COURSES
Click here for a list of courses.
The Aquinas Academy offers a variety of courses in adult education, both formal and informal.
When
Courses are of varying lengths, ranging from Reflection Mornings of a few hours (see below) to a full year’s course in spirituality ("Developing your own Spirituality”).
Who
Generally speaking all courses are available to adults who seek to deepen their understand of truth. Obviously, Aquinas Academy has a specific focus on topics and themes pertinent to Catholics and other Christians. (See FAQ)
Where
Most courses are at:
Sydney City: Level 5, 141 Harrington St Sydney 2000
However some are at:
Blacktown: Cnr Marian Street and Flushcombe Rd, Blacktown.
And occasionally some are at:
Hunters Hill: Marist Centre, 1 Mary Street or the Parish Hall, Cnr of Mary Street and Gladesville Road.
Contact
If you are interested in any of the courses below and wish to book or need further information please contact our secretary:
Tel: 02 9247 465
Fax: 02 9252 2476
Email: secretary@aquinas-academy.com
Courses
A Day with Thomas Merton
Michael Whelan SM, PhD; Marie Biddle RSJ MA MTh;
Saturday, 9.30am – 3pm, September 27, 2008.
This day of quite reflection will draw on the life and writings of Thomas Merton. There will be input together with the opportunity to enjoy solitude and silence in the historic grounds of Villa Ma... more»
Aquinas Retreat
Michael Whelan SM, PhD; Marie Biddle RSJ MA MTh;
Monday – Friday, June 9 – 13 2008
A retreat is a time to stop and be still, to be silent and listen, to face what must be faced, to hear what must be heard. Such a time helps us to return to our world in compassion, awake to what i... more»
Art and Spirituality
Michael Whelan SM, PhD; Barbara Campbell;
4 Thursday mornings, 10am – 12noon, April 10 – May 1, 2008.
Barbara and Michael will give input from their own specialties. Participants will be invited into a conversation that explores art as a source of spiritual enlightenment and nourishment. No previou... more»
Developing Your Own Spirituality
Michael Whelan SM, PhD; Marie Biddle RSJ MA MTh;
5 Monday Evenings, 6pm - 8pm or 5pm – 8pm for those doing the group work,
Spirituality is living relationships – with the One, however you name that “Mystery”, with yourself, with other people and with the world in which we find ourselves. Our humanity is constituted in ... more»
Flannery O’Connor: Catholic Prophet
Michael Whelan SM, PhD;
3 Thursday Mornings, 10am – 12noon, Sept 25 – Oct 9, 2008.
Flannery O’Connor was a short story writer in the South of the United States. The characters in her writings are “Christ haunted.” There is great depth in her stories and her lectures and letters. ... more»
Freedom, Guilt and Ordinary People
Marie Biddle RSJ MA MTh;
5 Wednesday mornings, 9.30am-12noon, Feb 13 – Mar 12 2008
Using the film, Ordinary People, participants will be enabled to explore issues of freedom and guilt in their own lives.
... more»On Earth as it is in Heaven
Marie Biddle RSJ MA MTh;
5 Wednesday evenings 6pm-8pm, Oct 1 – 29 2008.
The film, As it is in Heaven, will provide a focus for an exploration of personal spirituality. This extraordinary film reminds us of the potential for destruction in human society and the... more»
Prayer and Life Experience
Marie Biddle RSJ MA MTh;
5 Wednesday Mornings, 10am-12noon, July 23 – Aug 20 2008.
The Gospels says that Jesus prayed often. He taught his disciples to pray. St Paul says, "pray always." What are we to make of this? Is it possible for us who live in such a busy ... more»
Prayer: Islamic and Christian Perspectives
Michael Whelan SM, PhD; Sheik Mansour Leghaei;
3 Monday mornings, 10am – 12noon, May 5 – 19, 2008.
In 2007 Sheikh Mansour Leghaei and Dr Michael Whelan presented a course, “Mysticism: Islamic and Christian Perspectives.” It was so popular those participating asked for a sequel on prayer. This co... more»
Pride, Self-Deception and Mystical Humility: The Discipline of the Saint
Dr Robert Tilley;
5 Tuesday mornings, 10am – 12noon, Sept 2 – 30, 2008.
How is it that we can be both liar and the one lied to? Which is to ask, what is self-deception? In the last forty or so years this question has been a subject of much speculation in both philoso... more»
The Gospel of John
Brian Beggs FMS, BA, Dip Ed, MA, BD, MST;
5 Tuesday mornings, 10am-12pm, October 7 – November 4, 2008.
Introduction to John's Gospel.
Contact: secretary@aquinas-academy.com or phone 02 9247 4651
... more»The Gospel of Luke
Brian Beggs FMS, BA, Dip Ed, MA, BD, MST;
5 Tuesday mornings, 10am-12pm, July 1 – August 5 2008. [NOTE: WYD occurs in the middle of this course. In the week of WYD there will be no classes.]
Introduction to the Gospel of Luke.
Contact: secretary@aquinas-academy.com or phone 02 9247 4651
... more»The Gospel of Mark
Brian Beggs FMS, BA, Dip Ed, MA, BD, MST;
5 Tuesday mornings, 10am-12pm, February 5 – March 4, 2008.
Introduction to Mark's Gospel.
... more»The Gospel of Matthew
Brian Beggs FMS, BA, Dip Ed, MA, BD, MST;
5 Tuesday mornings, 10am-12pm, April 29 – May 27 2008
Introduction to Matthew’s Gospel.
Contact: secretary@aquinas-academy.com or phone 02 9247 4651
... more»The Mystery of God and Self: St Augustine’s Confessions
Dr Robert Tilley;
5 Tuesday Mornings, 10am – 12noon, Feb 19 – Mar 18, 2008.
St.Augustine has bulked large in both theology and philosophy and no other work of his has exercised so much influence as his Confessions. Some historians have even argued that it signifi... more»
The Struggle with God: The Book of Job and the Question of Faith
Dr Robert Tilley;
5 Tuesday mornings, 10am-12noon, May 6 – June 3 2008.
Increasingly in the modern world many tie faith and religion to prosperity and success. So much so, that if you suffer then it's hinted that you are not right with God. The Book of Job was written ... more»
Thomas Merton: Exploring his Thought and Spirit
Michael Whelan SM, PhD;
Thursdays 9am/10am – 12noon (Those doing group work commence at 9am), October 23 – December 4, 2008
A course presented over seven weeks by Michael Whelan SM, PhD.
Contact: secretary@aquinas-academy.com or phone 02 9247 4... more»
Wellbeing and Happiness: Five Conversations with Michael Horsburgh
Michael Horsburgh;
4 Mondays, 10am-12 noon, October 13 – Nov 3 2008.
What is happiness? Is it a feeling, or a condition, or a decision? Can it be sought? Can it be found? I... more»
Western Thought: The Big Picture
Professor James Franklin;
4 Tuesday evenings 6pm-8pm, Feb 26 – March 18 2008.
The course gives an overview at the widest perspective on the history of Western thought. It touches on the main ideas in religion, philosophy, science, mathematics, the social sciences, politic... more»
Women’s Voices in Different Traditions
Virginia Bourke RSJ BTh;
7 Wednesday mornings, 10am-12noon, May 7 – June 18, 2008.
Ten women speak of their experience of the religious tradition in which they live.