Spiritual Practices for Cultivating Resilience and Compassion: Rev. Dr. Trish McCarthy Thursdays:

Course Description. This interdisciplinary and collaborative course engages several presenters in active ministry including Spirituality teachers / local pastors from the wider Lutheran, United and Anglican Churches. In addition, we will have a First Nation Cultural Teacher and Elder as well as another Christian Denominational Spiritual Guide or Pastor.

The focus in this class is to develop and deepen a student’s prayer life, to orient them to core, regular and occasional spiritual practices and learn about six key perspectives: stages of spiritual growth, purification, community, meditation, cultivating personal integrity and deepening compassion. The student is also required to read short 2 - 5 page descriptions of upcoming topics as found on Canvas as well as and articles that lead to the completion of their assignments as listed below.

Students will gain hands-on experience of a broad spectrum of Christian Spiritual Practices from the UC, Lutheran and Anglican spiritual traditions as well as Traditional Canadian First Nation Spirituality. We will have the Traditional Elder and Teacher teach about a FN sweat lodge and other FN traditional spiritual practices. We will have a Jewish Rabbi speak to us on Jewish Spiritual Growth.  

In this course, faculty and guest speakers will share about growth in spiritual nurture and compassion growth as experienced in worship from the Christian perspective. Rev. Dr. Trish McCarthy will share a chart on various theories of Spiritual Formation.

There will be a presentation and activities on Self-Care and Resiliency to help students to be psychologically healthy in ministry for long haul. This is the kind of seminary Spirituality course that will equip those preparing for ministry in the 21^st century.

We will review teachings on Cultivating Compassion using scripture, Brene Brown’s teachings, and other sources.