Church of the
Redeemer
Redeemer Review
From the Vicar
Notes from the Coach:
Team Redeemer: Cursillo
Judy Rosenbloom, a good friend and leader of the last Cursillo I worked, told the following story about
her very first experience of a Cursillo weekend. For those of you who could not attend Cursillo Sunday at Re-
deemer on September 11th, Cursillo is a weekend “short course” in Christian community building, full of sur-
prises and fun. Getting back to Judy, “I was told,” she said, “that one of the surprises of the weekend would be
that I was going to meet Jesus in person. Needless to say, I was very excited. I looked for him everywhere.
During the talks, I watched in case he popped in. During the beautiful meals, I checked to see if one of the
place cards was his. As we sang, I kept the corner of an eye open, in case he might take his place among the
singers. I loved the weekend, but as we got to its end, I was disappointed, because, although many good things
had happened, I hadn’t seen Jesus. Oh well, I thought, it was a long shot anyway. And then, as we gathered at
the closing and began to share our experiences, I finally got it! He had been there all along! He was the speak-
ers who shared their faith stories, their questions, their triumphs and confusions. He was the cooks who fed
us and entertained us. He was the music team. He was us and yes, I did see Jesus, not in person, but in per-
sons!”
Now I can’t promise you an experience as dramatic as Judy’s, but I can promise that the Cursillo week-
end is an unforgettable moment. For most of us, going to church happens once a week. It is good, to be sure, or
we would stop going, but it can often seem more a time and place of refuge from the daily grind than a way of
living through it. Cursillo does a lot to close this gap between the way we live and the way we pray. It helps us
to be the people we want to be by being the people we are. Cursillo shows us Jesus’ teachings in action. It
shows us what life looks like when people begin to practice the kind of radical love that Jesus taught. Because
of this, Cursillo may seem very strange at first. It felt that way to me when I went in my thirties. Today, that
joy is my “real world.”
Making Cursillo is like learning a new sport, a sport of love and community trust. It’s done as a team.
Just as the riding lessons I took as a child gave me a lifelong love for animals and their care, Cursillo shows us
how to practice the love of other people.
Traditionally, couples make Cursillo at the same time. If you decide to do so, you will be sponsored and
shepherded by a member of the Redeemer Cursillo community. The Fall Weekends are in San Anselmo. The
Men’s Weekend takes place October 20-23, and the Women’s, November 3-6. Spring weekends will happen in
April. Applications are on the coffee hour table. Join the joy!
Love,
The Coach
October 2005
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