Essentials of Engaged Contemplation
Discover what it means to live as an engaged contemplative in today’s world. Carry forward Richard Rohr’s vision of transformation in this year-long online course grounded in The Living School’s foundational teachings.
FEATURING
Richard Rohr, Brian McLaren, James Finley, Barbara Holmes, Carmen Acevedo Butcher, Randy Woodley, and more.
Cost
$2,100, $1,575, $1,050
Course Dates
Fall 2027 – Fall 2028
Registration
Summer 2027
Use the link below to be informed when the next EEC course becomes available.
Course Description
Discover what it means to live as an engaged contemplative in today’s world. The Living School’s Essentials of Engaged Contemplation is a 12-month online course that invites students into a holistic learning experience at the intersection of contemplation and action.
This new Living School offering will introduce core teachings and practices from the Christian contemplative traditions, provide tools to support spiritual transformation, and inspire loving engagement with the world. Through a rhythm of reading, listening, reflection, practice, and peer connection in small groups, students will explore what it means to live as engaged contemplatives today. Led by trained guides and supported by like-valued community, participants are encouraged to integrate the path of transformation into their daily lives.
Essentials of Engaged Contemplation is open to all—no application or prerequisites required—and serves as a foundational experience for future Living School offerings.
Reclaim a Deeper, Truer Faith
If you’ve stepped away from religion but still long for spiritual depth, Essentials of Engaged Contemplation offers a grounded path into a more authentic life with God. Rooted in the Christian contemplative traditions and the teachings of Richard Rohr, this course invites you to explore practices like sacred reading, active listening, and discernment—tools to help you grow in presence, compassion, and connection.
You’ll learn to build a rhythm of daily contemplation, develop a deeper awareness of your patterns and biases, and integrate spiritual insight with real-life engagement—especially in a world marked by suffering and division.
Alongside a supportive online community, you’ll explore how your own healing is bound up with the healing of others, and how your transformation can ripple outward in ways that make a difference.
Course Details
Essentials of Engaged Contemplation is a 12-month online course consisting of three trimesters. Move progressively through foundational themes and teachings of the Christian contemplative traditions, as well as Richard Rohr’s wisdom and lineage. After completion, students will have ongoing access to course materials.
Throughout the year, students can expect to:
- Invest 5–7 hours a week engaging with course content, facilitated discussion posts, personal reflection, practice, and other activities.
- Integrate contemplative spirituality into actions with their friends, families, routines, professions, economics, social and political activities, and inner solitude.
- Set aside time for silence, stillness, reflection, practice, and interaction with the learning community.
- 2 hours each month for guided virtual small group gatherings focused on practice and reflection with peers.
- 5 hours each for occasional virtual gatherings (four total) with peers, staff, and faculty.
- Meet individually with their small group guide once during the course year.
Rather than emphasizing a mastery of material and skills, Essentials of Engaged Contemplation equips students for ongoing transformation with tools, practices, interactions, and content grounded in the Christian contemplative traditions. Embark on your own spiritual journey with guides and fellow seekers and participate in a learning community that supports each other’s unique spiritual unfolding.
Registration Details
Registration will open Summer 2027.
Cost
The standard cost for this course is $2,100, which can be paid upfront at once or in three installments. While this price reflects the true cost of creating and offering it, we believe that transformation belongs to everyone and are committed to reducing financial barriers to participation.
That’s why we’re offering two additional price levels — $1,575 and $1,050 — so you can choose the one that best aligns with your current financial circumstances.
If these price levels are out of reach, you may apply for additional financial assistance.
These reduced options are made possible by the generosity of our donor community who help ensure that seekers from all walks of life can engage the wisdom that calls us toward healing, wholeness, and deepening love.
CAC Connect
This Essentials of Engaged Contemplation course will be available on CAC’s new community learning platform, CAC Connect. This online space will be your companion for deeper engagement with Christian contemplative wisdom and practices. Designed for spiritual seekers and lifelong learners, it supports those seeking transformation and a deeper connection to contemplative practices.
Through CAC Connect (powered by Mighty Networks) you can explore enriching content and engage with like-valued individuals in dedicated spaces. Build meaningful relationships within a supportive community and foster both personal growth and a commitment to a more just and connected world.
Requirements
- Courses are taught in English.
- No prerequisites are required for registration. It is strongly recommended, however, that you have some form of support in place when the course begins. In this spiritual transformation course, you will be asked to intentionally engage in regular spiritual practice and internal work that will require courage and vulnerability. Your support may change over the year, but we recommend you have a trusted friend, therapist, spiritual director, and/or small group in your local setting who you can process with throughout the year.
- Learn more about the technical requirements for this program.
Course Impact
What impact has the Essentials of Engaged Contemplation had on you?
“My contemplative practice is far more embodied now.” Watch as student Jon Hokama talks about the freedom he felt to experiment, learn, and grow in the course.
Student Mark Wilson shares how the course’s community and content kept him grounded during a difficult season in his life.
What should prospective students know about the Essentials of Engaged Contemplation course?
Student Kristina Flanagan benefited from multiple teachers, videos with access to transcripts, and having conversations with other participants.
Student Jon Hokama discovered an expansion of connection, not just as human beings, but for all beings.
“I really appreciate that the course is attainable.” Student Mark Wilson felt that both his hopes and the course’s expectations could be met.
“It’s time for us to be the ones we’ve been waiting for.” Student Shara Moscinska appreciates that the course is both teacher and student-led.
Why did you enroll in The Living School and the Essentials of Engaged Contemplation?
“Life is the curriculum of our soul.” Student Shara Moscinska explains how the integration of presence and experience guided her toward wholeness.
Student Kristina Flanagan shares how the course taught her to learn from, rather than avoid, discomfort, and how to unpack what blocks her from experiencing God’s love.
“Jesus focuses on the way we do life with and for the neighbor. The soul is refined in engagement, in relationship, in doing, in connecting.”
—Richard Rohr
Desired Learning Outcomes
What We Hope You Will Know
- Love is the foundation of contemplation and spiritual transformation.
- Your personal healing is connected to and impacts the healing of others and the world.
- A contemplative mind is needed to inspire, commit to, and participate in compassionate action.
- Shared language, imagery, and stories can support spiritual transformation.
- Regular contemplative practice in your daily life plays an important role in your transformation.
- Experience, balanced by tradition and scripture, is important in shaping your spiritual worldview.
How We Hope You Will Grow
- Sensing and being rooted in God’s love for you, to grow in love and acceptance of everyone (regardless of race, gender, sexual identity), and all creation.
- Developing the basic skills for engaging sacred texts with care and in meaningful ways.
- Understanding the importance of sitting in discomfort and unknowing, and in developing an increased capacity to process, sit in, and learn from discomfort and unknowing by practicing self-awareness and self-compassion.
- Understanding the importance and process of discernment, and how to incorporate the practice of discernment by practicing self-awareness and reflection.
- Understanding the importance of reflection and connection to your own spiritual stories, and in developing an ability to compile reflections to develop a “Spiritual Autobiography.”
- Learning how to see people in a non-judgmental way by practicing:
- believing others’ experiences.
- speaking and acting from your own perspective.
- actively listening with curiosity.
How We Hope You Will Show Up
- Beginning to incorporate a daily practice and a rhythm of life (practice, study, reflection, community, integration) that supports spiritual transformation.
- Learning to be in solidarity with the world’s suffering and how you might express loving action in tangible ways.
- Beginning to understand how to ask essential and enduring questions.
- Practicing deeper presence to yourself and others.
Course Overview
Trimester One: The Path of Contemplation
The first trimester uses themes of story and narrative to introduce contemplative spirituality and ways of knowing. The teachings in this trimester support students in finding self and (re)claiming story as they learn not what to see but how to see.
Together, we will explore questions like:
- Why should Contemplation lead to action?
- How are scriptures, experiences, and traditions part of Contemplative Christianity?
- How do I show up as a contemplative engaged in the real brokenness of the world?
- What practices from the Engaged Christian Contemplative Traditions support my personal transformation?
Trimester Two: The Path of Descent
After sitting with the themes of self and story, trimester two explores the themes of descent, dark night of the soul, and grief while supporting students in finding their ground in God, through great love and great suffering, and in all the seasons of the spiritual life.
Together, we will explore questions like:
- What is the path of Descent, and how has it shown up in my life and the life of my teachers?
- How are desert mystics and monastics guides for me in the path of descent?
- How is the loss of spiritual community often a part of the path of descent?
- How do I put my healing in the service of healing the world?
- How can art, poetry, and story shape my spiritual path?
Trimester Three: The Path of Love
Finally, trimester three is designed to explore how to show up as love in the world. From a place of unitive love, firmly rooted and grounded, students are supported in stepping into loving action.
Together, we will explore questions like:
- How and why is love central to the Engaged Christian Contemplative Tradition?
- How can I put my actions into service of healing the world?
- How can I find new containers and identities for my expanding spiritual journey?
- How do I find my work to do in the world?
Virtual Gatherings
Virtual Gathering One
Welcome and program orientation (on the Saturday after the course opens) with CAC faculty and staff.
Virtual Gathering Two
All-cohort gathering with CAC faculty and staff.
Virtual Gathering Three
All-cohort gathering with CAC faculty and staff.
Virtual Gathering Four
All-cohort gathering with CAC faculty and staff.
“The openness of dialogue around the wonder of this work has helped me go deeper than I ever could.”
—Kristina Flanagan, Living School student
Explore Reflections from The Living School Participants and Staff
- Encouraging the Evolution of The Living School by Paul Swanson
- Finding the Baby by Betsy Cañas Garmon
- A Journey of Grace by Jeri Queenan
- Prophecy: The Beating Heart of Our Curriculum by Mike Petrow
Frequently Asked Questions
CAC is committed to reducing financial barriers so that seekers from all walks of life can engage the wisdom that heals and inspires. That’s why we offer reduced price levels for all our online courses—so students can choose the one that best aligns with their financial circumstances.
If those price levels are still out of reach, students may apply for additional financial assistance. Please wait to register for a course until you’ve received confirmation of your financial assistance status.
Students who go through the entire course will have unlimited access to course materials as long as CAC Connect is available. Course discussions will be accessible until the end of the course year and will only be accessible to enrolled students.
Students who need to withdraw during the course will have access to limited course content until the end of the course year based upon when they withdraw.
Yes! The course is offered on a community learning platform called CAC Connect (powered by Mighty Networks). Courses on this platform will offer multiple opportunities for discussion, practice, and engagement with others within the course and beyond.
Students will go through the course with the same small group and guide for the duration of the course. Guides facilitate interactions that support contemplative study, reflection, practice, and holistic integration for application of what is learned. Students will interact with each other regularly through weekly small group online discussion, monthly small group online gatherings, and occasional all-cohort (all students in the same year) online gatherings with staff and faculty. There will also be other opportunities for students to further connect online with each other and those outside of their small groups.
CAC online courses are available on computers and mobile devices, like tablets and smartphones.
If you’re having problems, you might be able to solve them by making sure you’re using a supported browser or device, and making sure it’s updated.
CAC Connect Web Access:
- Browser: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge (latest versions recommended).
- Operating System: Windows 10 or later, macOS 10.14 (Mojave) or later.
- Internet Speed: At least 5 Mbps for general browsing; 10+ Mbps recommended for livestreaming and video uploads.
- Screen Resolution: Minimum 1024×768 for the best viewing experience.
CAC Connect Mobile Access:
- iOS App: Requires iOS 15.0 or later (compatible with iPhone and iPad).
- Android App: Requires Android 7.1 or later.
- Storage Space: At least 200MB free for the app installation, more for media uploads.
- Permissions: The app may require access to notifications, microphone, camera, and storage for full functionality.
Yes, CAC Connect has a mobile app for both iOS and Android users! With the app, you can easily access and engage with your online courses, connect with fellow students, and explore enriching content that supports your spiritual journey while on the go.
iOS App
Android App
The iOS version requires 15.0 or later (compatible with iPhone and iPad), and the Android app requires Android 7.1 or later. Students will need at least 200MB free on their device for the app installation, with more available for media downloads. For full functionality, the app may require access to notifications, microphone, camera, and device storage.
To reset your password, visit connect.cac.org and click the “Forgot Password?” link. Please be sure to verify that the email you use is the one associated with your CAC Connect profile and that your email address has been entered correctly. All passwords are case sensitive.
Thank you for registering for CAC’s Living School: Essentials of Engaged Contemplation.
In September, you’ll receive a separate email inviting you to join our online learning platform, CAC Connect. This email will come from [email protected]—we recommend adding this address to your contacts now so you don’t miss it.
Once invited, you’ll be able to set up your account and begin connecting with your fellow students. Until then, we wish you a restful summer and look forward to welcoming you in September.
If you have any questions in the meantime, please feel free to reach out to our Community Support team.
Note: Registrants of CAC’s Living School: Essentials of Engaged Contemplation will only be invited onto the CAC Connect learning platform in September 2025, just before the course begins.
1. Have you received the course invite link?
In September, near the start date of the program, the course invite link will be sent to you in an email from [email protected]. If you don’t see it in your inbox, please double check your spam folder. If you haven’t received the invite link by mid-September, please contact our Community Support team here.
2. Are you using the correct email to log in or sign up?
Once you have received the course invite link, make sure you are signing up or logging in with the exact email address used for the student registrant details at checkout.
Double-check the email you used when registering for the course. If you’re unsure, refer to your purchase confirmation email from [email protected].
Note: The invite link is tied to the student’s email. Only the student will receive the invite. If you received this course as a gift, please check with the purchaser about what email address they used in the purchase confirmation email.
3. Still experiencing issues?
If you have received the invite link, are using the correct student email, and still cannot access your course, please contact our Community Support team for further assistance.
- Trimester 1 payment: due upon registration
- Trimester 2 payment: due 1/9/2026
- Trimester 3 payment: due 5/8/2026
Please note financial assistance applications for each trimester need to be approved by the noted deadlines.
Contact our Community Support team if you need to withdraw before the course begins in September. If you choose to withdraw after the program has already started, please contact your guide. You can receive a full refund if requested by Jan 9, 2026. Limited course access will be retained until the end of the course year as outlined.
We encourage students to report inappropriate behavior and/or incidents that violate the CAC Community Code of Conduct by contacting their course guide and providing the following information (if relevant to your report):
- Link to the area of incident
- Screenshot of the violating text
- Description of the violation
- Visible name of violating user
All reports made to CAC are taken seriously and will be evaluated and managed by the CAC team.
No. The Essentials of Engaged Contemplation is a fully online course. This allows us to make the course accessible to more students while growing a global learning community for the course.
Students will have the ability to find other students who live in their area and can choose to meet in-person if they’d like outside of the course.
There will be monthly virtual gatherings with your small group that are facilitated by your guide. There will also be four all-cohort online gatherings during the year when students will get to hear from faculty and staff, as well as meet with their guided groups.
Monthly small group gathering times will be determined together by your guide and peer small group members based upon member availability.
The four all-cohort virtual gatherings with faculty, staff, and all students will be on the following dates:
- Virtual Gathering #1: September 27, 2025*
- Virtual Gathering #2: January 17, 2026
- Virtual Gathering #3: May 16, 2026
- Virtual Gathering #4: September 12, 2026
*Please note Virtual Gathering #1 will take place at the end of the first week in the course.
There will not be one-on-one interactions with faculty, but there will be four virtual gatherings with live teachings from faculty. Students will have opportunities to ask faculty questions during the all-cohort portion of these gatherings.
CAC’s Living School program is in the process of being redesigned to be a multi-course program. The Essentials of Engaged Contemplation is the first course in CAC’s new Living School program. Check back to learn about future Living School courses and opportunities.
Founded in 2013, the Living School is the Center for Action and Contemplation’s (CAC) spiritual formation program. Grounded in the transformative wisdom and practices of the Christian contemplative traditions, its purpose is to equip students to work together for a more just and connected world.
In 2023, CAC began testing a new course for The Living School, the Essentials of Engaged Contemplation, which launched publicly in 2025.
Please refer to the Course Overview.
No, students will not receive any certificates.
Unlike academic courses that focus on teaching information, CAC courses focus on supporting spiritual transformation. In the Living School specifically, courses are designed with the mantra of “The curriculum of the Living School is your life.” The main goal of spiritual transformation is for students to live more authentically into who they really are. The Living School’s Essentials of Engaged Contemplation course is just one step on the student’s spiritual path and as such does not confer credentials. Instead, students are given the opportunity to receive tools, practices, and content based in the Christian contemplative tradition that support their spiritual transformation and inspire loving action. That means the emphasis is not on mastery of material or a skill but a commitment to regular practice, to reflection, and to participating in a community centered on supporting each other’s spiritual unfolding.
As a learning experience, the Living School’s Essentials of Engaged Contemplation is interactive and relies on students to engage in contemplative practice, written and live online interaction among students, as well as watching and listening to teachers and reflecting on how the content speaks to them.
Because this course is about spiritual transformation, students will be asked to intentionally engage in internal work and regular spiritual practice. This kind of work will require courage and vulnerability.
For this reason, it is strongly recommended that those considering this course have a trusted friend, therapist, spiritual director, and/or small group in their local setting whom they can process with throughout the course year. This can look different for each student and might change over the year, but we recommend that as much as possible students have this kind of support in place when the course begins in September.