18 New Courses now available
The Academy of the Annunciation is pleased to announce that eighteen separate new courses/conferences are being offered between now and the end of August 2020. There are two Certificate Courses, which combine onsite instruction and online learning with the help of a personal academic tutor. In addition, the Academy is offering ten 3-Day Conferences, three study days, and three introductory study days on a variety of topics including Sacred Scripture, Theology, Apologetics, the Sacraments, Catechesis, Prayer, the Spiritual Life, and Spiritual Direction.
Full course details are available at http://www.aoa-edu.com/courses/
Remembering the 1600th anniversary of the death of St Jerome, the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales have designated 2020 as a Year in celebration of The God who Speaks, inviting the Church in England and Wales to listen afresh to the Word of God as did Our Blessed Lady at the Annunciation, to encounter anew the presence of that Word and to proclaim it afresh in the Church and the World. [1]
The Bishops’ Conference has stated very clearly that Scripture is at the centre of everything the Church does. The Word of God shapes our prayer and worship. The Bible shows us how to understand the world, how we are called to live and relate to each other.[2]
As Catholics, we hear a lot of Scripture at Holy Mass in the course of the liturgical year. But very often, our understanding of Scripture is fragmented, and we do not know how those Scripture passages fit into the overarching story of the Bible. And we may not know how we ourselves fit into that story. In fact, we have heard the stories so many times that we often fail to listen afresh to the Word of God.
Focus on the Word of God
For these reasons, and because as Vatican II states, it is Christ Himself who speaks when the Holy Scriptures are read in the Church, the majority of the courses, conferences, introductory study days, and study days are focused on the Word of God. We will consider the Bible as a whole, looking at the Big Picture, and we will examine specific texts in depth. We will see how the teachings of the Church are grounded in Scripture, and we will deepen our understanding of St Augustine’s saying, The New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New.
The Academy of the Annunciation is also offering courses which focus on our relationship with Christ – on prayer, the stages of the spiritual life, spiritual direction, and more.
Our new courses are delivered by Dr Denise Claire Oliver and Dr Christina Pal who taught in Rome at the Pontifical North American College (seminary) and other places – Dr Christana Pal at Christendom College and Dr Denise Oliver at the Angelicum-Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas and elsewhere. Full details of their extensive teaching background are a blessing to the Academy.
For more information, please visit the Courses page on the Academy of the Annunciation Website HERE.
[1] http://www.cbcew.org.uk/bishops-plenary-meeting-april-2018/
[2] https://www.cbcew.org.uk/home/events/the-god-who-speaks/