Cursillo

Who can attend?
Any Episcopalian, eighteen years of age or older, may attend a Cursillo. Episcopalian is defined as any baptized Christian and member in good standing, as defined by the parish priest, of any parish in the Diocese of Upper South Carolina. Cursillo is intended for laity and clergy who are curious, searching, discovering, growing.

What is the relationship of Cursillo to the Church?
Cursillo is a ministry within the church, under the direction of the Diocesan Bishop.

Are there Cursillo secrets?
You may have been told by someone who has attended the weekend that he or she cannot tell you what Cursillo is about, or what goes on during a Cursillo weekend. This is not correct. Everything that goes on during the weekend may be told to anyone. Cursillo literature is available to anyone who is interested. While there are no secrets, there are very pleasant surprises in every weekend.Talks and meditations are included in the Flow of the Weekend.

What happens on a weekend?
The three-day weekend brings together a group of Episcopalians to share the richness of worship and to broaden each one’s appreciation for the Church. Lay people conduct the weekend with two or three members of the clergy functioning as spiritual advisors. In the course of the weekend, a series of 15 talks are given with emphasis on the doctrine of Grace, the Sacraments, and the Cursillo Foundations: Piety, Study and Action. Table groups discuss and respond to the talks. The Eucharist is celebrated daily, and the Daily Offices are used. Some time is provided for prayer, confession, and spiritual direction. There is also fellowship, singing, good food, time for privacy, meditation and prayer.

How much does it cost?
The three-day weekend costs $200. Scholarships for Cursillo are usually available both from the Diocese and sometimes from parishes. For more information, contact your sponsor, rector, the Cursillo registrar or any member of the Cursillo Council.

What is a Cursillo sponsor?
Your sponsor is an invaluable support person before, during, and after your Cursillo experience. If you are interested in attending Cursillo and don't have a sponsor, contact your rector and he or she will help you find a sponsor.

How should a new person approach Cursillo?

• Be curious
• Be open to what happens in the now
• Be honest with yourself about where you are in your spiritual pilgrimage
• Be assured that Cursillo expects no specific response from you.
• Allow others to respond in their way and yourself to respond in your own way

• Candidate Application (2023)
• Staff Application (2023)
• Cursillo Policies (2022)
• Cursillo By-Laws (2022)
• Stages of Cursillo
• Flow of the Weekend
• Sponsor Guidelines

EDUSC Cursillo Weekend #145 Dedicated to a Grateful Heart – YOURS

First, focus on the heart, not the brain. The Heart is not easily swayed. What the heart is attached to is
there to stay and is not easily reasoned away or changed by something we read. When I speak from the
Heart, I cry. (Get used to it.) Because it means so much to me.
Second, Grateful. It means so much more than a “thank you” for a birthday present, a new golf club, a
dress, winning a tennis match - all fleeting bursts of joy. Webster’s dictionary would define gratitude as
appreciation, thankfulness.
But we are not dedicating the weekend to Webster’s dictionary.
When I connect real gratitude with the parts of me that live in my heart, my life is impacted. As we get
older, we lose more and more of those things that we thought we couldn't do without. Only then we
really value what we’ve lost - a parent or spouse, our hearing, a leg.
If only we had fully appreciated the things we have now lost. Well, we cannot roll back the clock. But we
can learn valuable lessons from our past. Each one is different. May each one of us examine those
things, traits and people that we would really miss if they were taken from us. Then we have a list of
those blessings recognized in our hearts.
Once we identify such blessings, then we can take time and effort to nurture that joy. Each one of us
begins and ends with an examination of his or her own heart. Let us identify those sources of Joy which
Jesus has given us.

Duvy Spruill, Lay Rector, EDUSC Cursillo Weekend 145

Lay Rector

Duvy Spruill (St. John's, Columbia)

EDUSC Cursillo 145 Candidates

Curtis Allen, Christ Church, Greenville

Sponsor: Dinks DuPree

Sally Armstrong, St. Peter’s, Greenville

Sponsor: Kristin Bennett

Sheryl Belcher, St. Luke’s, Columbia

Sponsor: Duvy Spruill

Bob Blankenheim, St. Augustine of Canterbury, Aiken

Sponsor: Gwen Blankenheim

Ginny Bozeman, St. John’s, Columbia

Sponsor: Duvy Spruill

Will Bozeman, St. John’s, Columbia

Sponsor: Duvy Spruill

Richard Breibart, Trinity, Columbia

Sponsor: Emery Clark

Claudia Coleman, Christ Church, Greenville

Sponsor: Dena Benedict

Susan Conway, Christ Church, Greenville

Sponsor: Anne Arrington

Barbara Davis, St. Alban’s, Lexington

Sponsor: Gloria Talley

John Dukas, Christ Church, Greenville

Sponsor: Kristin Bennett

Herman Hickman, St. Luke’s, Columbia

Sponsor: Duvy Spruill

Lee Rambo, St. John’s Columbia

Sponsor: Duvy Spruill

Bill Shuford, Christ Church, Greenville

Sponsor: Sharon Landis

Joyce Tensley, St. David’s, Columbia

Sponsor: MaryAnne Brock

Michael Tensley, St. David’s, Columbia

Sponsor: Scotty Brock+

Irene Wehle, St. Alban’s, Lexington

Sponsor: Patricia Ellis

Karen Whitfield, Resurrection, Greenwood

Sponsor: Celie Mescall

Michael Whitfield, Resurrection, Greenwood

Sponsor: Celie Mescall

Bob Zipfel, St. Thaddeus, Aiken

Sponsor: John Fowler

The EDUSC Cursillo Council includes people from different convocations and parishes. The Council meets regularly, to ensure the health of the ministry, call Lay Rectors for upcoming weekends, make policy/guidelines decisions, and coordinate trainings for the diocese and in the region.

EDUSC Cursillo Council 2023

• Shannon Beckham Berley, St. Francis of Assisi, Chapin
• Emery Clark, Trinity Cathedral, Columbia, Treasurer (ex-officio)
• Kaye Curtis, Christ Church, Greenville, President
• Carol DuBose, Trinity Cathedral, Columbia
• Mary Balfour Dunlap+, Resurrection, Greenwood
• Adam Dougherty, Trinity Cathedral, Columbia
• Kathryn Hix, Christ Church, Greenville
• Janet Jendron Borellis, St. Paul's, Fort Mill, Communications Coordinator (ex-officio)
• Ernest Jenkins, Christ Church, Lancaster
• David Rutledge, St. Matthews, Spartanburg
• Susan Sadler, St. Augustine of Canterbury, Aiken
• Duvy Spruill, St. John's, Columbia, Kairos Liaison (ex-officio)
• Gloria Talley, St. Alban’s, Lexington
• Dan Wagner+, St. Augustine of Canterbury, Aiken