Some of the treasures of the history of the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine of the Order of Augustinian Recollects and the environments and spaces where it has carried out its work throughout history and today.
The Saint Joseph Center building, located in the Bronx and once owned by the Archdiocese of New York, was transferred by Cardinal Francis Spellman to the Cursillos de Cristiandad (Short Courses on Christianity) under the administration of the then Province of Saint Augustine. An annex served as the residence for the Recollect community, primarily devoted to the Cursillo ministry.
The donation aimed to significantly increase the number of people joining the Cursillos, following the notable results achieved by the movement. Since 1960, the Augustinian Recollects had adopted this pastoral tool in Suffern (New York), demonstrating a remarkable ability to engage Hispanics and effectively train lay leaders, creating networks of committed individuals active in church affairs.
The Cursillo Movement made considerable progress and later introduced cursillos for young people, married couples (since 1967, when the future bishop David Arias, shown above, played a crucial role), the Course for organizing cursillos, and the School for Leaders.
After its first decade, the movement maintained contact with 4,000 cursillistas and extended to seventy-five parishes in New York. The Saint Joseph Centre actively participated in spreading the movement to other parts of the United States, including Boston (1961), Brooklyn, Newark, and Philadelphia (1962), Trenton (1963), Paterson (1964), and Buffalo (1965).
In 1994, the Saint Joseph Centre relocated its headquarters after over thirty years to a larger facility in Saint John Parish and the Saint Joseph Centre (below). Ultimately, the Province of Saint Augustine relinquished its Cursillo apostolate to the Diocese due to personnel shortages.
The Cursillos de Cristiandad are not theoretical courses or spiritual retreats but a profound personal experience involving an intense three-day event, designed for meaningful encounters with oneself, God, and the community.
Subsequently, the cursillistas hold regular meetings in groups of three to six people, focusing on the core aspects of their methodology, and attend larger gatherings known as Ultreya. Committed to their personal pledge, the cursillistas strive to evangelize in their daily environments through the testimony of their lives and mutual support.
