5-Week Course
Overview
This course compares growth in our spiritual life to an interior journey. Guided by a book from Dolores Leckey, we investigate how we might stay on the inner road while embracing life in the 21st Century.
Join us as we discuss aspects of inner exploration: change as a dynamic of our lives; the quest for balance and solitude in a noisy demanding world; and the power of gratitude in motivating our spiritual growth. In select video segments presented by Colleen Griffith, we examine compassion, solitude, and silence in the life of Thomas Merton; handling multiple commitments as interpreted through the life of St. Elizabeth Seton; and the Spirit working in our lives through the example of St. Jane de Chantal. Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J. provides a reflection on receiving the other.
Topics
- Week 1: Introduction
- Week 2: Change and Contemplation
- Week 3: Simplicity of Life and Balance
- Week 4: Solitude and Friendship
- Week 5: Gratitude and the Work of the Spirit
Special Features
- Videos with Dr. Colleen M. Griffith and Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J.;
- Text transcripts of each featured audio or video presentation;
- Digital text available in the course: Dolores Leckey. Interior Journey: A Spirituality for Contemporary Seekers. The Adult Faith Formation Library. Twenty-Third Publications, 2015. ISBN: 978-1-62785-128-2
- Weekly introduction and study guide;
- Resource page to use for further study;
All STM Online: Crossroads courses include these features
- Participants have access 24 hours/7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site.
- Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
- The course site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course has ended.
- An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
- Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
- A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.
Time Commitment
A participant can expect to spend an average of approximately 3-4 hours each week. This commitment includes both the assigned reading and interaction online.
Certificate Requirement Categories
- Spirituality and Prayer
- Themes from Our Christian Tradition
Content Scholars
- Dolores Leckey, (text) senior fellow emerita at the Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University, and former executive director of the Secretariat for Family, Laity, Women, and Youth at the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.
- Dr. Colleen M. Griffith, (video) professor of the practice of theology and faculty director of spirituality studies, Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.
- Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J. (video) is Founder of Homeboy Industries, Los Angeles, CA and author of Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship, and The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness
