Like other movements based on Cursillo, LVCCM uses an active sponsor system to select appropriate candidates for the weekend and to support the candidates before, during and after the weekend. Please read the guidelines below before sponsoring someone. Click on the appropriate item to download a sponsor application and candidate application in Adobe Acrobat form. (Acrobat Reader is needed to display or print this form. It can be obtained for free from the Adobe web site.) A sponsor application must accompany each candidate application that is submitted. Applications can also be obtained from the preweekend chair.

Basic Guidelines for Candidate Selection

The Vía de Cristo movement is focused on the development and renewal of Christian leaders to enable them to Christianize their environments more effectively. Vía de Cristo is not for everyone. You should invite only those people whose participation in the weekend will be consistent with this focus and the objective of the Vía de Cristo movement, which is: to promote the Christian renewal of society.

The sponsor system is designed in part to help in the candidate selection process. It encourages each and every invitation to be made in a personal, knowledgeable and loving atmosphere and avoids indiscriminate and haphazard distribution of applications.

If you wish to sponsor a candidate, you should make a personal invitation. The invitation should come only after prayer and discussion have made you confident about your candidate’s Christian faith and his or her ability to attend and willingness to actively participate in the weekend. Although authentic conversion experiences can occur during a Vía de Cristo weekend, that is not the purpose. Neither is Vía de Cristo intended to be an event for people to deal with personal and emotional problems. Candidates who are experiencing emotional turmoil or excessive stress should postpone their Vía de Cristo experience. Instead, they should begin the weekend with an open, inquisitive mind and be prepared to let the Holy Spirit open their eyes, ears and heart.

Additional Guidelines

• Prayer and reflection are critical before you speak to a potential candidate.

• Although the focus of Vía de Cristo is on men, the experience is for both men and women. For couples, both spouses are encouraged to attend. However, the husband should attend before (or, for joint weekends, at the same time as) his wife. The reasons for this are both scriptural and practical. The scriptural reasons relate to the role of the husband as the leader of the family as expressed in Ephesians 5:22–25. The practical reasons relate to the reality that many men are less concerned with spiritual matters than their wives but will respond to the gentle encouragement offered by wives who want to attend.

• Single, widowed and divorced candidates are also welcome to attend Vía de Cristo.

• Candidates should be at least 21 years old, with those over 25 preferred. This is meant to ensure that candidates have attained some measure of spiritual maturity through their life experiences.

• Candidates should be recognized as capable or potential leaders, with a strong and balanced personality and the potential to influence their environment. It is preferred that candidates have a specific church home.

Special problems or concerns about your candidate’s readiness, or situations that may deviate from the guidelines listed above should be reported to the preweekend chair and, if necessary, discussed with the LVCCM spiritual director.

Other Points To Remember

• Vía de Cristo is one of many instruments for Christian growth. It is not in competition with other ministries. Always remember to practice humility and avoid a "holier than thou" attitude.

• Practice gentleness and patience when inviting candidates (especially clergy) to attend a weekend.

• There is nothing secret about Vía de Cristo. Tell your candidate what will happen; all questions should be answered honestly and completely. Although you may prefer to allow your candidate to be surprised (and moved) about some things—for example, send off, palanca and the serenade—it is better to reveal them than to be dishonest.

• Avoid the Spanish terms used in the Vía de Cristo movement when talking with those who have not yet attended a weekend. Terms like rollo, cursillista or palanca can intimidate prospective candidates by making it seem like a “secret society” with its own “language.”

• Explain that a Vía de Cristo weekend is not a retreat based on quiet contemplation. Although there is a time for that, the weekend is an active encounter with Christ through prayer, listening to others, discussion and participation.

• When you emphasize the benefits of Vía de Cristo, remind your candidate that Vía de Cristo is not a church. Nothing in the movement is meant to separate anyone from their church or denomination. Don’t create the impression the Vía de Cristo is necessary for “true faith” or salvation.

• It is important to “practice what we preach,” especially regarding group reunions, ultreyas and evangelizing in our environments. Vía de Cristo does not pretend, nor is it able, to provide a complete course in Christianity in just three days. The “fourth day” is the most important. When our weekend is over, we have not “arrived” at our destination. Rather, with God’s grace, our journey will continue along “the Way of Christ” for a lifetime.

Responsibilities of Every Sponsor

As a sponsor, you are obligated to nurture and support your candidate and his/her family in prayer before, during, and after the weekend. Prayer is the most powerful palanca you can do for your candidate. You need to write a palanca note to your candidate. You are responsible for contacting his/her family and close friends, and asking them to write a note or letter of encouragement to your candidate. Ask the pastor of the home church of the candidate to write a note or letter of encouragement to your candidate. However, please use discretion when requesting palanca from the candidate’s home church. Some churches are not supportive of Via de Cristo. The preweekend chairperson can provide you with form letters to help you request palanca for your candidate.  Click the palanca link for more information about appropriate palanca. Palanca is to be delivered to the mail room at the site of the weekend by noon on Sunday of the weekend. Also, as a sponsor, encourage and help your candidate become part of a reunion group and attend fourth-day activities such as ultreyas and workshops. Christ is counting on you!

As you consider the joys and duties of sponsorship, it is also a good time to consider—with a loving and faith-filled heart—how you are using your time, talent, leadership skills and money to support your church. With the pastor and others in the congregation, you are the church, acting on Christ’s behalf in the world. Ask your pastor how you can help and then do your best to accomplish what you promise.