Introduction
This Certificate brings students into the close study and experience of various traditions of spirituality or religious formation. The aim is to deepen and broaden the student’s spiritual life and capacity for leading others on their spiritual journeys. The Certificate is Ecumenical and Interfaith in scope. Courses must be taken at two or more Consortium schools. Students will study various Christian traditions of spiritual practice that shape a person’s growth in faith or holiness, compare these Christian practices to the spiritual practices of another faith tradition, and have a practical immersion in spiritual practices within an ecumenical or interfaith environment.
Credit Hours
12 credit hours of academic work must be completed, which can include 3 hour courses, 1.5 or 2 hour courses, independent studies, and field experience. An approved list of courses can be found in the Course Search function on the Consortium website choose “Spirituality Certificate” or by consulting the Certificate Coordinator.
Requirements
- A course in Christian Spirituality that provides an ecumenical framework for the comparative study of distinct Christian traditions of spiritual life and practice
- A course in the Spirituality and practices of a non-Christian tradition or a course in Comparative Spiritualities and practices that is interfaith in scope.
- An elective in spirituality, faith formation, or forms of liturgy and prayer that emphasize growth in the spiritual life.
- A practicum or field-based course in spiritual practices within an ecumenical or interfaith context that equips students to discern faithful forms of sharing and adapting practices between different traditions.*
*.. Such contexts might include Abrahamic House (DC), Rumi, Interfaith Conference of Metro. Washington, Buddhist retreat houses. More details are available here, and from the Coordinator of the Certificate of Studies. Courses for each of these requirements will be approved by the Coordinator. Applications for the Certificate must be made before a second course is completed.
Coordinator
For more information contact the Coordinator of the Certificate in Spirituality Studies, Professor James W. Farwell, Virginia Theological Seminary, at [email protected].