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History of the ACTS Movement
The ACTS movement came to birth from the Cursillo Movement through the inspiration of
the Holy Spirit, in the Archdiocese of San Antonio. ACTS started in 1987 at Our Lady of
Perpetual Help in Selma, Texas; a small suburb of San Antonio.
"...Three men who were formerly involved with Cursillo, Ed Courtney and Joe Hays of
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Selma, and Dr. Mary Sablik of St Luke's parish, met
in the spring of 1987 at a local restaurant and discussed the possibilities of starting a
retreat program that would concentrate more on parish life and community.
The proposed retreat program was approved by Joe Hayes' pastor, Father Patrick
Cronin, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, his pastoral council and Archbishop Patrick Flores.
The men received the blessings to form a committee to develop a retreat weekend with
a goal of having a men's retreat in July, 1987 and a women's retreat in the fall of 1987.
Archbishop Flores asked that the committee be sure to allow non-Catholics to attend as
part of the community.
With Joe Hayes as chairman, 10 committee members began developing talks,
sacramentals, meditations and schedules for the weekends. The committee met each
week while forming the retreat program and discussed choosing a name for the retreat
but there was never a consensus among them. One day Wallace Vaughn, one of the
committee members, had a dream in which the Holy Spirit encouraged him to read
Chapter 2, verses 42-47 of the Acts of the Apostles. This selection from Acts describes
what the committee wanted to achieve on a retreat weekend. He also felt the Holy
Spirit wanted the retreats to be called 'ACTS', and thus the name was born.
The acronym of ACTS came to mean Adoration, Community, Theology and Service,
which is today the precept of these retreats. Nearly all who have experienced an ACTS
retreat feel truly blessed by God through the guidance of the Holy Spirit."1
The first retreats were modeled after Cursillo. There are some major differences,
however, from Cursillo. For example, the Cursillo would draw its team and retreatants
from all over the city and its parishes. The problem was that you would make great
friends during teaming and the retreat but, for the most part, you would not see them
again after the retreat was over. ACTS Missions takes a retreat to a new Parish in this
manner for the first two years. ACTS draws its team and retreatants from mostly one
parish. Once the retreat is over, those friendships become lasting, loving and
supportive Communities.
Another example of difference is that the Cursillo Movement is very structured and
provides very little, if any, flexibility. The Cursillo movement was instituted in the
United States around 1950 and has served as a great vehicle leading men and
women closer to God. It has been a great gift to all who have been involved with it.
The Cursillo Movement is an excellent Movement and certainly only that is
recommended for everyone to attend. Its focus, although similar in some ways, is
different than that of the ACTS Movement. They both do the work of the Holy Spirit
and both are needed. The ACTS Movement shall always be grateful to the Cursillo
Movement for its beginnings and its foundation.
The ACTS retreat has gradually become a Parish Weekend Retreat patterned after the
description of the early Church in the Acts of the Apostles (ACTS 2:42-47); breaking
bread together, worshipping together, receiving instruction together, sharing in
common, and reaching out in loving service. No two retreats are exactly alike. There
are certain events that are required: but each retreat is unique because of the
individuality of each team.
ACTS Missions was founded in 1997 to take the ACTS Retreat to new Parishes all over
the world so that the ACTS Community would be alive in all parishes.
After the Weekend, participants are encouraged to reach out to parish activities. ACTS
does not want to be thought of as a "Group", but as parishioners that have been on a
special retreat and now have a greater interest in parish ministry involvement.
Many other men and women too numerous to mention here have added much and
continue to add to the ACTS Movement through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. ACTS
has grown much since 1987, and is now in Alaska, California and Missouri, as well as
all over Texas.
1Reprinted with permission for Today's Catholic
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