Here is the 2020 VCI course schedule. As was true last year, there are electives for each session. Complete course descriptions are below.
VCI Course Descriptions 2020 – Christendom College, Front Royal
Session I begins June 29th (6/29-7/10)
SPIR 630 The Spiritual Life Fr. Brian Mullady, O.P.
This course covers the universal call to holiness, the stages of the spiritual life, the role of Christ and the Church in the spiritual life, the supernatural organism and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, personal vocation, and the four essential means to perfection, namely, the sacraments, the life of prayer, self- denial and asceticism, and charity working through the virtues. It also treats the secondary means to Christian perfection.
CONL 621 History of the Consecrated Life Fr. Thomas Nelson, O.Praem.
An overview of the development of the consecrated life over the centuries showing the Apostolic origins and the growth of consecrated life under the guidance of the Holy Spirit working through founders, saints, and the Magisterium; includes examination of extra-biblical sources with special emphasis on early monastic and Patristic sources.
SPIR 803 Heart Speaks to Heart Fr. Alphonsus Hermes, O.Praem.
We know that “grace builds on nature.” So, if our spiritual life will flourish, our natural life must be made solid. This course will examine the formation of the heart according to human nature. Every consecrated person strives for the “perfection of charity.” The course will clarify what it means to “love your neighbor as yourself.” We will explore the impact of family dynamics on our understanding of “love,” and how our relationships – especially in communities – can help to heal and transform our hearts. You will learn about effective tools for healing the heart and have opportunities to practice using them!
Session II begins July 13th (7/13-7/24)
SPIR 631 Sacraments in the Spiritual Life Fr. William FitzGerald, O.Praem.
This course examines the Sacraments as essential means to Christian perfection, looking at each of the Sacraments of Christian Initiation and how they insert one into the Paschal Mystery of the Lord. Also treated are the Sacrament of Penance as a means of overcoming sin and attachments and growing in virtue, and the various Christian states of life as concrete ways of living the universal call to holiness.
SPIR 802 Philosophy of Man Fr. Anselm Rodriguez, O.Praem.
This course is an introduction to the philosophy of human nature, as found in the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. Our systematic study will begin with a general introduction to Philosophy and end with an introduction to Christian Anthropology, but the bulk of our time will be spent answering the crucial question “What is man?”. We will dive into many important topics: e.g. man as a composite of body and soul; the unity of the human person; how man differs from angels, brute animals, and machines; the rational, sensitive, and vegetative powers of the human soul; a demonstration of the immortality of the human soul; and special emphasis on the passions. This course serves as a remedy for the intellectual formation lacking in many and is beneficial on both the natural and supernatural planes. For if grace builds upon and perfects nature, we can better understand how grace brings about our spiritual perfection if we grasp the underlying human nature. Hence my goal is not just to teach the truth about human nature, but also to communicate how a better philosophical understanding can be fruitful and helpful in our everyday lives as Christians and religious.
CONL 803 The “isms” Today, How They Affect Religious Life and Our Response To Them Fr. Thomas Nelson, O.Praem.
This Course will describe the philosophy behind the various “isms” present in our culture today and how they affect religious life and what is our response to them as religious. We will begin with secularism and how that is contrary the Christian world view of transcendence which religious witness to in a radical way by renouncing the temporal goods of this world. Then we will launch into a study of communism vs capitalism and the Catholic teaching on economic goods and how religious witness to that in their vow of poverty in the midst of consumerism another “ism” we will look at. Then will turn our attention to hedonism and the Catholic teaching on bodily pleasure in the virtues of temperance and chastity. Individualism vs collectivism is the next “ism” and the Catholic balance between individual autonomy and communion as religious live fraternal life in community. Feminism leading to lesbianism will be looked at and the Catholic teaching on sexual identity and the importance of human formation in sexual identity in religious life. Relativism, today’s greatest enemy according to Pope Benedict, will be treated and its threat upon religious life who must be a counter witness to it. Lastly, we will look at how the Mass Media has affected religious life and what virtues we need to use it properly.
For more information, please visit: https://graduate.christendom.edu/academics/summer-program/
2020 Pricing due out shortly…..
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The IRL welcomes our newest Affiliate Community—the Congregation of Norbertine Sisters in Wilmington, California. They are the newest branch on the Norbertine Order which lives according to the age-old inspiration of St. Norbert (1080-1134) and the Rule of St. Augustine.
In 2006, Rev. Thomas Nelson, O.Praem., from St. Michael’s Abbey in Orange County, California, spoke with the Norbertine Sisters’ Superior General, Mother Hermana, about establishing a new community of active Norbertine sisters in the USA. In 2011, three sisters from Slovakia responded to that invitation and came to Wilmington, California to live in the convent belonging to SS. Peter and Paul Parish.
As Norbertines, they are not bound to any specific apostolate, but in the spirit of St. Norbert, are “prepared for every good work.” Currently, they operate the Poverty Program which provides food and clothing for over 700 families, teach religious education to children and adults, staff the parish bookstore, and work in the sacristy. In the spirit of St. Norbert, the Congregation has sought to maintain a balance between liturgical prayer, zeal for souls, and contemplation.
