By Cheryl Hogan
At a recent Episcopal Cursillo Leadership Workshop, I heard a phrase that resonated with me and inspired me to share the Cursillo experience:
“It’s not what you hear about the experience—it’s what you hear from the experience.”
As a recent Cursillista myself, I found those words to be one of the best ways to describe the Cursillo ministry (pronounced cur-SEE-yo). It can be difficult to explain Cursillo to someone who has never experienced it, because its meaning is found not simply in what happens during the weekend, but in what each person discovers, feels, and carries home with them.
Cursillo is difficult to fully explain to someone who hasn’t experienced it. During a Cursillo weekend, you can hear about the talks, the music, the prayers, the fellowship, and the laughter, but those things alone don’t capture what happens during a Cursillo weekend. The experience is personal, and it is different for everyone.
Cursillo provides an opportunity to step away from the distractions and busyness of everyday life and simply listen—to others, to yourself, and most importantly, to God.
Sometimes it is a quiet moment that touches your heart. Sometimes it is a conversation that comes at exactly the right time. And sometimes it is the realization that God has been present in your life in ways you may not have recognized before.
Everyone arrives with a different story, and everyone takes something different from the experience. Perhaps that is part of the beauty of Cursillo: you don’t simply attend Cursillo; you experience it.
What you carry home is not someone else’s story of faith, but a deeper understanding of your own.
A Weekend That Continues
Although a Cursillo weekend lasts only a few days, its purpose is far beyond the weekend itself. Participants return to their families, churches, workplaces, and communities – encouraged to live their faith more intentionally and to share Christ’s love through their everyday lives.
Cursillo isn’t about becoming someone different. It is about recognizing more clearly who God is calling you to be—and discovering that you do not walk that journey alone.
Faith, fellowship, prayer, and Christian service continue long after the weekend is over.
Cursillo at St. Edward’s
St. Edward’s Episcopal Church in Mount Dora proudly supports the Cursillo ministry. To date, 45 St. Edward’s parishioners have become Cursillistas, becoming part of a community centered on faith, fellowship, prayer, and service.
Parishioners serve in leadership and team positions, share their musical gifts, and offer their time and talents to help make Cursillo weekends meaningful experiences for others.
Many of these Cursillistas continue to participate in the servant community, supporting future weekends, encouraging new participants, sharing their time and talent, and helping others deepen their relationship with Christ.
Their continued involvement reflects one of the most important messages of Cursillo:
The weekend may end, but the journey of faith and service continues. Come with an open heart. Listen. Experience. And let God do the rest.
For those who may be curious about Cursillo, perhaps the best way to understand it is not simply to hear someone else describe it, but to experience it for yourself. For more information, visit www.EpiscopalCursilloMinistry.org
De Colores!
Photo Caption:
Some of St. Edward’s Episcopal Church Cursillistas, who continue to support the Cursillo ministry through fellowship, leadership, music, and service.
By Cheryl Hogan
At a recent Episcopal Cursillo Leadership Workshop, I heard a phrase that resonated with me and inspired me to share the Cursillo experience:
“It’s not what you hear about the experience—it’s what you hear from the experience.”
As a recent Cursillista myself, I found those words to be one of the best ways to describe the Cursillo ministry (pronounced cur-SEE-yo). It can be difficult to explain Cursillo to someone who has never experienced it, because its meaning is found not simply in what happens during the weekend, but in what each person discovers, feels, and carries home with them.
Cursillo is difficult to fully explain to someone who hasn’t experienced it. During a Cursillo weekend, you can hear about the talks, the music, the prayers, the fellowship, and the laughter, but those things alone don’t capture what happens during a Cursillo weekend. The experience is personal, and it is different for everyone.
Cursillo provides an opportunity to step away from the distractions and busyness of everyday life and simply listen—to others, to yourself, and most importantly, to God.
Sometimes it is a quiet moment that touches your heart. Sometimes it is a conversation that comes at exactly the right time. And sometimes it is the realization that God has been present in your life in ways you may not have recognized before.
Everyone arrives with a different story, and everyone takes something different from the experience. Perhaps that is part of the beauty of Cursillo: you don’t simply attend Cursillo; you experience it.
What you carry home is not someone else’s story of faith, but a deeper understanding of your own.
A Weekend That Continues
Although a Cursillo weekend lasts only a few days, its purpose is far beyond the weekend itself. Participants return to their families, churches, workplaces, and communities – encouraged to live their faith more intentionally and to share Christ’s love through their everyday lives.
Cursillo isn’t about becoming someone different. It is about recognizing more clearly who God is calling you to be—and discovering that you do not walk that journey alone.
Faith, fellowship, prayer, and Christian service continue long after the weekend is over.
Cursillo at St. Edward’s
St. Edward’s Episcopal Church in Mount Dora proudly supports the Cursillo ministry. To date, 45 St. Edward’s parishioners have become Cursillistas, becoming part of a community centered on faith, fellowship, prayer, and service.
Parishioners serve in leadership and team positions, share their musical gifts, and offer their time and talents to help make Cursillo weekends meaningful experiences for others.
Many of these Cursillistas continue to participate in the servant community, supporting future weekends, encouraging new participants, sharing their time and talent, and helping others deepen their relationship with Christ.
Their continued involvement reflects one of the most important messages of Cursillo:
The weekend may end, but the journey of faith and service continues. Come with an open heart. Listen. Experience. And let God do the rest.
For those who may be curious about Cursillo, perhaps the best way to understand it is not simply to hear someone else describe it, but to experience it for yourself. For more information, visit www.EpiscopalCursilloMinistry.org
De Colores!
Photo Caption:
Some of St. Edward’s Episcopal Church Cursillistas, who continue to support the Cursillo ministry through fellowship, leadership, music, and service.
