Graduate Program

The Avila Institute’s Graduate Program in Spiritual Theology is a forty credit hour graduate-level endeavor that conveys an in-depth and holistic treatment of the Church’s mystical tradition.

2 Year Program
The full graduate program is designed to be taken over eight quarters in two years, but can also be taken over an alternate schedule of three or four years.
12 Courses, Apostolic & Retreat Experiences
The graduate program involves twelve, three-credit courses, and an apostolic experience and retreat experience that are worth two credits each, amounting to forty total credits.
Tuition
$550 per course (full and partial scholarships are available).

Successful Completion
Successful completion of the Graduate Program prepares graduates to 1) deepen their relationship with Christ through mystagogical engagement with the ascetical and mystical riches of the Church and 2) engage in parish ministry, catechesis, and other apostolates or professions that require the animating life of Christ to achieve their mission.
Real-World Application
A graduate should be well prepared to enter training programs for spiritual direction and counseling with advanced standing.

During this program students will engage the following
spiritual schools and saints:

Patristic Spirituality: Emphasis on Saint Athanasius, Saint Augustine, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Dionysius the Areopagite
Monastic Spirituality: Emphasis on Saint Benedict, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Saint Hildegaard of Bingen, Cecil Bruyere
Mendicant Spirituality: Saint Dominic, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Bonaventure, Saint Angela di Foligno
Spanish Mysticism: Saint John of Avila, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint John of the Cross
The French School of Spirituality: Cardinal Berulle, Saint Louis de Montfort, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity
Contemporary Spiritualities from Middle and Eastern Europe: Saint Faustina Kowalska, Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Catherine de Hueck, Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Pope Saint John Paul II

Students receive a comprehensive formation in these

Fields of Study

Carmelite Spirituality

Ignatian Spirituality

Salesian Spirituality

Carthusian Spirituality

The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers

Benedictine Spirituality

Franciscan Spirituality

Dominican Spirituality

Graduate Studies at the Avila Institute are ideal for:

Individual Catholics:
Any individual Catholics seeking to deepen their faith
Spiritual Directors:
Spiritual Guides, Spiritual Mentors, etc.
Ordained / Religious:
Priests, Deacons, Religious, Consecrated, etc.

Professionals:
Therapists, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Chaplains, etc.
Apostolate Leaders:
Catechists, Directors of Religious Education, Teachers, Youth Ministers, Administrators, etc.