Chapter III 3/9
When the Spirit Blew: The Voice of Pius XII
The call to seek new paths so that those far away might come to know the Love of God.
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There was a defining moment that decisively transformed the life of Eduardo Bonnín and the very birth of the Cursillo Movement. It was one of those events in which the action of the Holy Spirit can be clearly perceived.
On 6 February 1940, Pope Pius XII addressed the parish priests and Lenten preachers in Rome, encouraging them to seek new paths, different from the usual ones, with the clear purpose of bringing the Love of God to all, especially to those furthest away.
This papal address came into Eduardo’s hands through the book *His Holiness Pius XII and Catholic Action*, which included that remarkable speech. Among its strongest passages, the Holy Father declared:
“Faced with this twofold reality of your people, it is the duty of the parish priest to form a quick and sensitive vision, a clear and minutely detailed picture…
on the one hand, of the faithful population, especially of its most committed members, from whom the leaven may arise to promote Catholic action;
and on the other, of the groups that have drifted away from the practice of Christian life.
These too are sheep of the parish flock, stray sheep; and over these too — indeed, over them in particular — you, dear sons, are the responsible guardians.
And as good shepherds, you must spare neither effort nor labour in seeking them out, in winning them back, nor allow yourselves any rest until all have found refuge, life and joy in returning to the fold of Jesus Christ.”
This message had a profound effect on Eduardo. He would later recall that moment with simplicity and clarity:
“I took this more into my heart than into my head — or perhaps into both — and said: ‘something must be done.’”
From that inspiration, and moved by an inner urgency, Eduardo would go on to develop, in 1943, the outline that would give rise to the first of the rollos: the “Study of the Environment”.
It was this rollo that laid the foundation for the structure of all those that followed. More than an isolated content, it became the root of the whole method, the seed from which the foundations of the movement sprang forth, just as we know it today.