Cursillo-related Movements > Youth Movements > Challenge

Challenge

"Challenge" is a Renewal Movement for the 16 - 25 years old, within both the Catholic and the Anglican Churches. The Challenge weekend starts Friday evening and ends on Sunday afternoon. It follows the Cursillo pattern: evangelization by peers, talks with personal testimony followed by sharings in small groups, joy of friendship, songs, prayers, etc. As with Cursillo, the greatest importance is given to what follow the weekend: "Group Reunions" and "Ultreyas".

It was put up by Catholic Cursillistas, most probably (we are not sure of its exact origin) in the diocese of Detroit, USA, in the early 1960.

In Canada, it was founded by Father Hattie, in the diocese of Ottawa, in 1967. Since then, over 135 Challenge weekends have been given in the diocese of Ottawa. History has this to say that the enthusiasm of the first "challengers" of Ottawa was such that it contributed to the survival of the parental Ottawa Cursillo at a time it was experiencing difficulties to implant.

In 1981, the Catholic Challengers of Ottawa helped put on the first Anglican Challenge Movement, which started in Ottawa and spawned in different parts of Canada.

In 1998, the same Challengers of Ottawa helped start the Catholic Challenge Movement in Montreal, QC.

The Challengers greet themselves with "Maranatha!" and their theme song is "Easy Come, Easy Go".

For more information see Challenge (cath.) and Challenge (angl.)

 

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