I attended my first Cursillo weekend at St. Paul’s Church in Kansas City, Kansas, with Mary, my wife, in 1988. We had moved a year previously from Tulsa and were attending Christ Church in Overland Park. There were about thirty candidates and probably twenty or more staff members at the retreat. I was in my second year of diaconal training before I was ordained a perpetual Deacon in 1989. The retreat consisted of many talks by clergy and laity and then summaries by the candidates which helped us to get a clearer understanding of our faith and how to grow in our belief in Christ.
I have probably worked more than 10 weekends as a clergy team member and learn more each time about God and His love for all of us. The greatest thing I have learned over the years is that the Holy Spirit dwells in each one of us and the Spirit’s power and God’s love grows stronger in a group of gathered Christians!
Truly pray about attending the next Cursillo Weekend this August.
Deacon David
You can say I was a “reluctant” candidate to Cursillo in 2007, in fact, you can say I was pushed into going. I was sure it was going to be one of those weekends that would just drag on, and I took a couple of books to read.
Boy, was I surprised! From the first minute, I was making new friends and finding new songs that I still sing today. The days flew by, and the Holy Spirit surrounded us, uniting us, and drawing us into the love of Christ. From being the “reluctant” candidate to the “Yes, I want to work the weekend!” cursillista, I have only missed working one weekend since then. I love watching the candidates faces changing from “Why am I here?” to the joy that abounds.
My weekend changed me. It gave me an insight into my faith. I have given nine Rollos—and each time asked, I was reluctant, but as I sat down to write them, all the things I had experienced poured through my fingers as I wrote. Yes, my weekend changed me: I take more time with my devotions, I pray more often, not asking for things but saying prayers of thanksgiving. If someone asked me if they should attend a weekend, I hope they have time for me to give them all the reasons they should!
And, those books I took, well, they went untouched.
De Colores,
Donna Meyer