History

As background, Eduardo Bonin, Bernado Vadell, Pransico Porteza, and others were inspired to develop a program designed to seek and coach Christians capable of being strong representatives of Christianity in their communities and environment. The program they developed, Cursillo, began as a movement of the Church in Spain in the 1930’s. The founders aimed to face the reality of their world that they might transform it. This transformation becomes possible as man feels the penetrating love of Jesus Christ that goes deep into his human reality — it is a spiritual experience. The desired result is that each person chosen to participate in Cursillo would know how to work effectively in their own world and environment. Kairos has adapted Cursillo for the prison environment.

The Kairos ministry begins with a short course in basic Christianity. This develops into a life long anchor composed of small groups sharing their commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ Ecumenical in nature, Kairos teams are made up of Christian men and women from all major denominational backgrounds, both lay and clergy, all deeply committed to their own denomination in which most of them are significant leaders.

The Kairos team will meet regularly to build a Christian community which they take into the prison. There they are joined by carefully selected resident leaders invited by the Chaplain from the prison population.

The purpose of this 3-day weekend short course is to create small groups by providing the basic methods and tools needed to build Christian community. The small groups will get together once a week to share their lives, their successes and their failures in Christ, their hopes and needs. By making themselves vulnerable to one another they become able to love one another and to accept each other’s love. Through this love, they support and build each other up in their daily walk. This is done in order that they might be better instruments to take Christ into the far reaches of the prison in which they live.