Franciscan Spirituality

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks
Beginning with the lives of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare of Assisi, this course explores the foundational elements of Franciscan spirituality including the centrality of Christ.

ENROLL NOW

This course provides a basic overview of Franciscan spirituality. Beginning with the lives of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare of Assisi, this course explores the foundational elements of Franciscan spirituality including the centrality of Christ, poverty, creation, contemplation, prayer, and the universal call to holiness. To complement the informative text and videos, prayers of St. Francis and St. Clare are also provided.

This course has a required text:  William J. Short O.F.M.  Poverty and Joy: The Franciscan Tradition. Orbis Books: Maryknoll, NY, 1999.

Topics

• Week 1: Introduction
• Week 2: St. Francis and St. Clare
• Week 3: Centered on Christ
• Week 4: Poverty and Humility 
• Week 5: Creation and Contemplation 
• Week 6: Prayer and the Universal Call to Holiness

Additional Materials Needed:

William J. Short O.F.M. Poverty and Joy: The Franciscan Tradition. Orbis Books: Maryknoll, NY, 1999.

Content Scholars: 

William J. Short O.F.M., S.T.L., S.T.D., is professor of Spirituality at the Franciscan School of Theology at the University of San Diego;

Fr. Erik Lenhart, OFM Cap. leads retreats and service experiences with Capuchin Youth and Family Ministries in the Hudson Valley, New York;

Fr. William Tarraza, OFM Cap. is the Director of Post Novitiate and Priestly Formation for the Province of St. Mary of the Capuchin Order;

Catherine M. Mooney, Ph.D. is associate professor of Church History at CSTM;

Richard Rohr, O.F.M. is an author, teacher and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation;

Kenneth Himes, O.F.M., Ph.D. is a retired theology professor at Boston College;

Ilia Delio, O.S.F., Ph.D. holds the Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair in Theology at Villanova University.

Job: Make it Make Sense

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks
Job’s pleas to God have resonated with the universal human experience of suffering for centuries. This philosophically complex and poetically beautiful book refuses to insult us with easy answers to life’s hardest questions. In this course we will explore a range of interpretive approaches in order to unlock some of Job’s secrets. 

ENROLL NOW

Can we use this text to help us make sense of tragedy in our world and foster our connection to an inscrutable God? As a venue for wrestling with the deep issues of life and faith, can we come away from the Book of Job and create something new?

Topics

• Week 1: Expression of Suffering
• Week 2: Reading More Deeply 
• Week 3: Reading Job in the Real World
• Week 4: Job’s Message About God
• Week 5: Making Sense through Creation

Content Scholars: 

• Andrew R. Davis (text), associate professor of Old Testament; 
• Angela Kim Harkins (video), associate professor of New Testament; 
• and Franklin T. Harkins (video), professor of historical theology; Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
  

Lent 2026: Reflecting Together

Fee: $60 | Six Weeks
In this course, participants reflect together on the Sunday reading during the first five weeks of Lent with voices from different scholars providing insight on how we can grow in this time.

ENROLL NOW

Take an opportunity to read and reflect on the Sunday readings during the first five weeks of Lent.  You will be provided with links to reflections on the Lectionary readings (Sunday Cycle: Year A), by a selection of commentators.  Each week there will be a discussion forum so that course participants can share and discuss their insights about the Sunday readings.

Special Features

This course includes:

• References to the current year's lectionary readings
• Current content immediately relevant for this Lenten season
• Weekly questions to begin the discussion

Additional Materials Needed:

This course has a required text: Mark A. Villano, CSP, Not by Bread Alone: Daily Reflections for Lent 2026  (Liturgical Press, 2025).

Content Scholars: Contributors to Catholic Women Preach and Mark A. Villano, CSP