About Tres Dias

Tres Dias is an instrument of renewal of the church. Its aim is to concentrate closely on the person and teachings of Jesus Christ. 

Tres Dias gives those who attend a dynamic understanding of basic Christian beliefs, and the desire to serve in their local church. Tres Dias is an adult weekend. There are separate weekends for men and women.

Tres Dias proposes no new type of spirituality; it is simply a method through which one’s spirituality may be further developed, lived and shared in any area of human life where there are Christians willing to direct their lives to God in an on-going manner. 

The Spanish words “Tres Dias” mean “three days”. Although it can be held on any consecutive days, a Tres Dias usually begins on Thursday evening and ends the following Sunday evening. During the three days, those attending live and study together, communicating with one another to gain a permanent living awareness of their faith, and of the responsibility that such a deep awareness involves. 

The Tres Dias team leading the weekend is composed of former attendees of a Tres Dias who have volunteered their time for weeks of preparation, working and praying together as a unit. Tres Dias is centered on 15 talks: 10 given by lay people and 5 by clergy. In addition to the talks, there are also worship periods, singing and celebration of Holy Communion.

Notes are taken during the talks, and each talk is then discussed in small groups with lay leaders assigned to each table. The interchange that develops in these discussions makes Christ’s teaching come alive. There is presented in three days the basis of the Christian life, the meaning of living the Christian ideal, and its application in our daily lives.

Tres Dias can be experienced only once in a lifetime. Therefore, it is not a substitute for a retreat, nor does it have the individual solitude of a retreat. The basic atmosphere of Tres Dias is one of love, joy, and Christian fellowship. Tres Dias can make succeeding retreats and other experiences more meaningful. 

 Following Tres Dias, a person is able to expand one’s own spiritual life and become a more active disciple of Christ in the world and in one’s own church. One’s life after a Tres Dias weekend is known as the “Fourth Day”. Perseverance is important, just as it is with any method of renewal. In Tres Dias, the spirit is continued after the three days through reunions of the Tres Dias community. These are available regularly as a means for growth in understanding and enthusiasm within the Christian community. Reunions of smaller groups within the local church and/or the large Tres Dias community are encouraged, so that the participants may help one another in living the Christian life. 

History of Tres Dias

  Tres Dias was derived from Cursillo de Cristiandad (a short course in Christianity), which has been an active tool of renewal in the Roman Catholic Church since it began in Spain in 1949.

Tres Dias is an inter-denominational version of Cursillo, open to any Christians interested in deepening their walk with the Lord. Each attendee must be sponsored by someone who has previously attended a Tres Dias or Cursillo. Tres Dias started in 1972 and is now overseen by a National organization of lay people and clergy. Individual weekends are coordinated by area secretariats, whose members consist of anyone who has already made a Tres Dias. Tres Dias relies on prayer and on the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit for its leadership and guidance.