As a leader I had a very unusual experience of just intense darkness at the end of the weekend. At the closing I was almost catatonic and could only form a little prayer in my head that went, “Mother Mary shield me under your mantle, St. Michael defend me.” Very bizarre, and that funk lasted for several weeks. I haven’t been too involved with the Cursillo movement since then although I have spoken at Ultrya, a monthly gathering of Cursillistas a few times.

During the hi-jacking of Vatican Council II by the Freemasons, they were able to gain control of much Church Administration and put forth their brand of ‘Catholicism’ The Cursillo is an attempt to replace Catholic Retreats with novel ways of bring faithful to ‘Christ’. It is complex and oblique at times, but for a convert or a confused Catholic, Holy Mother Church gives this direction: seek out the Traditional Church.

http://www.stas.org/mainpage

Here is one site you may enter and go into apologetics and read some interesting things.

http://www.traditionalcatholicism.org

has sermons from priests you may find edifying.

The woman that felt the darkness should contact one of the Priest of the SSPX and relate here experience. As a properly formed Priest, as all Traditional Priests are, he will know what to do for her. (to keep darkness away, use the sacramental of Holy Water, not blessed water, Holy Water).

On the .org website, there is a sermon entitled Saint Mary Magdalene; I recommend listen to it. These Sermons are intended for your soul’s benefit. No warm and fuzzy needed, no layman guiding you. Only Priests and Nuns are allowed to be on this site.

No one comes to conversion or belief without God’s grace. Many of us pray God allow a poor sinner to convert, or a non-believer, and so on. Let us pray for those who prayed to the Lord for your conversion.

Very good blog. May God increase your efforts. May many souls be saved by your efforts.

May God our Lord in his infinite and supreme goodness be pleased to give us his abundant grace, that we may know his most holy will, and entirely fulfill it.

pablo

Interestingly, the communion ritual in Emmaus is similar to parts of the Catholic mass and opened my eyes and heart to ritual and liturgy and was one of the factors moving me toward considering Catholicism.

I would be happy to answer any more questions if you want to email me.

Contact me at tistyman_dude@hotmail.com

Women from throughout the diocese attended and it was incredible at how quickly we bonded with each other. Even though we came from many different backgrounds and ranged in age from 20′s to 70′s, the Holy Spirit brought us together and showed us that we had many common experiences.

It was a very intense experience, and our days were filled with talks from many women who shared their faith journeys with us. We were given a wealth of information on how to deepen our relationship with the Lord and share our faith with others.

Six months ago, I would never have considered attending a retreat like this. I have been a Catholic all my life, but in December I had an experience which made me realize that I had pretty much been sleepwalking through my faith life. Looking back, I can see that the Holy Spirit was waking me up and giving me a chance to deepen my faith. Cursillo was the path given to me, and it provided me with “tools” to mature in my faith.

One of the most important parts of Cursillo comes after the weekend. I was able to find a group of women to meet with each week. We talk about what we have done to share our faith with others and problems we have encountered during the week. It is such a blessing to be able to share my life with four very supportive women who are all struggling at times with faith. I never felt comfortable discussing my faith with others in the past, and it is still difficult sometimes, but it has made such a difference in my life.

I was a little frustrated before I attended Cursillo when I would ask questions and people would tell me “you just have to experience it”. It is difficult to describe to someone what they will experience because each person brings unique life experiences with them to Cursillo. Had I been told what I’d be going through beforehand, I don’t know if it would have affected me the same way.

As someone who NEVER attended programs like this, I found it to be a great aid in understanding and deepening my faith. Don’t be afraid of it.

If you choose to attend a Cursillo, go with an open heart and no expectations.

I also want to thank you for Conversion Diary. It has become an important part of my daily reading. We couldn’t have more different lives but I find great inspiration reading your blog and see many parallels in our spiritual journeys.

Mary from Minnesota

Big mistake. She has some really profound lessons for all of us. Don’t miss it.

Enjoy it. I was meh about my walk but there were parts of it that were very very special and parts I’ll alway remember