The Cursillo movement originated in Spain and, when there is no direct translation, we use the original Spanish words. For example, at our breakfast meetings, it is easier to say that we eat “croissants” than have to describe “crescent-shaped rolls made of flaky pastry of French origin” every time.
Cursillo (pronounced “kur-see-yo”) means a short course, in this case in Christianity
Cursillista: someone who has been on a Cursillo weekend
Ultreya! is a word of encouragement literally translated as “to go on” and understood as “Keep Going!” / “Onwards!” / “Upwards!” as used on the early days of the Santiago de Compostella pilgrimage. It is also used to describe the regular metings across the Diocese
Rollo (sounds like ‘royyo’): allegedly “a long, boring talk” but actually one of the 15 talks given on a weekend, given by different members of the team, who are the ‘rollistas’.
Palanca: Literally a lever, prayer activity to support individuals in their journeys of faith, both during the Cursillo weekend and beyond.
One benefit of maintaining words such as these in their original form is to provide a common vocabulary when communicating with Cursillo communities elsewhere in the United Kingdom and further afield.