Cursillo offers committed Christians a community of discipleship in which they are supported and encouraged as they grow in faith and seek to establish a role in the work of building God’s Kingdom.
Here in the diocese, we have a local group - the Leicester Anglican Cursillo (LAC) – with a collective of more than 300 people who have completed a ‘Cursillo weekend’ and joined the fellowship.
Leicester Anglican Cursillo was formed in January 1994, the group gifted from the Diocese of Southwell and set up with just a handful of volunteers.
Cursillo was originally a Catholic method, which started in Majorca, and has since been licenced by the Church of England as part of the worldwide movement. Its national governing body in the UK is the British Anglican Cursillo Council.
The main aims of Leicester Anglican Cursillo are to:
1. Provide short courses, residential, either two or three nights stay over a weekend, traditionally.
2. To host Ultreyas – which are opportunities to worship and praise together, alongside church membership and roles.
3. To be a registered charity, with trustees.
“As a group we support one another, working together through life’s challenges and learning from our experiences and each other,” says Carole Henson, Lay Director of Leicester Anglican Cursillo.
“We continue to grow in faith and fellowship as a group and seek to support the wider Christian community.”
Weekend course
The lay-led organisation has hosted more than 50 weekend courses for Christian prayer, study and action at Launde Abbey since 1994, providing, what is for many, a life changing experience through which God inspires, renews, and challenges.
Each weekend is undergirded with prayer, and led by different Lay Rectors.
If you are a practicing Christian, and a member of a church, worshipping community, or Leicester Cathedral in the Diocese of Leicester, then you may be interested in attending a LAC course.
The Cursillo weekends are staffed by volunteers, who provide the course for up to 16 new people.
The next LAC weekend planned is taking place in October 2025 and will finish with a service (known as a ‘Clausura’), for which The Very Revd Karen Rooms, Dean of Leicester, will preside.
If you are an existing ‘cursillista’ with a calling to share Cursillo, and you would like to volunteer your gifts or skills, then please do get in touch.
For more information about courses and the community, contact Carole Henson on laydirector@leicestercursillo.org or visit https://leicestercursillo.org/home/
The group also has a members Facebook page, for those who have completed a weekend and become a cursillista