Cursillo is patterned on Jesus’ own example. He searched out and called a small group of potential leaders (pre-Cursillo); He trained them by word and example and inspired them with a vision (Three-Day Weekend); He linked them together and sent them out into the world to bring the world to Him (Fourth Day).
During this period, sponsors (i.e. those individuals that have been to the three-day Cursillo weekend and are living the Fourth Day) identify those Episcopalians who are leading an active Christian life and are a living witness to their love for Christ, recommending their pilgrimage. It is also the period that selected pilgrims are informed of what to expect at the three-day weekend and assisted inappropriate preparations.
These three days bring together a diverse group of Episcopalians to share the richness of many modes of worship and to broaden each one’s appreciation for our Church. Lay people conduct the weekend with two or three members of the clergy functioning as spiritual advisors. The weekend begins Thursday evening spent in the Chapel with meditations and discussions. Plus there is fellowship, singing, good food, and time for privacy, meditation, prayer, and walks. Eucharist is celebrated each day.
The Cursillo weekend is not an end to itself. It is a starting point that lasts the rest of your life and a springboard to a long-range practice of the Baptismal Covenant in the life of the Church called the Fourth Day.
The Fourth Day is composed of three major elements: