The History of Tres Dias
Tres Dias (Three Days) is an inter-denominational expression of the Roman Catholic Cursillo de Christiandad (meaning Short Courses in Christianity). In addition to Tres Dias, other expressions of the Roman Catholic Cursillo are called Via de Cristo and Walk to Emmaus. They all refer to a three-day weekend where the participant is shown the love of Jesus Christ and encouraged in the Christian Life.
Cursillo, originating as Spanish for "short course," had its beginning in the late '40s on the island of Majorca in Spain. Bishop Juan Hervas sadly noted that the men of his parish had very little to do with the life of the parish, while the women were growing spiritually. To counteract this, Hervas designed a three-day study course for men to give life to the teachings of the Church. It was so successful that it spread, eventually reaching the United States through Texas and Boston. The first U.S. weekend was in Spanish and had to be translated into English. The Catholic community began holding weekends in the early 60s. Pastors of other denominations eventually attended them to examine the movement as a potential method of renewal of the entire Christian Community.
Pastors who attended felt the renewal movement was excellent. The first Protestant weekends were held in Florida and Iowa in 1972. Over the years, pastors and laypersons have been careful to make sure that the content of the talks, the worship, and the rest of the weekend were designed to focus on a relationship with God and Jesus Christ as Savior, rather than on the doctrine of a specific denomination.
Both the married and unmarried are welcome to attend. Normally men attend on one weekend and women a following weekend. Weekends are also held in prisons for the incarcerated.
Tres Dias is active throughout the United States, Canada, and many foreign countries.