Opening to God’s Love:
A Course in Contemplative Prayer
Deepen Your Spiritual Journey with Contemplative Prayer
Experience the transformative nature of Christian contemplative prayer and enhance your spiritual practice through guided weekend classes and small group sessions.
Deepen your spiritual journey with contemplative prayer
“Jesus said to them, Come away with me. Let us go alone to a quiet place and rest for a while.” (Mark 6:31)
“Opening to God’s Love: A Course in Contemplative Prayer” invites you to deepen your relationship with God through an exploration of the tradition of Christian contemplative prayer. Through weekend classes and guided small group sessions, you will discover the 3rd-century roots of Christian contemplation and practice four core forms of contemplative prayer: Lectio Divina, Centering Prayer, the Examen, and Ignatian Imaginative Prayer. Additionally, you will learn several shorter prayer forms to deepen and further enrich your spiritual practice.
Learning and Teaching Approaches
- Short teaching sessions
- Short videos
- Small group discussion
- Guided practice
- Personal reflections: journaling or creative options
- Assigned reading
Between weekend sessions, participants will meet twice in their assigned small groups (times to be determined by the groups).
Small groups will provide an opportunity for participants to practice prayer, share with each other and have conversation.
Pre-Reading
Answering the Contemplative Call by Carl McColman.
Weekend One
- Introduction to the course
- Introduction to Christian contemplative prayer
- Ignatian Spirituality
- The prayer of Examen
- Imaginative Prayer
Weekend Two
- Benedictine Spirituality
- Lectio Divina
- Audio Divina
- Visio Divina
Weekend Three
- Desert Spirituality
- Silence and Centering Prayer
- Discussion of final project
- Communion, reflection, and thanksgiving
Small Groups
Participants will be placed in small groups, which will meet a total of five times over the duration of the course.
Small Group Format
- Practice the prayer form from the previous weekend together.
- Reflect on the prayer practice and guiding questions provided by course facilitators
Assignments
- Pre-read Answering the Contemplative Call by Carl McColman
- Read one additional book from the course bibliography and write a two-page interaction with the ideas offered in the reading.
OR
Listen to a podcast series from the course’s curated collection and write a two-page interaction with the ideas offered in the podcast. - Plan and participate in a 6-12 hour personal silent retreat followed by a debrief during one of the small group sessions.
- Final integration project
Location
Zoom Online (synchronous, not recorded)
Dates
Registration deadline: January 6, 2025
Weekend #1
Friday, January 17th:
6:30-9:00 pm
Saturday, January 18th:
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Small Group #1/2:
Date/Time determined by each small group
Weekend #2
Friday, February 28th:
6:30-9:00 pm
Saturday, March 1:
9:00 am -4:00 pm
Small Group #3/4:
Date/Time to be determined by each small group
Weekend #3
Friday, April 11:
6:30 – 9:00 pm
Saturday, April 12:
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sunday, April 13:
9:00 am – noon.
Small Group #5:
Date/Time to be determined by each small group
Cost
Application fee: $25
Course fee: $350
Fee Payment, Refund and Cancellation Policy
Jen
Thompson
Jen lives in the beautiful Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. She is married to Richard and is mom to two grown sons. Jen is a registered nurse, having worked for 40 years in the field of critical care. Jen was attracted to the goodness of learning to live contemplatively in the midst of the noise and urgency of life in the ER. Contemplative prayer and practices have been valuable touchstones of God’s presence in the midst of these daily challenges. Jen has completed SoulStream’s Living from the Heart and Art of Spiritual Direction, and she became a partner in 2018.
Laurie
McGillivray
Laurie lives in Delta, BC. She became a SoulStream partner in 2009 after completing Living from the Heart and The Art of Spiritual Direction. She is a registered clinical counselor, educator, and spiritual director.
Laurie has long been drawn to the spiritual journey, and deeply values taking time to savor and tune in to the still small voice and invitations of God through the practice of contemplative prayer.
Sue
McKerracher
Sue lives in beautiful Victoria, BC, where she worked as a high school outdoor education and world religions teacher for 30 years. In 2016, Sue was introduced to contemplative living and to the community of SoulStream; they were both a beautiful answer to her growing longing for a deeper, more holistic, and inclusive spirituality. She has completed both Living from the Heart and Art of Spiritual Direction and became a SoulStream partner in 2020. Sue currently works as a spiritual director.
Be Transformed through the Practice of Contemplative Prayer
Engaging in this course will help you:
What Will You Gain by Joining?
Engaging in this course will help you:
Join Opening to God’s Love: A Course in Contemplative Prayer
Registration Form
We are delighted that you are considering joining this Course.
Please complete the following application to secure your spot. Kindly note that the application fee of $25 is in addition to the tuition. Thank you for choosing to embark on this journey with us.