The contemporary Church faces an enduring challenge: how to effectively form Christians who can respond fruitfully to the universal call to holiness, a call so powerfully reiterated by the Second Vatican Council. While theological discourse has extensively explored the what of faith, a persistent gap often remains in the how—the concrete, systematic spiritual formation that enables individuals to integrate doctrinal understanding with lived experience, leading to genuine transformation and union with Christ. This chapter presents a robust model for such renewed spiritual formation, one that is not merely theoretical but grounded in over three decades of practical teaching and experiential development: the approach pioneered by the School of Mary.

The Mission and Vision: Cultivating Experiential Holiness

After having given the Solid Foundations Course (see next chapter) for a few years (1995–2003), the formation was extended over three years, and the School of Mary was born in 2003. Later on, the formation programme was reshaped over five years to cover the full journey of growth in the spiritual life with greater detail (see the Three plus years formation plan in www.schoolofmary.org). It has been a slow progression, seeking to respond to the needs of the most fervent students.

The School of Mary emerged in 2003 from a conviction that a deeper and more practical approach to spiritual formation is urgently needed. Its core mission is precisely to form Christians in the spiritual life, enabling them to move beyond a superficial or even haphazard pursuit of sanctity. As has been observed, saints today are “made almost randomly” rather than through a structured and accessible path. The School seeks to address this by drawing profoundly on the living spiritual tradition of the Catholic Church—particularly the wisdom of its great masters and doctors of the spiritual life—to foster an experiential knowledge of each stage of spiritual growth. The ultimate aim is to lead students to a profound union with Christ and a loving, active participation in His redemptive mission in the world. This is not simply about acquiring theological concepts, but about internalising them through a vibrant encounter with the Risen Lord, making faith the very nourishment of one’s spiritual life.

The “Solid Foundations” Course (SF000): A Pivotal Beginning

The journey of formation within the School of Mary commences with a foundational and pivotal offering: the “Solid Foundations” Course (SF000). This initial course is meticulously designed as a course that combines the grace-filled atmosphere of a retreat with applied spiritual theology. It is neither solely a prayer retreat nor exclusively a university lecture; rather, it occupies a unique space, offering an environment conducive to deep prayer and conversion, while maintaining the scientific rigour and practical knowledge typical of a university setting. In this sense, this formation is unique, as it allows the grace of God to flow through the teaching.

The primary objective of SF000 is to guide participants through what is often termed a “second conversion”—a decisive reorientation of one’s entire being towards a conscious, living relationship with Christ. It begins with the fundamental and often forgotten truth of “Jesus’ Call” to each individual, establishing the personal and relational bedrock of the spiritual life. The course then systematically unpacks the mechanisms of spiritual growth, detailing how to engage with divine grace through concrete practices. Central to this are the twin pillars of Lectio Divina and the Prayer of the Heart (or Contemplative Prayer). These are presented not as optional devotional exercises, but as indispensable internal means for “digesting” the Sacraments, most especially the Holy Mass, which stands at the very centre of the formation. Participants learn to elevate their hearts, to be immersed in union with God that transforms their understanding and living of the liturgy.

SF000 has been successfully taught in five linguistic areas since 1995, demonstrating its viability and effectiveness across diverse cultural contexts. Its curriculum delves into core aspects of the spiritual journey, such as the purification of the sense (crucial for beginners), the nature of divine light, and the pivotal concept of the “union of will” as the immediate goal for those embarking on this path. This course provides a comprehensive roadmap for establishing the essential bases of spiritual life, offering not just knowledge about God, but practical guidance on how to enter into deeper communion with Him.

The Multi-Year Formation Plan: A Biological Unfolding

As mentioned above, beyond the initial “Solid Foundations,” the School of Mary offers a multi-year formation plan (typically three years or more) that is profoundly attuned to the biological progression of spiritual growth. Unlike traditional academic curricula where years may be interchangeable, this program follows the inherent maturation process of the human person in grace. It recognises that spiritual development unfolds in stages, each requiring specific insights, challenges, and practices. This “biological” approach means the formation adapts to the student’s evolving capacity to “digest” and assimilate divine truths, moving them progressively towards a mature union with Christ.

The first three years formation plan broadly aligns with classical stages of the spiritual journey:

  • First Year (Beginners): Building upon SF000, this year focuses on the initial steps from the decisive “Yes” to Christ to the “union of will.” It reinforces supernatural Lectio Divina and Prayer of the Heart, initiating the first great liberation from the slavery of the senses, akin to the Exodus from Egypt. It also introduces the theological foundations of spiritual life, exploring the Trinity, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and Mary in the context of personal experience.
  • Second Year (Progressing): This stage guides the Christian from the initial stages toward “union of will”. It focuses on strengthening the practices learned in the first year. Perseverance is key en ensure steady growth. The practice of Lectio Divina and Prayer of the Heart continue to evolve, becoming increasingly profound.
  • Third Year (Deepest Purification): The third stage describes a major turning point in spiritual life: the deepest purification, moving from a human mode of dealing with spiritual life to a divine one. It is the purification of the spirit. It delves into the meaning of this challenging period, the divine modality of knowing and loving God, and the indispensable role of hope and Mary during this phase. This is the stage that “makes saints,” a journey through the “desert” leading to the reception of the Holy Spirit as an interior Law.

Each one of these years has a list of courses adapted to it, to help the student explore better the different topics of spiritual life, go deeper in the Scriptures. For more demanding students, there is an ongoing course on the entire works of St. John of the Cross.

For more advanced students there are two more years which explores advanced mystical states such as spiritual betrothal, spiritual marriage, the “flares of the Holy Spirit,” participation in Christ’s Passion, and ultimately, death in God. This period focuses on the manifestation of Christ living in the human being, empowering supernatural apostolate, and demonstrating the fruitfulness of a life consecrated to God, akin to entering the Promised Land and building the Temple. Concepts of supernatural apostolate and the transformative impact on ministerial priesthood are introduced.

This structured progression is vital. It provides a clear “topography” of the spiritual journey, helping students understand (with prudence) where they are, where they are going, and what challenges and graces await them. Since we hope that most students are already well formed in their Catechism (through OCIA or similar formation), the three-year plan also ensures that the traditional “black boxes” of theology—Bible, Dogma, Liturgy, Morals, and Pastoral—are not perceived as arid concepts but as living, rich realities, animated by the inner threads of spiritual experience. In this way, spiritual formation does not appear disconnected from earlier stages of catechesis or adult formation.

Key Methodological and Theological Principles

The School of Mary’s model is characterised by several interwoven principles that address shortcomings in past spiritual renewals:

  1. Experiential Primacy: The formation emphasises that spiritual formation, at its heart, is an account of the experience of God. It moves beyond a purely abstract “reflection on the experience of God” to a deeper engagement with the question of how to experience God. This objective focus on the human subject’s experience of the Risen One is seen not as a threat to objectivity but as the essential path for spiritual theology to truly touch and transform the human person.
  2. The Mass serves as the foundational point for this formation, uniting the deep understanding of liturgical celebration with the interior manducation of Christ through Lectio Divina and the Prayer of the Heart.
  3. Practicality, Clarity and Accessibility: A significant critique of earlier spiritual renewals was their lack of practical application. The School of Mary consciously remedies this by providing clear, actionable “how-to” guidance for spiritual practices. It insists that spiritual formation is a “practically practical” science, whose ultimate goal is to guide toward union with Christ and perfection of love. Furthermore, it advocates for a modern, accessible language and pedagogy, incorporating “theological drawings” and simple analogies to convey profound truths without dilution, ensuring that the message is digestible for a wide audience.
  4. Biblical Rootedness: Recognising the Bible as the “soul of theology” (DV 24; OT 16), the formation ensures that spiritual formation is not merely “sprinkled” with biblical quotes but is deeply rooted in scriptural study and spiritual exegesis. This ensures a durable and rich foundation that transcends changing cultural trends. Fundamental re-discoveries are offered: “Sermon on the Mount” as the main Christian charter, the “Gospel of St. Luke” with its golden thread around Mary’s Faith and finally “St. John’s Gospel” showing us the fullness of the spiritual journey.
  5. Addressing the “Hidden Part of the Iceberg”: The School of Mary’s approach highlights a vast, often neglected domain of theological inquiry – the “hidden part of the iceberg” of spiritual theology. It argues for the formal inclusion and development of these crucial subjects within academic faculties, moving spiritual life from a typically optional, private devotion to a primary theological and scientific activity. This involves developing new courses and fostering scholarly research into areas such as the supernatural dynamics of lectio divina, the laws of spiritual growth, the precise role of Mary as archetype and formator of the theologian, and the profound link between spiritual growth and theological assimilation.
  6. Integral Coherence: The model consciously seeks to overcome the distance between theology and spiritual life. By introducing “bridging topics” and “connection points” (as illustrated by the “Key Diagram” and “Double Helix” analogies), it systematically integrates the intellectual understanding of faith with the concrete reality of spiritual growth.
  7. Formation of the Pastor and the Faithful: This model radically redefines the formation of future priests and, by extension, all the faithful witnesses and evangelisers. It emphasises that a priest is not merely one who validly administers sacraments (ex opere operato) but also a human subject called to profound holiness, whose interior growth significantly influences the fruitfulness of his ministry. A priest trained in the School of Mary’s methodology learns to truly “raise our hearts” at Mass, drawing the faithful into a deeper, more transformative encounter with God. This holistic formation aims to equip pastors and lay leaders alike to be authentic “witnesses”—those who have personally known and experienced Christ—capable of transmitting this life-changing experience to others. The School of Mary offers also a training of “Spiritual Formators”. In this sense, the School is a real model to follow to foster this vocation in the Church in parallel with the Catechist.

Renewing Spiritual Theology

As we will see in chapter 6, by implementing this model, the School of Mary implicitly demonstrates how Spiritual Theology can and must renew itself to be truly useful for the Church. It transforms Spiritual Theology from a “minor subject” often relegated to other departments into a foundational, autonomous science with its own specific “light” (the deeper graces of faith) and “object” (the human subject’s experience of God and the how of contemplation). This is not a mere academic reclassification but a vital re-centering.

Renewing Theology

As we will see in chapter 7, this approach offers the indispensable “key of knowledge” that Christ’s reproaches to the Pharisees alluded to: it teaches how to “cleanse the inside of the cup.” For the theologian, this means cultivating a profound interior life, allowing the “received deposit” of faith to become the “nourishment of their own spiritual life.” It provides the framework for understanding the intimate, organic connection between intellectual study and personal piety, overcoming the “hypocrisy” of a dichotomy between “inside” and “outside.” Future theologians, priests, and catechists, formed within this integral framework, will possess not only robust intellectual knowledge but also the spiritual tools and lived experience to truly witness to Christ and effectively evangelise a thirsting world.

Conclusion

The School of Mary’s model for renewed spiritual formation offers a concrete, viable response to the enduring call for universal holiness. It is a structured, “biological” journey designed to lead individuals from an initial re-conversion to a profound, living union with Christ, and to equip them to participate fully in His redemptive mission. This formation does not merely aim for intellectual understanding but for deep, personal transformation, making saints who are truly “feet on the ground and head in the heavens”—visionary, audacious, and effective apostles.

By providing a serious intellectual formation in mystical culture, fostering vital spiritual experience, and honing discerning capabilities, this model empowers individuals to become living stones in the Church, capable of transforming their communities. As the Church ventures into the third millennium, armed with the immense treasures of twenty centuries of mystical tradition, it is imperative to possess the tools to unleash these riches. The School of Mary offers such an indispensable tool, enabling the Church to truly “put out into the deep” (Duc in Altum) and reach the “other side”—the fullness of life in Christ and the effective evangelisation of the world. This integral formation is the secret to a Christianity that is truly vital and has no reason to fear the future.