Courses
Courses Archive
Below are the courses we offered in the Spring of 2025. These courses were offered free of charge to church and nonprofit leaders. Sign up for our monthly newsletter to be notified of the launch of our next semester.
January 20 - March 10
Exploring the Deeper Dimensions of Prayer:
an 8-week course on The Way of Perfection by St. Teresa of Avila.
Michael Di Fuccia, PhD
with Sara Carrara Di Fuccia, MA
Mondays | 12-1:30PM PST | Zoom
Most of us have experienced the power of petitionary prayer (asking for God’s help) to meet the demands of ministry and our personal lives head on. But, what do we do when it seems like God is no longer responding to our petitions, or when our growing pleas for help seem to fall on deaf ears? Teresa of Avila’s teaching on the “Lord’s Prayer” meets us at this critical spiritual juncture.
In this study, we learn that this felt sense of disconnection from God in prayer is often God’s invitation to grow deeper. In The Way of Perfection, Teresa’s teaching on the passive (receptive or contemplative) dimensions of prayer arrests our petitionary impulse. In the prayer of surrender (“Thy will be done”), we discover rest from our striving to earn God’s approval and a new openness to God’s sustaining grace.
Dr. Michael Di Fuccia, PhD in Theology from the University of Nottingham, Director of the Cultura Fellowship for the Martin Institute at Westmont College, and certified Spiritual Director by the Anglican Diocese, will guide participants through this course using a reading syllabus and weekly chapter summaries. During our meetings, Mike will offer his reflections on the reading, drawing from his study of theology, philosophy, Church tradition, and ancient spiritual practices, followed by questions and group discussion.
March 18 - April 15
Discovering the Authentic or “True Self”:
a 5-week reading and reflection group on Merton’s Palace of Nowhere by James Finley
Ron Dart, PhD
with Sara Carrara Di Fuccia, MA
Tuesdays | 12-1:30PM PST | Zoom
Thomas Merton described the center of our being as the place from which Adam fell, and where the false self was created to fill the void and to manage the disorder and disintegration within himself. In Merton’s Palace of Nowhere, James Finley says, “The spiritual life for Thomas Merton is a journey in which we discover ourselves in discovering God, and discover God in discovering our true self hidden in God.” He illustrates the importance Merton placed on practicing silence, solitude, prayer, and contemplation on that journey inward to "recover possession of our true selves” and to find “liberation from anxiety and fear and inordinate desires”.
In the meetings of this reading group, Dr. Ron Dart will share his response to the chapters of Merton’s Palace of Nowhere, and will expound on Finley’s work by offering reflections from his own research on Thomas Merton and his experience balancing the contemplative life with active leadership in ministry. Following, Sara Carrara Di Fuccia, Co-Founder of Platform to Table and former pastor, will share her response to the reading, initiating a time of lively group discussion with Ron.
Ron Dart, PhD, is a professor, author of over 40 books, founder of the Anglican lay monastic order Sons of the Holy Cross, and long time shepherd of pastors’ hearts that have been disillusioned or deconstructed in Christian leadership. He has written 5 books and published 35 articles on Thomas Merton, and has served on the National Executive of the Thomas Merton Society of Canada for 25 years.
April 21 - May 30
Walking with Jesus the 40 Days After Easter:
a contemplative writing pilgrimage
Sara Carrara Di Fuccia, MA
Online Self-Paced Course
Acts 1:3 says that Jesus spent 40 days after his death and resurrection visiting the ones he loved. He demonstrated that it was important to him to calm their fears, ease their doubts, reassure them of his unfailing love, and to remind them of their purpose.
On this “Contemplative Writing Pilgrimage”, we will follow Jesus through scripture for 40 days and reflect on how the stories shape the narrative of our own lives. We will combine the spiritual practice of contemplation with narrative writing techniques to deepen our awareness of God’s faithfulness, presence, and unconditional love in the wake of trauma, grief, and loss.
Sara Carrara Di Fuccia will offer 4 written reflections over the 40 days with questions to guide participants through their own personal time of Lectio Divina and contemplative writing.
Sara Carrara Di Fuccia is the President and Executive Director of Platform to Table. She holds an MA in Practical Theology and an MA in Counseling. She serves as a Leadership (Re)Formation Coach, Spiritual Director, Retreat Director, and Pilgrimage guide for Platform to Table.
What Others Have Said…
Henri Nouwen
“I am convinced that priests and ministers, especially those who relate to many anguishing people, need a truly safe place for themselves. They need a place where they can share their deep pain and struggles with people who do not need them, but who can guide them ever deeper into the mystery of God's love.”
-In the Name of Jesus, 68-70.
