” are people who are already leaders in some capacity within their churches... people with a committment to their Christian faith. It is these people who are instructed that the weekend and the events that take place there are to draw them into a closer, more personal relationship with Christ than they already have as a believer, thus the cursillo is "evangelizing" or teaching "a short course in Christianity" to people who should already have an understanding of Christian doctrine and their faith.

More specifically, the documents of the cursillo movement say that the strategy of the cursillo-type group is “to select natural leaders within an environment and introduce them to Christ.” (Essentials of the Via De Christo pg. 15. ) The "environment" however is usually church and the persons targeted are often already connected to a body of believers. It's enough to make a person wonder what, or who's, "strategy" is it that is going on in these weekend retreats, and if these people who are already Christian, need to be "introduced" to Christ.

A lot of what takes place at these weekend cursillos is not really ever talked about publicly, and if you ask someone who has been to one, "What takes place at a cursillo?" they will tell you, they can't talk about it. Oh, they might give you some vague generalizations, and emphatically insist nothing stealth or secretive takes place on these three day weekends, but they will also openly admit, and repeat the famous words, that “some aspects of the weekend are simply better experienced without the pre-knowledge of the participant.” (Which interpreted means something like, “Some things are better kept as a secret.”)

In addition people who return from such weekends say, even to the closest of friends, even to spouses, that they cannot tell about their experience, and this, either because it would be too difficult to explain, (perhaps too spiritual) or because it “might ruin it” for others. In other words, and for whatever reason, they do as they have been told, and keep "a secret."

"Secret" usually means “not public; kept private or not revealed; known only to a special group.” Truth of the matter is that you have to attend a cursillo if you want to know what takes place there. Also, you are expected to keep certain "secret" if you are in the "know."

By most standards, and particularly of those who study mind control techniques and cults, this "secret" aspect of the cursillo, as well as other methods cursillos employ can be construed as extremely manipulative even psychologically coercive. Not telling everything that happenes because of a "surprise factor" seems rather benign, but it's a "secret" aspect just the same. To many people, it's simply fun an surprise done in love and affirmation, even when non-cursillo family members and and friends are solicited to write love letters to be presented to the cursillita on their weekend, and asked to keep it secret that they know this person is going on a retreat.

A cursillo is a very special experience, and a person can “make a cursillo” only once in their life. It's a free gift, a gifting of God or of the cursillo community who volunteer their time or pays the expense of the person who attends. Most "guests," are honored as such a gesture, if they are the well-mannered sort, they will desire to be gracious about receiving such a gift. Often also, people are also honored to feel they have been personally selected... if religious, who can refuse a time to "get away" and "focus on God," Few refuse. How can they refuse without feeling guilty for having more important "worldly things, " to do than this, or guilty for rejecting such an awesome gift from God?

It is common for the person going on such a retreat not to know the exact location that they are going to. They are usually asked to simply trust the discretion of the friend who is sponsoring the event. In addition, the weekend comes complete with the elimination of contact with the outside world. There is the removal of watches, the absence of clocks and phones for the duration of the weekend’s activities and this may not be unwelcome by the person who wishes to seclude away from the world and focus on "God." It may be perceived as quite a positive or helpful thing at that, but the truth is that things like this are the very things that are known to be the very tools that make another human being disoriented, and therefore vulnerable to mind maniipulation and control.

As mentioned already, another "secret" during these weekends is the wonderful love letters that have been clandestinely solicited from family and friends. The cursillo plan is to present these to cursilliates during their three-day weekend. This is a noble sounding concept, except that the persons writing such letters often know very little of the Cursillo movement, just that the friend is attending a weekend retreat. Often they simply do so because they are asked and because they love their friend, not because they know anything of cursillo.

While the letter writer can imagine that it is only used for good, the letter writer often has no idea how the letters will be used, when they will be presented or what their "love bomb" will endorse. They are only asked to write a letter telling the person how special they are, how much they are loved and told that the letters will be a blessing to their reciepient... and asked let the note, as well as knowledge of the person going on retreat, be a “surprise.” The result is that such letters validate whatever experience the participant is having without family and friends on the outside of the group knowing what exactly that could or couldn't be. They have no idea what they will endorse with their affirmations. Meanwhile, the recipient thinks the letter came from another soul who was part of the surprise, when they are not.

The events of a cursillo may appear to the participant as spontaneous, and genuine, but cursillos are highly planned, and sometimes even certain elements are often contrived. Everything is done to have the prescribed outcome, a deliberate effect, that of incorporating the newcomer into something even greater, the “heart of the cursillo, ” called "Ultreya."

Ultreya means, "go forth!” and participants go forth, into this new community of weekly gatherings, accountability groups, study groups, the singing of songs, (in particular, "De Colores,") they share in times of food and fellowship, but it's a "church" open only to these now "true" believers, reserved only for those who have had the experienced Jesus in the "secret"(See: Matthew 24:26; Luke 11:33) cursilllo community. Ultreya has very similar elements to the "church" but participants are told they should still attend their home church, as they participate in Ultreya, for here it is that they will now "go forth" and "target" other potential candidates to join their "real Christian" cursillo community.

So forward they go, using their newly found Latin vocabulary consisting of words like "palanca,” “rollo.” “cha” and “ultreya,” targeting friends and family members to sponsor for the blessing of cursillo and asking them to keep "non-secretive" secrets. They are, after all, apostles, leavening their environments with "the gospel," that is, of course, the "gospel" of God's gift, the cursillo.