Tres Dias

What is Tres Dias?

Tres Dias is:

• Christian
• Interdenominational
• A Christian renewal movement
• Similar to the Cursillo movements
• A Christian support group movement
• Over 70 Tres Dias communities around the world
• A prayer, study, and action small group movement.

Tres Dias:

• Encourages Christians to tell others about Christ
• Emphasizes the love that our Lord has for each of us
• Encourages Christians to work in their home congregations and to evangelize.

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 Information about Tres Dias:

• renewal weekends + small support groups to encourage each other as Christians
   
• A Tres Dias Weekend has been described as an encounter with the living Christ.  There are times on the weekend for personal introspection and times for joyous community sharing and singing.  Participants are sponsored by people who have experienced a Tres Dias weekend.  The weekends are for three days in a cloistered environment.  Participants are encouraged on the weekend to strengthen their relationship with Jesus the Christ.  The things which Christian denominations have in common are emphasized and those which are different are respected.  Participants are encouraged to work in their home congregations and to evangelize.  The weekends are not intended for conversion.  The weekends are for Christians who want to grow in their relationship with Jesus.

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The Essentials of Tres Dias

1.0  Preamble 
 
The TRES DIAS Movement endeavors to bring Christians to a 
closer, more personal walk with their Lord Jesus Christ and 
encourage them to Christian leadership and Apostolic Action 
in their environments. 
 
TRES DIAS is based on the principles, the method, and the 
teachings of the Roman Catholic Cursillo movement initially 
proposed by Bishop Juan Hervas, Eduardo Bonnin and their fellow 
Christians.  Each candidate goes through three phases of the 
TRES DIAS movement:  the pre-weekend, the three-day weekend1 and 
the Fourth Day.  TRES DIAS is a Christian ecumenical movement. 
 
"The founders of the Cursillo movement saw a world of great need 
around them.  They knew that the answer to the needs of the 
world had to be Christ and His Grace; but...they saw Christians 
who did not live for Christ, and they saw a church that 
was...ineffective and without life.  They developed the Cursillo 
to meet part of this problem: to provide any part of the church 
which was ready to undertake the formation of Christian life 
with all the people it needed -- people who would have the deep 
dedication to Christ and to bringing all peoples to Him -- 
people who would undertake a regular program of formation in 
Christianity, and who would make their Christian life conscious 
and vital -- people who would understand how to be part of a 
unified apostolic effort."?
 
The main teaching of TRES DIAS is God's unqualified love for 
each of us through grace.  It asks each member of the TRES DIAS 
community to grow in their personal piety, to study God's Word 
and other Christian writings and to express their love for 
Christ in Christian Apostolic Action. 
 
These three aspects of Christian growth are stressed in the 
cloistered environment called, "the weekend."  An invitation is 
issued during the weekend for each Pescadore to join a small 
group of his/her own choosing for continued support, prayer and 
encouragement. 
 
In order to ensure consistency and stability within the TRES 
DIAS Movement, there must be certain essential aspects to which 
all TRES DIAS organizations conform.  These Essentials fall into 
two categories:  those which are quantitative and those which 
are qualitative in nature.  It is the intent of TRES DIAS to use 
both of these categories as criteria for chartering local 
secretariats. 
 
It should therefore be the policy of local secretariats to 
comply with these Essentials.  Policies of local secretariats 
which deviate from these Essentials must be reviewed on an 
individual basis and are subject to the approval of TRES DIAS. 
 
 
2.0  The Essentials of the Movement 
 
1.  TRES DIAS is a Christian movement. 
 
The ultimate objective of the TRES DIAS Movement is to 
strengthen and extend the Body of Christ.  No TRES DIAS 
organization shall change the teachings or practices of the TRES 
DIAS Movement to accommodate the participation of non-
christians. 
 
For the purpose of these Essentials, "Christian" is intended to 
refer to those who are seeking a closer relationship with Jesus 
Christ as their Lord and Savior. 
 
2.  TRES DIAS is a Christian ecumenical movement. 
 
All TRES DIAS organizations shall actively seek the 
participation of persons from all the Christian denominations in 
their environment. 
 
All TRES DIAS organizations shall stress those things which the 
Christian denominations have in common and respect those things 
which are different. 
 
All TRES DIAS organizations have the duty and the authority to 
protect the TRES DIAS ecumenical structure. 
 
3.  TRES DIAS is a lay led movement. 
 
TRES DIAS is a lay led movement; however, the active 
participation of the clergy is both essential and to be 
encouraged. 
 
4.  TRES DIAS is a non-profit movement. 
 
TRES DIAS organizations should pursue prudent fiscal policies.  
They shall avoid accumulating assets beyond what is required to 
carry out their part in the TRES DIAS Movement. 
 
5.  The TRES DIAS Movement shall not assume the role of a 
denomination. 
 
TRES DIAS is not a church-substitute; rather, it encourages 
Christians to worship and serve in their home congregations, as 
leaders. 
 
6.  TRES DIAS is not a service organization. 
 
The TRES DIAS movement encourages Pescadores to participate in 
"worthy projects."  TRES DIAS organizations shall limit their 
activities to those related to carrying out the TRES DIAS 
method. 
 
 
3.0	The Essentials of the TRES DIAS Method 
 
1.	The three sequential phases of an individual's involvement 
shall be:  The Pre-weekend phase, The Weekend phase and the 
Fourth Day phase. 
 
2.	The objective of the Pre-weekend phase is to prepare 
individuals for participation in the Weekend. 
 
3.	The purpose of the Weekend, in terms of the method, is to 
prepare individuals for effective participation in the Fourth 
Day. 
 
3.1	The Essentials of the Pre-Weekend Phase 
 
1.	That the candidate be sponsored for participation in all 
phases of the TRES DIAS Movement, rather than just the Weekend. 
 
2.	That candidates be sponsored by a member of a chartered 
TRES DIAS community or a similar community approved by TRES 
DIAS. 
 
3.	That candidates have a desire for a closer relationship 
with Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. 
 
4.	That candidates be accepted from all Christian 
denominations. 
 
5.	That candidates be at least 21 years of age.  However, if a 
local secretariat, using its best judgment, finds a sound and 
compelling reason (such as spouse of a pescadore, or military 
personnel), it OCCASIONALLY, on a case by case basis, may accept 
a candidate who is at least 18 years of age. 
 
6.	That candidates have not previously made a TRES DIAS 
weekend or a similar experience recognized as equivalent by TRES 
DIAS. 
 
3.2  The Essentials of the Weekend Phase 
 
1.	That the weekend have the following characteristics: 
 
A.	It is a weekend of living in Christian community involving 
a combination of carefully developed activities and teachings 
which are meant to lead to a fuller personal commitment to 
Christ. 
 
B.	It embodies personal witness, but it is not a revival 
meeting. 
 
C.	It employs group dynamics, but it is neither sensitivity 
training nor group therapy. 
 
D.	It employs theological instruction that encourages the 
candidate to study his/her own Christian beliefs, but it is not 
a course in doctrine. 
 
E.	It includes a period of silent introspection, but it is not 
a retreat. 
 
F.	It is a renewal experience for Christians and is not 
necessarily a conversion experience. 
 
G.	It asks for basic faith, openness and a seeking attitude on 
the part of the candidate, but involves a great amount of 
dedication, prayer and careful planning on the part of the team. 
 
H.	It is an encounter with the Holy Spirit.  However, TRES 
DIAS is not a "charismatic" movement. 
 
I.	The weekend is a tool of God, not an end in itself.  The 
weekend will not produce a permanent effect without Fourth Day 
activity. 
 
2.  That the Spiritual Directors be qualified to teach and 
counsel in spiritual matters. 
 
3.  That at least one of the Spiritual Directors on the Weekend 
be ordained and be authorized to regularly celebrate Holy 
Communion by his/her denomination. 
 
For the purpose of these Essentials, "clergy" is intended to 
refer to those persons qualified to serve as Spiritual 
Directors. 
 
4.  That men and women attend separate weekends.  The Spiritual 
Directors are exempted. 
 
5.  That team members represent a spectrum of Christian 
denominations. 
 
6.  That team members have previously made either a TRES DIAS 
Weekend or a similar experience recognized by TRES DIAS. 
 
7.  That the Rector be a lay person and be responsible for all 
aspects of the weekend, under the authority of the local 
sponsoring secretariat. 
 
8.  That the team meet prior to the weekend to:  promote 
community, receive instruction on the dynamics and critique all 
the Rollos. 
 
9.  That the TRES DIAS weekend be an intensive three-day program 
lasting approximately 72 continuous hours. 
 
10.  That the team and candidates live in a cloistered 
environment for the entire weekend. 
 
11.  That lay-talks not be given by clergy, and Spiritual 
Director talks not be given by a lay person. 
 
12.  That the weekend begin in the evening with the following 
agenda: 
Introduction given by the Rector 
Start silent retreat to end after chapel the next morning 
KNOW YOURSELF meditation, given by clergy 
PRODIGAL SON meditation (or alternatively, on a women’s 
   weekend, the Hosea-Gomer account as recorded in Hosea 1-3,
   or the account of the woman caught in adultery,
   as recorded in John 8:1-11), given by clergy 
 
13.  That the first day of the weekend have the following 
agenda: 
THE THREE GLANCES OF CHRIST meditation, given by clergy 
The IDEALS rollo, given by a lay person 
The GRACE rollo, given by clergy 
THE CHURCH rollo, given by a lay person 
THE HOLY SPIRIT rollo, given by clergy 
The PIETY rollo, given by a lay person. 
 
14.  That the second day of the weekend have the following 
agenda: 
THE FIGURE OF CHRIST meditation, given by clergy 
The STUDY rollo, given by a lay person 
The SACRED MOMENTS OF GRACE rollo, given by clergy, followed by Holy 
Communion 
The ACTION rollo, given by a lay person 
The OBSTACLES TO GRACE rollo, given by clergy 
The LEADERS rollo, given by a lay person. 
 
15.  That chapel visits by each table occur the afternoon of the 
second day. 
 
16.  That the third day of the weekend have the following 
agenda: 
CHRIST'S MESSAGE TO THE PESCADORES meditation, given by clergy 
The ENVIRONMENTS rollo, given by a lay person 
The LIFE IN GRACE rollo, given by clergy 
The CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY IN ACTION rollo, given by a lay 
person 
The REUNION GROUPS rollo, given by a lay person 
The LIVING THE FOURTH DAY rollo, given by a lay person 
The Apostolic Hour 
The Closing 
 
17.  That chapel visits by each table occur the morning of the 
third day. 
 
18.  That table discussion follow each rollo except the FOURTH 
DAY. 
 
19.  That all rollos and meditations follow the dynamics and 
outlines authorized by TRES DIAS. 
 
20.  That the team and candidates have the opportunity to 
celebrate Holy Communion each full day of the weekend. 
 
21.  That a diversity of environments and viewpoints must be 
attempted in planning the weekend itself and in forming the 
tables. 
 
22.  That the freedom of self-determination of each candidate be 
respected. 
 
23.  That the lay rollos be informal talks of a witnessing or 
sharing nature. 
 
24.  That a friendly creative Christian environment be developed 
and fostered during the TRES DIAS weekend, as opposed to a 
coercive or manipulative environment. 
 
25.  That the schedule allow time for informal personal contact 
among the team and candidates. 
 
26.  That the Closing be as well prepared as other activities of 
the weekend. 
 
27.  That the sponsoring secretariat encourage the community to 
participate in the weekend through spiritual and service 
Palanca. 
 
3.3	The Essentials of the Fourth Day Phase 
 
The Pre-weekend and Weekend phases are only a prelude to each 
individual's Fourth Day. 
 
1.  Reunion Groups 
A.	That local secretariats encourage Pescadores to participate 
in Reunion Groups. 
 
B.	That local secretariats utilize the form of the reunion 
group known as "The Working Reunion Group," to carry out the 
activities of the TRES DIAS Movement. 
 
 
2.  Secuelas 
A.	That local secretariats sponsor regularly scheduled 
Secuelas; preferably at least once each month. 
 
B.	That each Secuela include an opportunity for Pescadores to 
participate in the form of reunion group known as "The Floating 
Reunion Group." 
 
C.	That each Secuela include a "Fourth Day Talk." 
 
 
4.0	The Essentials of  the Local Secretariat Organization 
 
The function of the local secretariat is to conduct an effective 
program in accordance with the TRES DIAS Method. 
 
That each local secretariat have a document, approved by its 
membership, describing its structure and operating procedures. 
 
That the members of a local secretariat have completed a TRES 
DIAS weekend or a similar experience recognized by TRES DIAS. 
 
All Pescadores of the TRES DIAS Community whom the local 
secretariat claims to represent must be eligible to serve as 
voting members and officers of the secretariat. 
 
That the local secretariat have a plan for the periodic election 
of new  members. 
 
The local secretariat must be the sole sponsor of a TRES DIAS 
weekend held in its community. 
 
Each local secretariat must sponsor at least two TRES DIAS 
weekends a year.  For the purpose of chartering, this 
requirement may be waived by TRES DIAS.  
 
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1. Although the three-days are referred to as "the weekend," the 
three days of the "TRES DIAS Weekend" need not include Saturday 
and/or Sunday.  The "TRES DIAS Weekend" may be held on any three 
consecutive days of the week. 
 
2. Adapted from TRES DIAS, NOTES ON METHOD, STRUCTURE, AND 
DYNAMIC: March 1974 
 
 
 
 
The Essentials of Tres Dias 
 
Ratified: 
July, 1980, Poughkeepsie, New York 
 
Revised: 
October, 1984 
January, 1986 
January, 1993 
October, 1994
July, 1996
July, 2005
 
Copyright 2006 by Tres Dias, Inc.
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