Called & Commissioned — Centre for Applied Carmelite Spirituality

An invitation

Learn to hear God’s voice — and to answer it

Called & Commissioned is an unhurried, two-year journey for anyone drawn to live the prophetic calling of their baptism — to listen deeply for God amid the noise of our time, to discern that voice truly, and to bear courageous, credible witness to it in the Church and the world. Rooted in Scripture, the Carmelite tradition, and Catholic Social Teaching, it is formation for the long road, not a crash course.

The shape of the journey

One formation, two years, three Pentecosts

The programme runs from Pentecost to Pentecost. Complete the first year and you receive the Certificate in Prophetic Discipleship; continue through the second and you are commissioned with the Diploma in Prophetic Witness.

Year One — Hearing the Word

Prophetic identity, the Carmelite school of prayer, and the foundations of discernment. The year closes at Pentecost with the Affirmation of Calling and the Certificate.

Year Two — Bearing the Word

Deeper discernment, prophetic engagement with the Church and the world, and a personal Mission Project. The journey ends with the Commissioning at Pentecost and the Diploma.

The journey in five movements

Called · Contemplate · Discern · Witness · Commissioned

Called→ Contemplate→ Discern→ Witness→ Commissioned

Discernment sits at the heart of it all — the thread that runs through the whole journey, and the hinge on which the two years turn.

The curriculum

A sense of what you’ll explore

Thirty sessions across the two years, grouped by movement. Switch between the years to see the full span of topics.

Called

The Prophetic Vocation: Called by Name
The Biblical Prophets: A Communion of Witnesses
Encountering Jesus the Prophet
Samuel & the Art of Listening

Contemplate

Elijah & the Sound of Sheer Silence
Teresa of Ávila: Prayer as Friendship
John of the Cross: Listening in the Dark
Lectio Divina & the Review of the Day

Discern

The Marks of an Authentic Spirit
Testing the Spirits & the Two Ways
The Signs of the Holy Spirit
By Their Fruits: The Beatitudes
Righteousness as Discernment
Reading the Signs of the Times & Naming Prophetic Gifts
Toward the Affirmation of Calling

Discern — deeper

The Signs of an Authentic Spirit: Going Deeper
Teresa’s Discernment of Experience
John of the Cross & the Ascent: Discernment toward Union
Communal Discernment: The Jerusalem Council

Witness

The Mystics as Prophets
Contemplative Activism
Prophets at the Margins
Catholic Social Teaching: Advanced Praxis
Prophetic Leadership & the Institution
The Prophetic Imagination & the Arts
Public Speech & Proclamation

Commissioned

The Prophetic Mission Project: Discernment & Design
Writing Your Prophetic Credo
Mission Project: Shaping & Supervision
Sending into the Mission Project

Download the full prospectus (PDF)

What it is built on

Three foundations, one thread

Crest image forthcoming

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Scripture

The biblical school of discernment — Samuel learning to listen, Elijah’s “sound of sheer silence,” “test the spirits,” “by their fruits.”

✛

The Carmelite tradition

The masters of prayer — above all John of the Cross and the Ascent of Mount Carmel — and Teresa of Ávila, Thérèse, Elijah of Carmel.

St Peter’s image forthcoming

✚

Catholic Social Teaching

Reading the signs of the times; justice, mercy and the common good as the shape of prophetic witness in the world.

How it runs

A rhythm that lets a vocation take root

Participating online with a friar teaching on screen

Online, together

Fifteen sessions a year on Sundays (4:00–6:00 pm UK), two hours each — gathering and prayer, teaching, group sharing, contemplative practice, and a closing sending. Each year opens with a Pentecost retreat session.

Room to breathe — image forthcoming

Room to breathe

Three teaching blocks — summer, autumn and winter — with August and all of December kept free. In the breaks, small accompaniment groups keep the journey alive.

Formation, not information — image forthcoming

Formation, not information

A community of prophetic disciples who pray, discern and encourage one another — with a contemplative practice and a discerning journal woven through.

Key dates

The 2027–2029 cohort

PENTECOST · OPENS

Sun 16 May 2027

The journey begins — opening retreat and the first year of formation.

PENTECOST · YEAR ONE, YEAR TWO BEGINS

Sun 4 June 2028

Affirmation of Calling and the Certificate — and the opening of Year Two.

PENTECOST · COMMISSIONING

Sun 20 May 2029

Mission Project presentations, the Diploma, and the sending forth.

Year One — 2027/28

Opens — Pentecost, Sun 16 May 2027 (retreat session)
Summer term — Sun 16 May to Sun 25 July 2027
Autumn term — Sun 5 September to Sun 28 November 2027
Winter sessions — Sun 9 to Sun 23 January 2028
Affirmation & Certificate — Pentecost, Sun 4 June 2028

Year Two — 2028/29

Opens — Pentecost, Sun 4 June 2028 (retreat session)
Summer term — Sun 4 June to Sun 13 August 2028
Autumn term — Sun 3 September to Sun 26 November 2028
Winter sessions — Sun 7 to Sun 21 January 2029
Commissioning & Diploma — Pentecost, Sun 20 May 2029

Sessions are fortnightly on Sundays; August and all of December are kept free, and spring is given to accompaniment and, in Year Two, the Mission Project.

Download the full session calendar (PDF)

The heart of Year Two

Your Prophetic Mission Project

In the second year you discern, design and carry out a sustained prophetic witness addressing a real need — in your parish, community, workplace or wider society. Shaped in the taught sessions, accompanied by a supervisor through the spring, and presented at the Commissioning. It may be a ministry, a community initiative, creative work, a formation resource, or a social-action project — whatever God is asking of you.

Who it is for

Open to all who feel the call

Year One is open to all — no prior qualifications required, only a commitment to Christian discipleship and a willingness to engage prayerfully across the journey.
Direct entry to Year Two is possible for those who can evidence prior formation (spiritual direction training, a theology degree, or recognised retreat-ministry experience), following an interview with the programme director.
The programme is Catholic and Carmelite in root, and warmly ecumenical in spirit.

Fees

Accessible to serious disciples

Year One
Certificate

£650

or 5 monthly instalments of £130

Full Diploma
both years, paid together

£1,200

or 10 monthly instalments of £120

Year Two
Diploma completion

£650

or 5 monthly instalments of £130

Concessions and bursaries are available — no one should be prevented from attending by financial hardship. If none of the options above suits, please contact us at admin@cacs.org.uk and we will gladly arrange a payment plan that works for you.

Who leads it

A religious and lay team

Fr Alexander Ezechukwu OCD

Programme Director — Carmelite priest & Scripture scholar

John Dalla Costa

Programme Co-Lead — Theologian & ethicist; Catholic Social Teaching

Fr Rathan Almeida OCD

Programme Co-Lead — Systematic theology & Christology

Fr Liam Finnerty OCD

Tutor — Retreat ministry & mentoring

How to apply

Begin the conversation

Registration opens each year ahead of the Pentecost start, with an introductory Open Day. To register, enquire about bursaries, or simply ask a question, do get in touch.

admin@cacs.org.uk

Telephone

+44 (0)186 560 4003

In person

Carmelite Priory,
Boars Hill, Oxford