The Foundations of Prayer
ABOUT THE COURSE
This course invites participants to explore the richness of Christian prayer and deepen their spiritual lives through engaging teachings, practices, and reflections. It is designed for those who feel called to grow in intimacy with God, guided by the wisdom of the Carmelite tradition.
Course Overview
Over the course of ten sessions, participants will be guided through a progressive series of teachings, each focused on an aspect of contemplative prayer. Each session offers insights, practices, and an opportunity for personal reflection, aiming to cultivate a deeper connection to God and a richer prayer life.
Course Aims and Learning Outcomes
Aims: This course aims to …
- encourage intimacy with God
- deepen participants’ understanding and practice of contemplative prayer
- form people of prayer in a ten-week course
- encourage an experience of praying with an online praying community
- equip participants with the knowledge for developing and sustaining their prayer life.
- To form people of prayer in a ten-week course over five months
- To encourage an experience of living and praying with an online praying community
- To encourage intimacy with God
- To broaden an understanding of the variety of approaches to prayer
Learning Outcomes:
- Experience Prayer as Friendship: Participants will come to see prayer as a living relationship with God, rooted in mutual friendship.
- Explore Depths of Christian Spirituality: Through study and practice, participants will access the wisdom of Christian mystics and teachers.
- Develop Personal Practices: Practical exercises will support participants in developing a regular, sustainable prayer practice.
- Grow in Contemplative Awareness: Participants will cultivate awareness and attentiveness of God’s presence, deepening their daily life of prayer.
- Navigate Challenges in Prayer: The course provides support and insight for those experiencing the difficult “fiery nights” of prayer that lead to a new dawn of transformation.
What Makes This Course Unique?
This course is part of the CACS School of Prayer, renowned for its experiential and supportive approach to spiritual growth. With a focus on the Carmelite tradition, this course in our Deepening Prayer series brings centuries of wisdom into a modern context, where prayer is both personal and communal, relational and transformational. The course balances guided teaching with group sharing, allowing participants to learn, reflect, and grow together.
Through small group discussions and spiritual conversations, each participant is supported in their unique prayer journey, enriched by the insights and experiences of others.
Why Take This Course?
In a fast-paced world, Deepening Prayer Series offer a space to pause, reflect, and rediscover what it means to live a life rooted in God’s presence. This course is an invitation to anyone who yearns for a deeper spiritual life, providing the tools, insights, and support needed to transform prayer from a routine practice into a life-giving and grace-filled experience of God’s presence and love.
Whether you are new to prayer or have been praying for years, this course will offer fresh perspectives and deepen your understanding, nurturing a lasting friendship with God.
Course Requirements
The Foundations of Prayer is open to all who wish to deepen their experience and knowledge of prayer and to explore the journey of prayer with others.
Requirements for the course are:
- Commitment to one’s prayer life
- Heartfelt desire to draw from the rich tradition of Carmelite spirituality in deepening one’s prayer experience
- Attendance (we understand that life does sometimes get in the way)
Key Features
The following are the key features of our unique programme.
- Online: All sessions are delivered online making access to it from anywhere in the world possible.
- On demand: As all learning resources and videos of recorded sessions are available online, this makes it possible for people with various jobs and other commitments to have access to the programme anytime and from anywhere without needing to give up these other commitments.
- Focused in Structure and Approach: The course modules taught over a ten-month period by seasoned experts explore in depth the essential aspect in the topic of prayer and spiritual formation. They are delivered with sustained momentum which facilitates continuous learning while allowing dedicated time for exploring and experiencing the key features in the contemplative practice of prayer.
- Contemplative in Focus: The programme is intent on introducing participants to, and immersing them in, formats of learning and the practice of prayer that will encourage them to grow in intimacy with God and in their own capacity for contemplative awareness, which is a way of being, living, seeing, listening and perceiving reality in an integrated and holistic fashion.
- Authentically Catholic: Our Programme is based on an understanding of prayer in the Catholic Tradition rooted in Sacred Scripture.
- Ecumenical in Outreach: Christians of all faith traditions are welcome on the Programme and our selection process deliberately encourages this diversity. Our Programme recognises that the Spirit is at work in all Christian traditions and so offers a a forum where the mutual enrichment of Christians from diverse faith traditions, ministerial experiences, as well as educational and cultural backgrounds, can be made possible.
- Carmelite Tradition as Foundation: Our Programme is founded on a tradition with an 800-year history from which has emerged a host of great saints and writers who have enriched the Church and guided countless pilgrims along the road of prayer. Saint Teresa of Avila is officially known in the Church as the Doctor of Prayer in recognition of her eminent teaching on prayer and the spiritual life. Her work and those of other saints in the Carmelite tradition such as John of the Cross, Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, Thérèse of Lisieux, Elizabeth of the Trinity and Edith Stein illuminate so compellingly the disciplines appropriate to the life of prayer: solitude, silence, community, contemplation, presence, listening and discernment.
- Led by Seasoned Practitioners: All who contribute to our programme – speakers, mentors and facilitators – are experts in their fields with many years of experience in striving to lead a dedicated prayer life. Each member of the team has completed the required formation in the Carmelite contemplative tradition and is faithful to living a contemplative lifestyle (a mindful attunement to the Divine Presence and integration of prayer practices into their daily lives).
- Accompanier-Guided: Throughout the Programme, personal and interpersonal care remain in view. The accompanier’s role is to support and assist course participants, both one-on-one and in a small group. Accompaniers help to facilitate participants’ engagement with the learning process, integration of the insights from shared guidance and discernment of the journey towards ownership of the gift of prayer.
- Experiential and Practical Learning: Each course module facilitates experiential and practical learning by providing opportunities for growth and integration gained from personal reflection and communal activities.
- Individually Guided Prayer: Online prayer guidance will be offered as an essential part of the School of Prayer, and the Week of Online Individually Guided Prayer will be an integral part of the course.
Course Dates and Topics
Deepening Prayer: The Foundations
(7pm UK time)
Session 1: Saturday, August 16th
Prayer: An Invitation to Friendship – This topic will help you discover prayer as a personal and relational journey, nurturing a friendship with God.
Session 2: Saturday, August 30th
A Learning Hidden Deep in the Heart: The Third Spiritual Alphabet – Delve into the wisdom of Christian mystics and ancient texts that reveal hidden depths of prayer.
Session 3: Saturday, September 13th
The Four Waters of Prayer – Explore the stages of prayer development, often described as a journey through “four waters” or levels of intimacy with God.
Session 4: Saturday, September 27th
Prayer and the Fiery Nights – Learn about the “dark nights” or challenges in prayer, understanding them as transformative moments.
Session 5: Saturday, October 11th
Praying in the Company of Mary – Reflect on Mary’s role as a model and companion in our prayer journey.
Session 6: Saturday, October 25th
Contemplative Awareness: Living in the Divine Presence – Learn about cultivating and nurturing a state of attentiveness and awareness that attunes your spirit to God’s presence in daily life.
Session 7: Saturday, November 1st
Drawing from the Wellsprings of Prayer – Learn how to engage with Scripture and the Living Tradition as sources of inspiration and guidance for prayer.
Session 8: Saturday, November 15th
Praying the Psalms – Engage with the Psalms as a treasury of human experience and the deepest desire for healing and wholeness expressed in prayer.
Session 9: Saturday, November 29th
The Breath of the Spirit: The Power of Liturgical Prayer – (Re)Discover the role of liturgical prayer and its capacity to bring us into the communal heart of the Church animated by the Spirit.
Session 10: Saturday, December 6th
The Seasons of Prayer – This topic will help you to appreciate the natural rhythms in our prayer lives, from times of dryness to spiritual renewal.
Schedule (7.00pm UK Time)
6:45pm – Zoom opens
7:00pm – 7:30pm Session One
7:30pm – 7:35pm Comfort break
7:35pm – 8:15pm Session Two
8:15pm – 8:25pm Guided silent prayer
8:25pm – 8:50pm Breakout session
8:50pm – 9:00pm Plenary: Questions, Comments and Reflections, followed by a closing prayer
Registration and Next Steps
Please select a payment option below.
Any questions, please email soprayer@carmelite.org.uk
(For alternative payment options, please call us on 07849 596572 or email: soprayer@carmelite.org.uk)