Descriptions: School of Theology

HHTH 468-01A:  Desert Ammas
Mary Forman
Fourth century Christianity gave birth to a spirituality which called women out of conventional understandings of wife, courtesan, and/or mother into lives of prayer, service and the founding of communal households and monasteries. This course explores writings by and about such foremothers of the monastic movement as Macrina, Melania, Paula, Eustochium, Marcella, Syncletica, Mary of Egypt, and Egeria; their social and historical realities; and their influence then and now. 

SPIR 468-01A: Prayer Formation for Spiritual Direction
Rebecca Van Ness
Preparatory to listening to others' experiences of God we will explore how our own image of God evolves as we discern God's ways of being present to us in prayer and in life. The course will include an introduction to the practice of lectio divina applied to our lived experience. Grading is satisfactory / unsatisfactory.

SPIR 468-02A:  Benedictine Spirituality
Carmen Maier
Benedictine spirituality has deep historical roots in both eastern and western Christianity and it continues to be a source of inspiration for Christians-whether lay or monastic-living and serving in community today.  This course will equip students to integrate Benedictine spirituality into their individual lives and into various ministerial settings.  During the first part of the course, students will study essential Benedictine practices of corporate and private prayer, living in community, and prayerful service to others.  In the second part, students will be oriented to the historical, social, and theological factors contributing to the rise of the Benedictine tradition.  The final part will draw on a monastic immersion experience and allow students to adapt Benedictine prayer, community, and service to their individual vocations.