Expand your knowledge of the spiritual life and contemplative prayer and grow deeper in union with God.
Taught by Deacon Dan Gannon, "Three Ages of the Interior Life" is open to all. This five-session course meets on Tuesdays from November 19 - December 17, from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. at the Church of St. Henry in Monticello, Minnesota.
Recognizing that all are called to contemplative prayer to attain union with God, "The Three Ages of the Interior Life" examines the powerful prayer methods of St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila, focusing on the spiritual life and prayer as well as the nature of contemplation and its effect on your whole life.
For graduates of the Catechetical Institute, "Three Ages of the Interior Life" will build on what you have learned in the Pillars Program.
The Three Ages of Interior Life Course Offers:
- Instruction on the prayer methods of St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila
- Understanding the essential dispositions needed to progress in holiness
- Practical ways to enter into the life of grace
- Faith-sharing in the small group dynamic
- Keys to learning detachment
Start praying today about who you can invite to join you this fall on this spiritual journey!
Registration and cost
Price: $100 ($50 for religious, consecrated or college students)
Registration deadline: Nov. 12, 2024
Registration: Register online
Materials include:
- Workbook
- Prayer card
No refunds after Nov. 12, 2024
More about the course
The scope of Carmelite prayer and spirituality addresses the conduct of the person inside and outside of mental prayer (viz. together comprising the "spiritual life") and identifies one's progress in the spiritual life as passing through the purgative, illuminative, and unitive phases (stages of prayer), which we will examine as the three ages of the interior life. These ages constitute an increasing captivation and purification of the soul by God and of deepening union with the Persons of the Holy Trinity. Our conduct outside of prayer (e.g., self-denial, renunciation, virtue) profoundly impacts our progress in prayer toward God.
Carmelite spirituality is not method-based but is strongly disposition and presence-based. This means the dispositions we bring to prayer and develop over time are critical for the fruitfulness of prayer, as is fostering a lively, loving awareness of the indwelling presence of the Holy Trinity.
We will examine St. Teresa's famous Interior Castle, a progressive interiorization of prayer, and St. John of the Cross' Dark Night of the Soul, which describes the active and passive purifications the generous soul must pass through into the Illuminative Way and even the Unitive Way.