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The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee -

About Cursillo

Cursillo is a spirit-filled three day weekend where one has the opportunity to grow in their faith and spirituality. It allows one to have a deeper understanding of the teachings of Jesus and how we carry those teachings back out into the world in which we live by living into our baptismal covenant.

Those attending engage in study, reflection, service to others, worship and prayer, all within the context of the community of the Body of Christ. This weekend gives one the opportunity to step away from day to day life and to re-orient, re-energize and re-commit themselves to Our Lord while also meeting new Christian friends from across the diocese. Listening to others share stories centered on Christ helps everyone to grow in their own sense of the holy. The atmosphere is one of joy and Christian fellowship and is a powerful means of preparing church members to better serve their church, their community and the world.

Here are a few reflections from folks who have experienced Cursillo:

 

  • "...an awakening of my soul"

    Cursillo was an awakening of my soul. I felt like the heavens were at my fingertips. My heart was overflowing with the warmth of the Holy Spirit, like nothing I had ever experienced before. All I did was come into the weekend with an open mind and I left with a new outlook on life that I strive daily to enrich and keep alive. My heart is on fire and I am ready to serve where I am needed.

    – Jenny Meredith, St. Stephen’s, Oak Ridge

  • "...impacted not only my faith but my life..."

    Cursillo impacted not only my faith but my life in a short 4-day weekend. It is set up to separate you from your normal routine, focus your attention on God’s grace and your relationship with God, and then gradually bring your faith journey back to your regular life. The friendships forged during my Cursillo weekend are some of the most enduring, because we have this shared weekend experience. I was also humbled by the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to give this experience to the people attending; the feeling of love and care I received was something I was inspired to pay forward by serving on the team for the next Cursillo weekend. And you cannot beat Grace Point as a backdrop for a spiritual weekend – God’s beautiful creation is literally ALL around you!

    – Laura Burgess,  St. Peter’s, Chattanooga

  • "When God tells you it’s time, take that step!"

    My Cursillo weekend did many things for me that could take up many pages. But the most rewarding and long-lasting benefit was the exposure to new friends from parishes all over the Diocese. I suspect that many people live most of their church life within the “walls” of their parish. Cursillo took me outside those walls and showed me new and different ways to look at the Christian life. I’ve grown in ways I don’t think would have been possible had I not listened to God and taken that step. When God tells you it’s time, take that step!

    – Jim Anderson, St. Stephen’s, Oak Ridge

  • "I met real people, honest about their struggles..."

    Cursillo was a shining, happy, affirming mountaintop experience with long lasting effects. I attended Cursillo #49 in the spring of 2018. It was a weekend full of encouragement, empathy, education and friendships. I met real people, honest about their struggles who model working out their faith in the midst of real life. They have found solace, healing, peace and purpose in God and the cool thing is they spent their whole weekend showing and telling me about it.

    These same people have continued to encourage and celebrate me. My Cursillo weekend has grown my Christian family of brothers and sisters beyond my home church or hometown. One of the beautiful things about the Episcopal Church is their gift to their parishioners of organized connectedness. Attending Cursillo is the act of tangibly giving to yourself the gift of wide reaching yet deep, meaningful church connections. I love seeing and reconnecting with my Cursillo friends at other church or social events. The supportive community I experienced at my Cursillo weekend and since, has sparked in me a desire to return and serve on a Team soon!

    My personal life journey has included several tough turns with challenges that are better faced with the loving support of a Christian community. I am a single parent with three college aged children. They are each taking important steps to spread their wings and fly further from my nest, as they should. With this phase of life comes new desires to surround myself with authentic supportive friendships and I have found that the Cursillo community is a great place to find them!

    – Sarah Brown, St. Luke’s, Cleveland