History of the Walk to Emmaus

The Walk to Emmaus is an adaptation of the Roman Catholic Cursillo Movement, which originated in Spain in 1949. In Spanish, the word “Cursillo” means “little or short course”. The Cursillo de Cristandad means ”little course in Christianity”. Cursillo began on the island of Majorca, just off the coast of Spain, in the late 1940’s. After WW II, a Roman Catholic bishop saw the deterioration of the Christian faith in his diocese. Along with some laymen, he developed this program to develop Christian leaders.

Cursillo came to the United States in 1956 in Texas and was only given in Spanish. Cursillo has spread across the United States and across many denominations. In 1977, the Upper Room, an agency of the United Methodist Church, became interested in the Cursillo program and sponsored two United Methodist models of Cursillo in Peroria, Ill. In 1981, in mutual agreement with the National Secretariat of the Roman Catholic Cursillo, Upper Room Cursillo changed its name to “Walk to Emmaus” – mostly for Protestant audiences. Since that time, the Walk to Emmaus has grown to an international ministry, with an average of 50 walks occurring every weekend. In 1984, The Upper Room developed a youth expression of Emmaus called Chrysalis.

Next Walk:

Men's #33:
June 21-24, 2012

Women's #34:
June 28-July 1, 2012

Candelight
Saturday, 8:30 p.m.

Closing
Sunday, 4:30 p.m.

Location:
Corning United Methodist Church