Canterbury Anglican Cursillo
The Cursillo community in the Anglican Diocese of Canterbury is made up of Christians from this Diocese, the Diocese of Rochester, and beyond. All the community members have experienced a ‘Cursillo weekend’.
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Cursillo weekends have been happening in the Diocese of Canterbury since 1990 with the full support of the bishops and clergy. Many Christians, who have themselves experienced the weekend have felt empowered to take a more active roles in the life of their own church, some have felt called to ordained or reader ministry, and nearly all have felt the need to strengthen and deepen their understanding of God’s will and plan for them.
Canterbury Cursillo is a Registered Charity, we can only operate in the Diocese with the consent of the Bishop. There are no membership fees and we receive no grants. We are faith-funded and at present are able to offer the weekend to committed Christians at no cost, thanks to the generosity of our membership!
How we organise Cursillo in the Canterbury Diocese.
With over 750 members across the diocese, events and weekends are organised by the Secretariat. The Secretariat consists of ten members elected at the Annual General Meeting. Each one serves a term of three years. The Secretariat also has an ordained minister as Spiritual Director, who has experienced a weekend. The Spiritual Director is appointed by the Bishop.
Caroline Brewster
Lay Director
#32, which brought me to my 4th day and an incredible journey of faith that continues
#52 I have gained so much encouragement in my walk with God from Cursillo that with His help, I hope to give some blessing back.
Aimee Babbs
Secretary
My name is Aimee, I am a second generation Cursillista as both of my
parents are Cursillistas, so I have been involved with Cursillo for a
long time. Cursillo is something that is very special to me and I am
very happy to be back on the secretariat this time as secretary.
John Goode
4th Day Rep
My Cursillo was Canterbury #30. My life in Christ was changed beyond belief.
Lynne Watson
Bookings representative
I made my cursillo on Canterbury #3 and see it as a wonderful way of experiencing God and his Grace expressed through Cursillo.
Gordon Brown
Palanca Rep
I made my Cursillo on Canterbury 57 and have found that the fellowship within Cursillo has helped me to follow Christ more closely.
Andrew and Jennifer Holden
Canterbury Weekend Reps
Having made our Cursillos at weekend #59. We worship at St Mary of Charity Faversham, where our main involvement is with hospitality and house groups.’
Adrian Fellows
Treasurer
I made my Cursillo on #33 with my wife Mary. As residents in River since 1999 we attend St. Peter & St. Paul’s. We were introduced to Cursillo by Stephen Bowring and we meet regularly for group reunion.
Rev Simon Tillotson
Spiritual Advisor
I attended Canterbury Cursillo 34 in 2004 and it was a very powerful experience for me, and one which I will never forget, as I renewed my relationship with God and learnt about the breadth and depth of spirituality that is to be found in the Cursillo movement.
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BACC Rep
Vacant
What is a ‘Cursillo Week-end’?
The word ‘Cursillo’ literally translated from the Spanish language means ‘A short course’, which is what the weekend is a short course in Christianity.
It originated in Spain following the Spanish Civil War as a means of training Christian Leaders for a nation-wide Pilgrimage that was to be made to Santiago de Compostela. The Pilgrimage didn’t happen, because of the Second World War, until 1948 when 70,000 young people from all over Spain made their way to the shrine of St James in Compostela. There they prayed for the re-conversion of Spain to Christianity. The elements and format of the training for the Christian Leaders of this pilgrimage were taken forward to form what is now the ‘Cursillo weekend’. The first weekend was held in Majorca in January 1949. In 1957 two Spanish airmen and a priest took Cursillo to Texas, from there it has spread all over the world, and the ‘Cursillo’ method has been adopted by nearly all Christian denominations. The Anglican Cursillo was introduced into the UK in September 1981.
Watch 'The History of Cursillo' for more:
What will you experience?
The Cursillo weekend normally runs from a Thursday evening until a Sunday evening, anyone who is a regular communicant in their Church is eligible to attend, but they will need to be supported by someone who is already a member of the Cursillo community. The weekend is led by members of the church laity and clergy, all who have previously experienced the weekend for themselves. The whole weekend is underpinned by prayer from across the Diocese and beyond. During it 15 talks are delivered by speakers from the team staffing and 5 meditations from the clergy. The talks are interspersed by what we know will be lively group discussions and activities as well as food and fun!
Download our information leaflet:
See our FAQ page for more:
Describe your your experience in three words.
J.Mordaunt:
‘Wrap around godliness’
Ann fawa:
'Loved, Special, Christ-filled’
‘Challenging, Cherished, Life-changing’
Ann fawa:
'Loved, Special, Christ-filled’
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Jennifer Holden:
‘fellowship in Christ’
Michael Turnbull:
‘Delight, Warmth, Change’
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Alan Jones:
‘‘REFRESH Your FAITH’
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Caroline Hannah:
‘Loving caring unique’
P Mattocks:
‘‘Joy
Love
Laughter’’
Lorna Tomkins:
‘Experiencing God’s love’
JANET JONES:
‘love, rejuvenation, friendship’
Jaqui Olid:
‘SPIRITUALLY REAWAKENING COMFORT’
Lulu Kayukwa:
'Fellowship
Laughter
Spiritual’
What will you get out of it?
Cursillo is not simply about running week-end courses. We see the three days of the course as simply the beginning to what we call the ‘fourth day’, that is – the rest of our lives. What we strive to do is provide a support network that will enable participants to develop their spiritual life and empower their Christian mission. We do this by means of:
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Small Groups meeting regularly for prayer and study where confidence and trust can be built to discuss spiritual matters and support group members in carrying forward their personal mission
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Regular gatherings of the Diocesan Community for prayer, worship and social interaction
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Further courses and training such as Cursillo Leaders’ Workshops and Days of Deeper Understanding
BACC
British Anglican Cursillo Council
The Guardian Angel of the Cursillo movement in the Anglican church is the British Anglican Cursillo Council (BACC). It’s mission is to nurture and support the Cursillo community in every diocese that it is present (currently ?? ) in England, Scotland and Wales. It provides resources, acts as a communication hub between diocese, and ensures that weekends and other activities remain true to the ideals and original purpose of Cursillo, being the development of Christian leaders within the Church.
BACC is made up of three representatives from each Diocese in which Cursillo is active: the Lay Director, the Spiritual Director and an individual appointed by each Cursillo community, called the BACC Rep. In addition, there is a Standing Committee, responsible for the day-to-day operation of BACC.
As happens in each diocese, the Officers of BACC are elected from the lay membership of the whole community and serve a three year term. Elections are held annually at the AGM. Their work is funded by subscriptions from each affiliated diocesan community