The Journey of Prayer
About the Course
This course invites participants to embark on a profound exploration of prayer as a journey of the heart and soul toward union with God. Rooted in the wisdom of Carmelite spiritual masters and mystics, this course provides practical guidance and spiritual insight for anyone seeking to deepen their relationship with God and navigate the challenges of the spiritual path.
Course Overview
As part of the Deepening Prayer Series this course is designed to uncover the rich, transformative process of prayer, examining what one encounters along the path, the signs of growth and regression, its joys and consolations, trials and challenges, and the ultimate goal of union with God. Each session explores key metaphors and themes drawn from the writings of the great mystics and spiritual teachers, introducing participants to spiritual practices and indispensable dispositions for deepening their interior life.
Course Aims and Learning Outcomes
Aims: This course aims to guide participants through the dynamic stages of prayer as described by the spiritual masters, enabling them to deepen their prayer life and interior journey toward God. Participants will grow in understanding the joys and challenges of this journey, equipping themselves to embrace the transformative work of grace.
Learning Outcomes:
- Recognize Prayer as a Journey: Understand prayer as a process of growth, transformation, and union with God.
- Embrace Love as the Core of Prayer: Discover how prayer invites and fosters a profound relationship of love with God.
- Navigate Challenges with Confidence: Learn how to identify and face the purifying and humbling phases of prayer with trust and courage.
- Integrate Wisdom of Mystics: Acquire a language to describe your spiritual experience while applying the wisdom of the spiritual masters to your own prayer journey and lived experience.
- Guided Retreat: Participate in days of guided retreat designed to enhance your prayer experience and foster a deeper sense of God’s presence.
- Personal Reflection and Sharing: Reflect on your personal prayer journey through journaling and group sharing sessions, enriching your experience through community insights and support.
- Expert Guidance: Benefit from the wisdom and expertise of experienced Carmelite instructors and spiritual directors who will guide you through the subtleties of advanced prayer practices.
What Makes The Course Unique?
This course offers a holistic and experiential approach to prayer, applying the ancient wisdom of Carmelite spirituality to the lived experience of modern seekers. It introduces participants to the language and metaphors used by the great spiritual masters and mystics – Saints Teresa of Jesus and John of the Cross – to describe the dynamic experiences of prayer, making their teachings accessible and relevant today. Participants will journey in a community of like-minded individuals, fostering mutual support and shared growth.
Who Should Why Take This Course?
In a world filled with distractions and spiritual challenges, The Journey of Prayer offers a roadmap for growing closer to God through the transformative power of prayer. This course is especially relevant for anyone:
- Seeking to deepen their understanding and practice of prayer.
- Facing challenges or dryness in their spiritual life and longing for renewal.
- Interested in learning from the wisdom of Christian mystics and spiritual teachers.
- Desiring to integrate their prayer life into their daily living and relationships.
- Wishing to support others on the spiritual journey.
Course Requirements
The School 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 – 2026
The Journey of Prayer
(7pm UK time)
Session 1: Thursday, January 15th 2026
Prayer: An Invitation to Love – This topic will explore the experience of prayer as a response to God’s invitation into an intimate and life-giving relationship of love.
Session 2: Thursday, January 29th 2026
Prayer: A Yielding to Love – Learn the art of surrender in prayer, allowing God’s will to shape and guide your life.
Session 3: Thursday, February 12th 2026
Prayer: A Reconciliation in Love – Discover prayer as a space for healing and reconciling with God, oneself, and others.
Session 4: Thursday, February 26th 2026
Prayer: A Safeguarding in Love – Reflect on the protective power of prayer in nurturing and sustaining the interior life.
Session 5: Thursday, March 12th 2026
Prayer: The Experience of Purifying Formation – Reflect on the protective power of prayer in nurturing and sustaining the interior life.
Session 6: Thursday, March 26th 2026
Prayer and the Journey in Truth (Humility) – Explore the essential virtue of humility and its role in cultivating authenticity and openness in prayer.
Session 7: Thursday, April 9th 2026
Prayer: The Experience of Illuminating Reformation – Encounter the illuminating phase of prayer, where God’s light reveals deeper truths about oneself and the divine.
Session 8: Thursday, April 23rd 2026
Prayer and the Virgin Eye (Detachment) – Understand detachment as a spiritual discipline that frees the soul to focus entirely on God.
Session 9: Thursday, May 7th 2026
Prayer: The Experience of Unifying Transformation – Enter into the unifying experience of prayer, where the soul is drawn into communion with God.
Session 10: Thursday, May 21st 2026
Prayer and Self-Gift (Charity) – Learn how prayer leads to self-gift and service, inspired by God’s love and charity.
Schedule
Thursdays 7:00-9:00pm (UK time)
6:45pm – zoom opens
7:00pm – session begins
Registration and Next Steps
To register, please choose a payment option below.
Any questions, please email admin@carmelite.org.uk
(For alternative payment options,
please call us on 07849 596572 or email: admin@carmelite.org.uk)