About Cursillo in Scotland

What is Cursillo?

Cursillo is a movement of the Church, which in Scotland operates within the Scottish Episcopal Church which is part of the world wide Anglican Communion.

Cursillo is a Spanish word (pronounced kur-see-yo) which means “short course”. The full title (Cursillo in Christiandad) means “a short course in being a Christian”.

The Cursillo Movement hopes to assist people on their Spiritual journey through a greater longing to know and to serve their Lord more effectively within their congregation and the community in which they live and work.

Cursillo helps us:

Cursillo is one way of being a disciple.
It is based on a simple discipline of prayer, study and action.
Its purpose is to support the church in its mission by encouraging its members to examine their journey of Faith.

Cursillo enables us:

• To grow into a deeper relationship with God through the person of Jesus Christ.
• To discover our personal vocations and to develop our individual gifts for Christian service and leadership.
• To become more effective witnesses to Jesus Christ in our lives.
• To bring about and to strengthen Christian commitment within a Community of Faith.
•  To build up the witness of the Church in the world that both may be renewed and transformed.

The Cursillo Method

Cursillo is for those members of congregations who are already committed in their Christian lives and is intended to be a partnership between lay people and clergy. Cursillo is part of the Church, and is nurtured and sustained by its teaching, by prayer, the sacraments, and spiritual direction; and by the mutual support of small and larger groups of fellow Christians.

® Reg. US Pat Office
 Affiliated with the British Anglican Cursillo Council
What does Cursillo actually do?

There are two indispensible parts of Cursillo

1. The Cursillo Weekend

A Cursillo weekend is three days long – from early Thursday evening to late Sunday afternoon. A team of lay people and clergy, all of whom have experienced a Cursillo weekend, work together for many weeks in preparation for each weekend. The Eucharist is celebrated daily. Worship together is at the heart of all that takes place on the weekend. During the three days you hear talks given by both lay and clergy members of the team on some of the fundamental elements of Christian life and faith and have the opportunity to discuss these talks in small groups. The programme is busy and varied, but there are also times for prayer and for quiet reflection. Learning, praying, sharing, singing, and living together is the basis of discovering what it means to say: “We are the body of Christ.”

A Cursillo weekend is a mystery – a mystery of Christ’s endless love for us played out through Christian Community.
The Cursillo weekend is not intended to be an end in itself. After the weekend the Cursillo method offers continuing support. The Cursillo weekend is three days long but – it lasts a lifetime

2.  After the Weekend

We are encouraged to build on our weekend experience, to grow in faith, and to develop our individual gifts as we try to serve the Lord in all aspects of our lives: in our families, work places, and congregations.

Cursillo provides us with a means of support through:

Group Reunions – regular, short, meetings of three or four people for mutual support and encouragement – set within a framework of prayer, study and action.

Area Meetings (Ultreyas) – larger meetings, held every few weeks, short enough to fit into a busy life, for both lay people and clergy who have participated in a weekend. There is a pattern of informal worship, Christian witness, and sharing in small groups – to strengthen us for service in the world.

If you would like to know more about Cursillo you are welcome to attend either of these meetings or to contact us.

Who’s Who

Secretariat

Lay Director: Sally Mair

Contact Sally

Spiritual Director: Revd David Dalglish

Contact Revd David

Secretary: Rev Canon Duncan McCosh

Contact Rev Canon Duncan

Treasurer & Gift Aid: Jenny Wright

Contact Jenny

Communications & Website: Caroline Delaney

Contact Caroline

Fourth Day: Morag O’Neill

Contact Morag

BACC Rep: Ruth McGrath

Contact Ruth

Other Office Bearers

Registrar: Karen Ellis

Resources: vacant

4th Bridge Editor: Margaret McMeekin

Contact Margaret

Palanca Secretary: Wendy Wilkie

Contact Wendy

Music: Closing David McGavin

Database/Addresses: Mike Whitton 

Contact Mike

Ultreya Reps

Aberdeen & Orkney: Duncan Cowie

Argyll & the Isles: vacant

Borders: Ruth McGrath

Brechin: Fiona Buchan

Dunblane, Dunkeld and St Andrews: vacant

Edinburgh & Lothians Mike Coates

Glasgow and Galloway: vacant

Moray, Ross and Caithness: vacant