The Tribune

The Bahamas Anglican Men’s Cursillo is scheduled for June 6-9. The rector for the weekend is Joseph Hamilton assisted by Trevor Bethel and Carlton Russell. The rector is projecting 33 candidates. The Team Mass was held on Tuesday June 4 at St. Margaret Anglican Church. Spiritual Director Canon Sebastian Campbell was assisted by Fr. Dr. Roland Hamilton along with other clergy. The send off ceremony is on Thursday June 6 at St. Gregory’s Anglican Church and the Clasaura is at 5pm on Sunday June 9 at St. Gregory’s Anglican Church.

Cursillo is a movement of the church. Its purpose is to help those in the church understand their individual callings to be Christian leaders. The leadership may be exercised in work situations, in the family and social life, in leisure activities, and within the church environment.

Leadership, in Cursillo, does not mean power over others, but influence on others.

“All of us need to be aware that we can exert a positive influence on those around us,” said church leaders.

The first Cursillo weekends were held in the Bahamas in 1986. However the birthplace of the Cursillo movement is the Spanish Island of Mallorca (Majorca), which is situated east of the mainland of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea.

In 1966, while still a teenager, Gloria Crawford, had attended a Cursillo weekend at St. Augustine’s. But Cursillo had not, at that time, been licensed to the Episcopal Church. In the early 1980’s, 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 the Anglican Diocese attended weekends mostly in Florida, but in other parts of North America as well.