Cursillo: Weekend Experience, Continuing Impact

“It’s not what you hear about the experience – it’s what you hear from the experience.”

Those words may be one of the best ways to describe the Cursillo (pronounced cur-SEE-yo) ministry. As a recent Cursillista (someone who has completed a Cursillo weekend), I’ve realized the meaning of Cursillo lies not simply in what happens during the weekend, but in what each person discovers, feels and carries home from it.

Personal Experience

To describe Cursillo, we might tell others about the talks, the music, the prayers, the fellowship and the laughter, but those things alone don’t capture all that 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 just 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. That may be part of the beauty of Cursillo: You don’t simply attend; you experience it. What you carry home is not someone else’s story of faith, but a deeper understanding of your own.

Continuing Impact

Although a Cursillo weekend lasts only a few days, its purpose stretches far beyond the weekend itself. Participants return to their families, churches, workplaces and communities encouraged to live their faith more intentionally and 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.

St. Edward’s, Mount Dora, proudly supports the Cursillo ministry. To date, 45 parishioners have become Cursillistas, becoming part of this living, loving community and helping others deepen their relationship with Christ. 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.

Their continued involvement reflects one of Cursillo’s most important messages: 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. We invite you to attend the Co-Ed Cursillo No. 139 at San Pedro Spiritual Development Center, Winter Park, Nov. 20-22. The cost for the weekend is $250, and candidates are being accepted now. For an application, please visit the Central Florida Cursillo website.