Please note that not all titles are available on every course, and are subject to change.
The Gospel of Luke
Luke is the author not only of a Gospel but also of Acts. His opportunity to describe the spread of the Good News in Jerusalem, Judea and to the ends of the earth is therefore unrivalled. We will explore his narrative and seek to understand how, through parables, narratives and speeches he explains how universal is the call to salvation.
Understanding the Religious world of Jesus
This week will examine the some of the key factors which shapes the Jewish world of Jesus. It will examine some important themes as: exodus, covenant, prophecy, messiah among others. It will investigate some of the major institutions of first-century Judaism as well as exploring its significant religious groupings. Jesus' own interaction with his religious world will remain a central focus of the course.
Life's Continuing Journey
An exploration into our continuing life's journey: our humanity; our sexuality, and the different stage of our growth and development. Our exploration will be done through lectures and working sessions
Guided Retreat
During the Course there will be the opportunity to stop and reflect more deeply on those areas of your life which the Lord is inviting you to open up to Him. It will be a five day, silent Retreat, directed for those who wish, with a daily reflection, Mass, and communal prayer times.
Living Pathways
Our faith can be easily divorced from our everyday life-experience and locked into a box called sacred'. We will explore how to re-discover God in the minutes and days of our daily living. What does it mean to walk the pathways of our personal experience as companions of the Lord.; to fully embrace the call to discipleship? The course will introduce some practical tools and methods of prayer to help us to engage with the call to be Kingdom-builders in the actual circumstances of our lives, and through change or transition
Prophecy in Ancient Israel
This course will examine the origin, nature and scope of classical biblical prophecy and its literature (8th -5th Centuries BCE). Selected texts from books of Amos, Isaiah and Jeremiah will be studied among others. Each book will be presented in its historical context, along with an overview and theological perspectives. The course will conclude with an examination of prophetic social teaching under the title YHWH's care for the poor
The Spirituality of True Self Esteem
Our attitude to ourselves is shaped and formed by our spirituality, and self-acceptance of self-rejection is the fruit of that spirituality. A healthy spirituality is vital for our personal happiness and well being. The spirituality of true self esteem is based on the word of God and is our response to god's life affirming word to us and within us, to have a high regard for ourselves and to live accordingly.
Issues Facing the Church
Throughout its history the Church has always been faced with new and challenging questions, the answers to which can define its future and missionary effectiveness in the changing world. What are the new challenges facing the Church today? How do we meet today's questions honestly? We explore ways of doing this with confidence and hope.
The Journey into the Inner Self
Based on the model of inner freedom of Jesus, the Journey to the Inner Self is aimed at helping participants to go through a psycho-spiritual journey of their own lives, with special emphasis on chronological, emotional, mental, relational, spiritual and sexual dimensions. The journey will also take us to the Ego-world and the spiritual self, the conscious and the unconscious. While journeying into the inner self, hopefully a new enthusiasm is created to discover the meaning of life in a new way, to live life positively with inner contentment, to reclaim the power of love, to celebrate life and to enjoy inner freedom.
The Beginning of the Gospels
Where does the Jesus Story Begin? Each of the evangelists celebrates a different beginning for the Jesus story and each sets that story in a different frame. We look at the different beginnings and the different frames as a key to opening the Gospels.
The Beginning of the public Ministry of Jesus
All four Gospels agree that Jesus begins his public ministry after John'. We look at this key relationship; we reflect on the beginnings of discipleship; we look at what makes Jesus' ministry differ from those around him: his table-fellowship.
Living Well in Your Body
This week will reflect on wholesome living. With the help of invited health professionals, we will reflect on issue such as stress and burnout that affect people's ministry and their level of performance. We will pay attention to the signals our bodies give us, and we will look at the same tools to help us improve healthy living into practice.
Contemporary Moral Dilemmas
During this challenging and stimulating course we will look at: How to make moral decisions; Marriage, family and sexuality; the challenge of Bioethics the beginnings of life & the care at the end of life, social justice, arms and, other moral issues.
Our Story as a Source of Spirituality
The course of these lectures extends an invitation to us: firstly to be more grounded in our own humanity, and secondly, to appreciate that our authentic human living is closely linked to a deepening relationship with Christ. We will look at the ignored text in so many people's life's: their own story as a ground of wisdom and growth.
Prayer and Eucharist
Prayer is the very foundation of a living relationship with God, and the Eucharist celebrates the Paschal Mystery, the mystery of dying and rising at the heart of our new life with Christ. During these sessions we will reflect upon these two vital themes at the heart of the Mystery and Salvation
The Death and Resurrection of Jesus
The earliest preaching of the church focused on the death and resurrection of Jesus. This was their chosen beginning for the Jesus story. In all four Gospels the passion is the longest narrative about Jesus: we study this major story, attending also to the story of discipleship under stress.
Christ – An Unfinished Portrait
This week examines traditional images and concepts of Christ, and invites us to look again at the way we understand Christ and his saving work. We look at what marked the ministry of Jesus as unique, particularly his stubborn offer of divine indiscriminate welcome to all, one which set him apart from other popular movements of his time.
Changing Models of the Church
During this week, Fr Rafael Esteban reviews the models of church we grew up with and explores the challenge of a new dynamic paradigm for our times.
Going Forth in the Power of the Spirit
During this final week we are invited to reflect upon and celebrate all we have received from our time at Hawkstone and the people we have encountered during the Course. These days also mark a time of closure when we draw our course to a creative conclusion and accept the challenge to go forth in the power of God's energising spirit.
“I enjoyed the beauty and peace of the surroundings and the interaction with so many different people from different cultures. The lectures were superb. The whole course was a great time to review my life and focus on positive goals.”
Fr Damien, a missionary from the Congo
