2010 Christian Spirituality courses at Sarum College
New intake created: MA in Christian Spirituality
Validated by the University of Winchester
A unique ecumenical MA programme offering an interdisciplinary exploration of Christian Spirituality. The programme comprises two Core Modules; four Optional Modules (from a diverse range of ten) and a dissertation.
Taught modules are delivered as intensives at Sarum College (4pm Monday to 5.15pm Thursday) making the programme accessible to those living outside Salisbury and overseas.
Modules can be taken individually by non-MA students when places are available.
Contact Anne Jensen, the academic administrator at or 01722 424827 for more information.
Applications are being accepted for either the January or October 2010 intake.
Core Module 2
25 to 28 January The Contemporary Study of Christian Spirituality
(Students starting in January take Core Module 1 in October 2010)
The MA programme leader is Susan Stephenson.
Optional Modules
Descriptions of all Optional Modules are available on our website: www.sarum.ac.uk/christian-spirituality/ma-modules/
22 to 25 March Pastoral Ministry and Christian Spiritual Direction
(This module is not a training course either in spiritual direction or in counselling)
An exploration of the nature of Christian ministry, broadly defined. This module addresses some central issues in pastoral ministry such as faith development, aging, and death and dying and students are introduced to a variety of forms of spiritual guidance in the Christian tradition.
26 to 29 April Medieval Spirituality
An examination of the politics and cultural movements that affected the development of Christian spirituality during the medieval period. The module considers the role of medieval women and assesses the impact of the Crusades on the development of relationships with Islam.
24 to 27 May Contemporary Spirituality
An analysis of recent developments in contemporary spirituality, particularly in the light of various writing on the ‘spirituality revolution’ across a range of disciplines. Authors and texts will be studied from both Christian and non-Christian traditions in order to gain a broader perspective on the spiritual quest in the contemporary context.
21 to 24 June Green Faith
An exploration of Christian spirituality in the context of the current environmental crisis. This module offers a critique of mainstream Christianity but also seeks to recover positive resources for today from within the Christian tradition. The module includes a visit to two Christian communities seeking to live out the connections between spirituality and sustainability.
Non-MA prices for modules are:
N £210 S £320 E £365 P £410
Literature, Art and the Christian Imagination
This new course explores the dynamic relation between Christian spirituality and aesthetic experience through a consideration of particular works of art and literature. Fridays from 10 am to 4.30 pm.
8 January George Herbert and John Donne
5 February Landscape and Imagination
19 March After John: The Fourth Gospel in Art and Literature
23 April Spirituality and the Natural World: Mary Oliver and Georgia O’Keefe
21 May Art, Spirituality and Religion
25 June Finding Transcendence in Unlikely Texts: Hardy, McEwan and Winterson
For further details visit: www.sarum.ac.uk/literature-art-and-the-christian-imagination/
£270 including lunch and refreshments
‘Let Loose’: Creativity and Impairment
Friday 12 to Sunday 14 March 2010
The course will begin with lunch at 1pm on Friday and end with lunch on Sunday.
Following two successful conferences on Spirituality and Impairment we are now offering a weekend of creative discovery for people with impairment and their carers. What can we learn about ourselves and our spirituality through simple creative activities with good help and support? People will be encouraged to take part in whatever way is appropriate for them. Together we will try to ‘let loose’ our creativity and focus on the gifts we have to offer. The weekend will be gently paced, including plenty of space for rest, reflection and preparation. We hope to be inspired, inspiring, and to have fun!
Please note that materials will be provided.
N £85 S £130 E £220
For the application form, special arrangements or bursary applications, please contact Alison Ogden on: 01722 424826 or
Continuing the Journey
Following on from The Heart of the Divine, this course offers further exploration of the riches of the Christian spiritual tradition. The course comprises four days of reflection on the lives and writings of key spiritual figures who can help us negotiate the terrain of the contemporary spiritual landscape.
Thursdays, 10am to 4pm
22 April The Search for Solitude
13 May East Speaks to West
10 June Freedom and Discernment: De Mello and Ignatius
8 July Voices in Dark Times
£180 including lunch and refreshments
Childhood and Spirituality
9 to11 June
This conference will introduce participants to ideas about spirituality in childhood and how this might be developed. It will look particularly at the role and importance of play in this and different approaches will be outlined and explored but particularly that of Godly Play. An underlying theme will be how childhood is not so much something we grow out of but a stage that we grow and journey from to become fully spiritual human beings. What does this imply for how we view childhood and what we mean by the ‘spiritual’?
N £135 S £190 E £229 P £259
The Heart of the Divine
Rediscovering Christian Spirituality Today
One of the most exciting, and some would say surprising, developments of recent years has been the re-emergence of spirituality as a major force in social and personal understanding of the world.
This course explores the riches of the Christian spiritual tradition and its relevance for today during six once-monthly sessions. Each day will include input from experienced speakers, followed by opportunities for personal reflection, group reflection and practical exercises.
Throughout there will be a blend of academic and experiential learning. We hope it will appeal as much to the heart as the mind - an invitation into The Heart of the Divine.
Sessions are held on Thursdays from 10 am to 4.30 pm:
2010 sessions
21 October The Desert and The Call
18 November Guides for the Journey
16 December The Dance of Creation
2010 sessions
13 January In the Service of Love
17 February Rebirth and Dark Night
24 March Journey’s End?
£270 including lunch and refreshments
Spiritual Direction Training
Autumn 2010, in partnership with the Diocese of Salisbury
Course leaders: Ian Cowley and Mairead Quigley
Contact Anne Jensen ( or 01722 424827) to register interest.
Days of Reflection
Gentle days of prayer, stillness and quiet reflection.
With the help of these masters of the Spiritual Life we will spend each day in meditation, prayer, reflection and silence to help us deepen our life hidden with Christ in God.
19 February Charles de Foucauld
23 April Thomas Merton
Price: £40 per day including lunch and refreshments
Retreats
The Sarum College Ecumenical Retreat Team runs twice-yearly retreats
at Ivy House, Warminster, and at the Southgate Retreat Centre in
Buckfast Abbey, Devon. Our personal guides will meet you just
where you are on your pilgrim journey.
The Southgate Retreat Centre is situated within the monastery
grounds of the Buckfast Abbey. As part of a living and working
Benedictine monastery, the centre provides an ideal and secluded
environment for an individually accompanied retreat. Participants
are welcome to share in the Abbey’s daily routine of prayer.
Ivy House is the 18th century retreat centre of the Community
of St Denys. It offers a warm welcome and generous hospitality
with excellent food, much of which is grown by the community
or sourced from farmers locally.
Ivy House Retreat
7 to 12 June
Five-night individually guided retreat.
Price £359
Places are limited. Contact Alison Ogden at 01722 424826 or
Individually guided retreat at Buckfast Abbey
27 September to 2 October