What Are School of Leaders and Ultreya Grande in Joliet Cursillo?

Updated

School of Leaders and Ultreya Grande are two ongoing formation gatherings within the Joliet Cursillo movement, distinct from the three-day Cursillo Weekend itself. School of Leaders is a recurring meeting for those who help lead and sustain the movement locally; Ultreya Grande is a larger group reunion that brings the wider Cursillo community together. Joliet Cursillo's site lists both under Announcements, with a School of Leaders date of October 17, 2026 and an Ultreya Grande on Saturday, August 29, 2026.

School of Leaders

School of Leaders is the movement's ongoing formation and coordination meeting. In Cursillo terminology, "leaders" does not mean only clergy or a formal board — it refers to the people who carry the movement forward: team members, sponsors, rectors, and others who prepare and support weekends and group reunions.

What it typically involves:

  • Formation — study and reflection on the Cursillo method (piety, study, action) so leaders can better accompany others.
  • Planning and coordination — preparing upcoming weekends, group reunions, and larger events.
  • Connection — keeping leaders across the local area working from the same understanding of the movement.

Joliet Cursillo's announcement page lists October 17, 2026 as a School of Leaders date. Because the site presents it as an announcement rather than a full event page, treat the date as the confirmed item and check the site for time and location before attending.

Who it's for

If you have made a Cursillo Weekend and want to help sustain the movement — as a sponsor, team member, or group reunion leader — School of Leaders is the natural next step. If you have not yet made a weekend, this is generally not the entry point; the weekend itself is.

Ultreya Grande

Ultreya is the traditional Cursillo gathering where people from many group reunions come together to share faith and encouragement. The word itself is a traditional Cursillo greeting meaning roughly "onward!" A Grande Ultreya is a larger, area-wide version — more groups, more people, and often a broader program than a regular small-group reunion.

What distinguishes it from a regular Ultreya:

Regular Ultreya Ultreya Grande
Scale One or a few group reunions Area-wide, many groups
Frequency Often monthly or as scheduled Periodic larger event
Purpose Ongoing sharing and support Renewal and connection across the whole local movement

Joliet Cursillo lists Ultreya Grande – Sat. Aug 29, 2026 in its announcements. As with School of Leaders, the announcement gives the date; confirm time and venue on the site.

How these fit into the Cursillo movement

Cursillo is often described as a method rather than a single event. The three-day weekend is the starting point, and the movement continues afterward through:

  1. Group reunion — a small, regular gathering of a few people who share their lives of piety, study, and action.
  2. Ultreya — a larger periodic gathering of many group reunions.
  3. School of Leaders — formation and coordination for those guiding the movement.

So School of Leaders and Ultreya Grande are not alternatives to the weekend — they are part of what keeps the movement going after it. The Joliet Cursillo site frames its purpose as proclaiming "the best news of the best reality which is that God in Christ loves us, communicated by the best means which is friendship," and these gatherings are how that friendship is maintained locally.

Practical notes before you go

  • Check the announcements page for the current date, time, and location of each event — the site lists them as announcements, and details beyond the date are not given in the listing.
  • Weekend dates are separate. Joliet Cursillo also lists upcoming weekends, including the Men's 148th Weekend (September 24–27, 2026) and the Women's 140th Weekend (November 5–8, 2026), with a weekend schedule extending into 2026, 2027, and 2028.
  • Mailing list. The site offers a "Subscribe to Mailing List" option if you want announcements sent to you rather than checking back.
  • If you're new to Cursillo, start by understanding the weekend; School of Leaders and Ultreya Grande assume you have already made one.

For exact times, locations, and any registration requirements, go directly to the Joliet Cursillo announcements — those details are not fixed in the listing itself.