VOLUME I ISSUE 2
MY CURSILLO EXPERIENCE In the early 1980’s, not sure of the exact date, Bishop Eldon, while relaxing on a Sunday afternoon, was listening to a Roman Catholic radio broadcast from Miami, and they were talking excitedly about Cursillo, and its impact on the Roman Catholic church in Florida. Mention was made of the emergence of Cursillo in the Episcopal Church, and in 1982 Bishop Eldon decided to attend a Cursillo weekend in Miami with several clergy. Elaine Deveaux attended a women’s weekend later in 1982. Rodney Williams attended Men’s Cursillo in October 1983. Between that time, and 1986, a Bahamian community was developed as people from our Diocese attended weekends mostly in Florida, but in other parts of North America as well. We really do not know all the Cursillistas who have made weekends outside the Bahamas. As a member of Holy Trinity, I had experienced Faith Alive in 1982. The team conducting the Faith Alive weekend were a group of spirit-filled men and women, largely from Pennsylvania. Members of this team led many of us into a new or renewed relationship with Jesus Christ. Further, they invited us to the Faith Alive Convention in North Carolina that same year, and at this Convention, I was fortunate to meet a lady who told me about several other renewal and church growth programmes – Evangelism Explosion, the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship, Women’s Aglow, Marriage Encounter. On my return to Nassau, I shared these with my Rector, Fr. Bowleg, and he in turn encouraged the establishment of these programmes at Holy Trinity. In the meantime, I attended Men’s Cursillo #32 in October 1983, with the encouragement of Bishop Eldon. This reinforced my desire to take a leadership role in the programmes mentioned above. In addition, I felt a strong desire to share Cursillo with others, and to see it introduced into the Diocese as a whole. As a result, I encouraged many others to make weekends in Florida, and other parts of the United States, so that Reunion Groups were soon meeting in various parts of Nassau and by 1986, the Bahamas Community consisted of enough Cursillistas for the first Men’s & Women’s Weekends, which were held in October 1986 – the Men’s Weekend at St. John’s College, and the Women’s Weekend at St. Mary’s Hall at St. Augustine’s Monastery. This was made possible by good stewardship on the part of members of the Community, who contributed Bahamas Anglican Cursillo Movement Secretariat office is located at Mt. Olivet Retreat Centre, Fox Hill. Office Hours: Wednesdays and Thursdays 10.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m., Telephone:677-0601; Fax 324-8079, e-mail: Cursillo.BS@outloook.com