The 7 Mile Walk With Jesus program, and several related activities such as the Maryland Emmaus, Lutheran Rainbow, and the Tres Dias programs, have their roots in the Roman Catholic Cursillo de Cristianidad (Short Course in Christianity) movement.
Cursillo
Cursillo is the original three day movement. It began in Spain in 1944 within the Roman Catholic church. Cursillo first developed in Spain as the direct result of dedicated Christian men seeking to help others come to a deeper understanding of Jesus Christ.
Those who first developed the Cursillo program worked together as a team, praying together, sharing their Christian lives together, studying together, planning together, taking action together, and evaluating what they had done together. This teamwork is the hallmark of the Cursillo, Emmaus, and 7 Mile Walk With Jesus movements.
Expansion
The Cursillo movement expanded rapidly. Cursillo was first introduced into the United States in Waco, Texas in 1957. Two Spanish airmen, in the country for flight training, worked with Fr. Gabriel Fernandez, a priest from Spain, to put on the first American Cursillo. Later, in 1965, it was accepted into the Episcopal Church.
Walk to Emmaus
The Walk to Emmaus or Emmaus Walk evolved from the Roman Catholic Cursillo movement. It started in the 1960’s and 1970’s when Episcopalians and Lutherans and Tres Dias offered Cursillo. In 1978, United Methodist Church trademarked Emmaus and adapted the Cursillo practices into a primarily Protestant version.
7 Mile Walk With Jesus
Maryland Emmaus held its first weekend in the fall of 1987. In October of 2014 the Maryland Emmaus became the 7 Mile Walk With Jesus Ministry. Since our beginning, God has blessed many men and women through the 7 Mile Walk With Jesus community. Over 200 weekend retreats have been held with approximately 20-35 Pilgrims per weekend. Over 6000 Pilgrims have made their weekend walk in Maryland.
Kalos
Kalos (formerly known as Chrysalis) evolved from the 7 Mile Walk With Jesus movement to provide for the development of young church leaders. It calls teens and young adults to seek a dynamic friendship with God through Christ, that they might be nurtured and grow into a mature relationship with Christ. The focus of the Kalos Community is not itself, but the local church. The two expectations of butterflies are that they will work toward improvement of their own spiritual lives and become active disciples for Christ in the world through their churches.
Kalos weekends are host to an eclectic mix of Methodists, Episcopals, Catholics and members of various other denominations. Despite this ecumenical diversity, we have managed, through the Grace of God, to work in accord and to confidently affirm the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the sacred value of Biblical teaching.