The Online Book Club: "Prayer: Our Deepest Longing"

Fee: $50
Five Weeks

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

At times we all experience obstacles in our spiritual lives. Join us to discuss difficulties in prayer, and methods for transforming them into a richer experience of God.

About the Book 
(required text for this course)

In Prayer: Our Deepest Longing by Ronald Rolheiser, O.M.I. (Franciscan Media, 2014), Fr. Rolheiser addresses those who desire to deepen their prayer in spite of a hectic and demanding life.  Rather than provide strategies to overcome obstacles to prayer, Rolheiser probes the depth of those obstacles themselves.

Topics:

Getting Started Week: Introduction to the Course

Week 1:  Struggling in Prayer (Ch. 1)

Week 2:  Hearing God’s Voice in Prayer (Ch. 2)

Week 3:  Priestly and Affective Prayer (Ch. 3 and 4)

Week 4:  Maturity in Prayer (Ch. 5 and 6)

About the Online Book Club

• Are you a person who regularly reads books and articles on spirituality and theology?
• Is the religion and spirituality section of your bookstore a favorite place?
• Do you often wish there was a way that you could share your insights about an author and hear what others think?

If you have answered “yes” to any of these questions, whether you are reading for professional development, a committed spiritual practice, or an ongoing hunger to know more about the spiritual life, the Online Book Club is for you!

The Online Book Club offers a setting to encounter an author’s ideas and participate in conversation with others about a selected text.  In addition to providing an experienced facilitator to guide the conversation, we get you started by offering some direction to engage the author and the text.  Then the conversation unfolds in light of the interests of those in the conversation circle.  

Special Features

This course includes:

• Initial comments to introduce the book
• Weekly questions to begin the discussion
• A regularly updated Resources page for further study on the topics discussed in this course.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/7 days a week to a password-protected web site.
• Each participant belongs to a small Community of Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• The course site is generally open to participants for a year after the course is complete.
• 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.

Additional Materials Needed:

Ronald Rolheiser. Prayer: Our Deepest Longing  (Franciscan Media, 2014) 

Time Commitment:

A participant can expect to spend 3 – 4 hours each week.  This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Content Scholar: Rev. Ronald Rolheiser, O.M.I., prolific author and president of the Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio, Texas.