The Scripture and Spirituality Summer School is a one-week programme hosted by the Centre for Applied Carmelite Spirituality. Guided by Dr. Susan Muto, a world-renowned expert in Teresian spirituality, and the Carmelite friars of Oxford. The summer school offers opportunities for biblical and spiritual formation to suit all Christians – laity, religious, clergy and the inquisitive.
2026 marks a double jubilee in the life of the Church and the Discalced Carmelite Order: the 300th anniversary of the canonisation of Saint John of the Cross and the 100th anniversary of his proclamation as Doctor of the Church.
To celebrate this milestone, the Centre for Applied Carmelite Spirituality (CACS) is hosting its annual Summer School to explore how the timeless wisdom of John’s Sayings of Light and Love can inspire and transform our lives today.
This week-long residential programme offers:
• Deep spiritual formation rooted in the Carmelite contemplative tradition
• Meaningful encounters with God through silence, prayer, and reflection
• Rich community life shared with the Carmelite friars in the beauty of Boars Hill
• Cultural and spiritual exploration of the historic university city of Oxford
You can join us online for the teaching and prayer components of the programme.
Whether you are new to Carmelite spirituality or long acquainted with it, this Summer School offers a sacred space to “taste and see” the transforming love of God.
Taste and See: The Wisdom Sayings of Saint John of the Cross
The Sayings of Light and Love are short, luminous reflections — spiritual gems distilled from John’s profound experience of God. Over five days, participants will be gently guided through these 175 sayings, discovering in them a living path toward inner freedom, peace, and divine intimacy.
Each session will weave together:
• Insightful teaching
• Personal reflection and silence
• Shared prayer and conversation
The journey moves from seeking God with a single heart to resting in His love, and finally to living in joyful surrender and compassionate service.
Programme Highlights:
The learning …
Guided by Faith, Living in Love
Reflect on how the virtues of discretion, faith, and love underlie the spiritual journey.
Seeking and Finding God
Learn from John how to seek God with single-hearted love and totally rely on Him
Resting in God
Be attentive to God’s loving promptings and attain freedom of heart through detachment
Living in Silence and Service
Discover how silence nurtures communion with God and solitude our solidarity with others
Degrees of Christlike Perfection
Conclude with reflection on John’s vision of the soul’s journey to God — a path of growing simplicity, surrender, and divine love.
The opportunities …
Spiritual Formation
Participate in daily prayer sessions with the Carmelite friars, and contemplate on Sacred Scripture, and the wisdom of St. John of the Cross.
Pilgrimage Opportunities
Visit Littlemore, the home of St. John Henry Newman.
Cultural Exploration
Explore Oxford’s historic sites, world-class museums, and stunning university colleges during free times.
Celebrate with the Carmelite Community
Celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel with the Carmelite friars.
What you will experience
- Daily talks and reflections with Carmelite scholars and experienced guides
- Shared liturgical prayer with the Carmelite friars (Morning Prayer, Eucharist, Evening Prayer)
- Opportunities for silence, contemplation, and personal reflection
- The beauty of Carmelite life in the tranquil surroundings of Boars Hill
- Time to explore Oxford’s historic colleges, chapels, and cultural treasures
Participants often describe this week as a time of deep peace, renewal, and joy — a space where the heart is rekindled in the love of God.
Venue
Online / Carmelite Priory, Boars Hill, Oxford OX1 5HB
This summer school can be enjoyed either online or in person. You can join us online for the teaching and prayer components of the programme.
For in person participants, the Carmelite Priory is a peaceful space for prayer overlooking the dreaming spires of Oxford. You’ll enjoy comfortable accommodation, freshly prepared meals, and quiet gardens ideal for contemplation.
Join Us for a Life-Changing Experience
PROGRAMME DETAILS
“To come to the knowledge you have not, you must go by a way in which you know not.”
— Saint John of the Cross
Sunday July 12 – Sunday Evening – Arrival
5 :00pm Registration Opens
5:30pm Session 1 – Prologue: Guided by Faith, Living in Love. We begin the summer school with an introduction to the Sayings of Light and Love and the virtues of discretion, faith, and love that underlie the spiritual journey.
6:30pm Supper
8:00pm Night Praise
July 13 – Monday – Day 1
7:00am Morning Praise with Mass and Meditation
8:00am Breakfast
9:00am Session 2 – Session begins with Contemplative Scripture followed by John’s teaching on Singleness of Heart, how to allow God to ‘find’ us we must ‘seek’ God with single-hearted love.
9:45am Break
10:00am Session 3 – Communing Inwardly with God. With Saint John we meditate on the central importance of the virtue of humility and the power of submission of heart for true freedom and transformation of heart.
11:00am Excursion: TBC
5:30pm Session 4 – Total Reliance on God. As each day brings its trials, sometimes big crosses, sometimes little ones, John teaches us that each moment and every experience present an opportunity to trusting God which bears fruit in deeper intimacy with our Beloved.
6:15pm Break
6:30pm Supper
7:30pm Night Praise
July 14 – Tuesday – Day 2 – Resting in God
7:00am Morning Praise and Silent Prayer
8:00am Breakfast
9:00am Session 5 – Session begins with Contemplative Scripture followed by John’s teaching on Keeping Spiritually Tranquil. This is the necessary disposition for the divine gift of contemplation and follows on John’s advice that entering deeper communion with God requires casting off concerns and remaining lovingly attentive to God.
9:45am Break
10:00am Session 6 – Freedom through Detachment. John used the metaphor of a bird tied by a string or chain to represent a soul attached to worldly things, stating that it cannot reach spiritual freedom or divine union until the attachment is broken, regardless of its strength. To reach our full spiritual potential detachment frees us to soar like birds and achieve liberating union with the Crucified and Risen Christ.
11:00am Excursion: TBC
5:30pm Session 7 – Hungering for God. With John’s help, we will identify the sources of nourishment for what satisfies our deepest hunger for an abundant life and identify what hinders it.
6:15pm Break
6:30pm Supper
7:30pm Contemplative Eucharist
July 15 – Wednesday – Day 3 – Living in Silence and Service
7:00am Morning Praise with Mass and Meditation
8:00am Breakfast
9 :00am Session 8 – The Solitary Bird. The Session begins with Contemplative Scripture followed by reflections on John’s teaching on silence, solitude, and continual communion with God. We will discover the secret of inner transformation and the joy of being alone with the Beloved.
9:45am Break
10:00am Session 9 – Surrender and Compassion. John guides us to realise that in silence and solitude with the Trinity we learn service and solidarity with others in humility. Yeilding to the compassionate love of God frees us to reach out in mercy to others.
11:00am Free outing day in Oxford
July 16 – Thursday – Day 4 – Christ the Way, the Beginning and the End
7:00am Morning Praise and Silent Prayer
8:00am Breakfast
9:00am Session 10 – Session begins with Contemplative Scripture followed by a reflection on The Way of Perfection — How imitating Christ and keeping purity of heart is the sure path towards conformation to the person of Christ, our true model of the image of God (Col 1:15).
9:45am Break
10:00am Session 11 – Epilogue: Reviewing the Degrees of Christlike Perfection. A reflective plenary drawing together John’s vision of the soul’s journey to God — a path of growing simplicity, surrender, and divine love.
10:45am Break
11:00am Mass of the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
12:30pm Barbecue Lunch and Departures after lunch
Come and Be Renewed
Join us for this prayerful week and allow the wisdom of Saint John of the Cross to awaken your heart to light, love, and freedom in God.
Join Us and Reserve Your Place Today
Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of a transformative experience.
Spaces are limited, so secure your place today.
📅 Dates: July 12-16, 2026
📍 Location: Online / Carmelite Priory, Boars Hill, Oxford OX1 5HB, UK
Attending the Conference – click to register …
(An option for a payment schedule is available)
•11 study sessions with access to the recorded videos afterwards
• scripture reflection sessions
• spiritual accompaniment
• guided meditations and liturgies
• refreshments
• Q&A with Carmelite scholars
• explore Oxford’s historic sites, world-class museums, and stunning university colleges during free time.
• celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel with the Carmelite friars
• 11 study sessions with access to the recorded videos afterwards
• scripture reflection sessions
• spiritual accompaniment
• guided meditations and liturgies
• accommodation at the priory
• 11 meals
• refreshments
• Q&A with Carmelite scholars
• explore Oxford’s historic sites, world-class museums, and stunning university colleges during free time.
• celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel with the Carmelite friars
• 11 study sessions with access to the recorded videos afterwards
• scripture reflection sessions
• Q&A with Carmelite scholars
• celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel with the Carmelite friars via livestream on YouTube
The teaching sessions will be recorded. All in-person and online attendees will receive free access to the video recordings in the weeks following the event.
