Benedicta Institute Course Catalog
The Catholic Women’s Leadership Certification Program is a 2-3 year program (24 equivalency credits) that focuses on four thematic components.
5 Core Courses (15 equiv. credits)
2 Elective Courses (6 equiv. credits)
3 Benedicta Enrichment Seminars (3 equiv. credits)
God and the Human Person
The motto of the Benedicta Institute is agere sequitur esse – ‘doing follows being.’ By contemplating who we are as human beings made in the image of God, we are better prepared to live the abundant life Jesus promises us. Courses in this category study God’s masterpiece of humanity as body and soul, child and adult, male and female, fallen yet redeemed.
- Who is Woman? The Journey from Eve to Mary
- The Dignity of Dust: Contemplating our Humanity
Carmelite Spirituality
Named after Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, the Benedicta Institute is imbued with the charism of Mount Carmel. The spiritual character of the Benedicta curriculum is permeated by the legacy of the humble Carmelite saints and their passionate love for contemplative prayer. Courses in this category explore the accessible itinerary of the mystical life as presented in the tradition of Carmelite spirituality.
- Essentials of Carmelite Spirituality
Mariology and the Feminine Genius
The Blessed Virgin Mary embodies the perfection of the Christian life and showcases the special dignity and vocation of women within the order of creation. Meditating on the virginal purity and missionary maternity of Mary actualizes the potential housed within the feminine genius. Courses in this category awaken the Marian character within every woman as a beloved daughter of the Father.
- The Reed of God: Our Lady in Scripture and Devotion Register Now!
Catholic Women's Leadership
Servant leadership in a Marian form is the vision of the Benedicta model. Through the faithful art of accompaniment and empathic attunement to the other, women secure the pathway to ‘aid humanity in not falling’ and to create ‘a civilization of love.’ Courses in this category lay out the practical resources and strategies for leading people effectively in the various relational spaces of home, work, study, ministry, and worship.
- Coming soon!
Full Course Descriptions:
God and the Human Person
- Who is Woman? The Journey from Eve to Mary: This course explores the mystery of woman through Catholic teaching and insights from leading Catholic scholars on femininity. Drawing from the works of Gertrud von le Fort, Alice von Hildebrand, Prudence Allen, and, above all, Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, students discover the essence of the feminine genius in contrast to the cultural confusion that obscures the true nature of woman today. A journey is made from the fallen disobedience of Eve to the redemptive obedience of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
- The Dignity of Dust: Contemplating our Humanity: According to the timeless ancient axiom, agere sequitur esse – “doing follows being.” In order to know how to act, we first must know who we are. This course asks the question, “Who is the human being?” Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross and Caryll Houselander are two prominent twentieth-century Catholic women who offer sustained reflection on this vital question. By exploring their enlightening lives and writings, students encounter the truth, goodness and beauty of the meaning of being human.
Carmelite Spirituality
- Essentials of Carmelite Spirituality:Among the four female Doctors of the Church, two of them are Carmelite. What is the relationship between the Carmelite tradition of prayer and a Catholic theology of womanhood? This course considers the A-Z essentials of the Carmelite charism by studying the spiritual classic of Saint Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection. Saint Teresa leads us to understand the gradual perfection of charity through a determined determination of heart. Altogether, the specific Carmelite form will be put into sharp relief in order to calibrate the contemplative character of woman according to the Marian rhythms of divine grace.
Mariology and the Feminine Genius
- The Reed of God: Our Lady in Scripture and Devotion: At the heart of the meaning of the feminine genius is the Blessed Virgin Mary. Yet how do we come to know Our Lady well? This course delves into the mystery of Mary by encountering her loving presence through Scripture and the devotional practices of the Church. In particular, Saint Louis de Montfort’s True Devotion to Mary and Caryll Houselander’s The Reed of God guide participants into the wonder of being children of such a beautiful Mother. The powerful maxim attributed to Saint Teresa of Calcutta – “No Mary, No Jesus; Know Mary, Know Jesus” – illuminates our journey all the way into the humble and hidden home of Nazareth.