The earliest Cursillo weekends were held in the late 1940's on the Spanish island of Mallorca.  It was started as an effort to help prepare leaders for a spiritual pilgrimage, as well as to help cure the bitterness of Civil War.  The principle lay founder, Eduardo Bonnin was active in the movement until he passed to his reward in 2008.

The first weekend in the US was held in Waco in 1957 by Spanish air force officers in pilot training in Texas.

Since coming to the U.S., Cursillo has found expression in several denominations and in nondenominational groups as well.   Episcopal Cursillo and Methodist Walk to Emmaus groups helped Presbyterian Cursillo groups begin in Charleston, SC and in the Presbytery of the Peaks in Virginia.  A Lutheran Cursillo group helped our North Carolina group get started.

As of 1985, the Catholic church estimated that 600,000 people in the US and more than 3 million worldwide had participated in a Cursillo weekend. One estimate is that nearly 2 million have now gone through a Cursillo method weekend in the US and 10 million or more worldwide.

There are now twenty four local Presbyterian Cursillo and Pilgrimage groups holding weekend spiritual renewal retreats.  Additional groups are being formed in other states.