Boldly. Joyfully. Faithfully

“I can nourish myself on nothing but truth.” St. Therese of Lisieux

Here’s What’s New!

Is That You, Lord?

This one-hour, pre-recorded webinar is based on the writings of St. Teresa of Avila who teaches us how to hear God’s voice, how to respond, and how to discern the difference between the voice of God, our own voice, and the voice of the devil. Presented by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS. Click here to purchase.

Tea with Therese: Live Her Little Way

Join us at the Malvern Retreat house on Sunday, October 4 from 2-4PM for a ladies afternoon tea celebrating the Feast of the Little Flower. Hosted by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS of Live Catholic, attendees will enjoy tea, treats, resources, and a presentation on the Little Way of Spiritual Childhood. Click here for more information .

For Catholic Caregivers!

This book, by Michelle Johnson OCDS, uses the The Way of the Cross as a framework for her heartbreakingly beautiful eight-year caregiving journey with her husband Stu. If you need practical, down-to-earth advice for helping your loved one carry their cross, it’s in this book. If you’re struggling to keep the faith during this difficult journey, this first-hand account of a real life couple’s drama can help. Click here to order!

Day by Day in the Little Way is both a devotional and practical way to learn the teachings of St. Therese of Lisieux on a daily basis. Each day begins with a quote from Therese, a short teaching, a personal reflection, and a prayer. Enjoy a “shower of roses” every day of the year as the Little Flower gently teaches us how to make her Little Way our way! Click here to order!

Welcome!

Are you longing for a deeper relationship with God?

Do you yearn to experience His Presence in your every day life?

Are you struggling to find your “Little Way” to God?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’ve come to the right place!

Live Catholic is a ministry of Discalced Carmelite Seculars from around the country who are devoted to teaching everyday people how to live the authentic Catholic mystical tradition as taught by the great Carmelite saints and Doctors of the Church such as St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) and St. Elizabeth of the Trinity.

These saints wrote the book on how to forge a closer union to God, but their writings can be difficult to read and even more challenging to put into action. That’s what the Secular Carmelites at Live Catholic strive to do – not just teach the spirituality, but help the student learn how to live it in the 21^st century.

Our courses and webinars explain Carmelite teaching in easy-to-understand language that is suitable for Catholics of all spiritual levels, from beginner to advanced. We teach our students how to spot the signs of advancing prayer such as those outlined in St. Teresa’s Four Stages of Prayer, what to expect as they journey through the Seven Mansions of the Soul, how to turn their weaknesses into strengths like St. Therese of Lisieux’s Little Way, how to hold themselves together through St. John of the Cross’ Dark Nights of the Soul, and how to practice Brother Lawrence’s Presence of God even in the middle of a busy day at the office.

All of our courses have an imprimatur from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and are available on-line as both cohort-based (with a live instructor) and self-paced. They are also available to groups ON-DEMAND! This means that in addition to the national courses we teach at various times during the year, you can schedule a course with your friends or fellow parishioners on the day and time of your choosing! The only requirement is to have five or more persons per class! Instruction is provided by a member of the Live Catholic team, all of whom have a minimum of six years formation in Carmelite spirituality, such as Susan Brinkmann, OCDS, award winning author and frequent guest on EWTN radio and television. Self-paced courses are also available to those who wish to study on their own time.

God intends for all of us to enjoy a deeper relationship with Him. It’s time to take Him up on that promise!

Scroll down to check out our offerings!

On-Demand Virtual Courses

All virtual courses are taught by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS or member of the Live Catholic team and are available on-demand to privately scheduled groups of 5 or more people via Zoom video conferencing.

In addition to giving a 20-30 minute lecture, the instructor will also review the week’s reading and be available to answer questions about the material. Attendees will be expected to complete weekly homework assignments.

We also offer many of these courses in a pre-recorded format.

Visit our Course Offerings page for more information. Please be sure to join our email list for information on the date/time of upcoming courses.

Live Catholic courses are suitable for ages 13+.

If you’re interested in bringing a course to your parish, please contact us at [email protected].

Pray Like a Catholic

If your prayer life is in a rut, and you’re longing to connect with God in prayer, this 5-week course details the four stages of prayer found in the teachings of St. Teresa of Avila. Presented in easy-to-understand language, Pray Like a Catholic explains the various stages of prayer beginning with vocal and mental prayer and how we progress into higher stages of contemplative and infused prayer. This course answers questions such as how do we advance from one stage to the other? How do we overcome obstacles such as distractions, dryness, self-reliance and attachments? What is the secret to discerning the voice of God in prayer? This class is available with an online instructor, as a self-paced course, or On-Demand at the day/time of your choosing for parish or private group instruction. Each lesson includes journaling pages with questions for deeper reflection. All live classes are recorded. Cost is $45 per person, plus the workbook ($12.99).

Live Like a Catholic

This 8-week course is based on the teachings of St. Teresa of Avila in her book, The Interior Castle, and traces the spiritual development of the soul from conversion to transforming union. A masterpiece of spiritual direction, it outlines the best way to advance in the spiritual life, the pitfalls to avoid, what virtues we need to develop in order to “fuel” our journey and how to spot the ever-evolving tactics of the devil. Each lesson includes journaling pages with questions for deeper reflection. This class is available with an online instructor, as a self-paced course, or On-Demand at the day/time of your choosing for parish or private group instruction. Each lesson includes journaling pages with questions for deeper reflection. All live classes are recorded. Cost is $45 per person, plus the workbook ($12.99).

Live the Little Way

This 4-week course explores St. Therese of Lisieux’s Little Way of Spiritual Childhood. Participants will study the three main components of spiritual childhood – humility, confidence, and abandonment. Students will learn what it means to be humble before God, to be utterly poor in spirit and to rely upon Him for everything with the kind of confidence that can only be found in a faith firmly grounded in the virtue of hope. Each lesson includes a journaling page with questions for deeper reflection. This class is available with an online instructor, as a self-paced course, or On-Demand at the day/time of your choosing for parish or private group instruction. Each lesson includes journaling pages with questions for deeper reflection. All live classes are recorded. Cost is $45 per person, plus the workbook ($12.99). The next online class will be held on Tuesday evenings from 7:30-8:30 PM EST from September 6-27, 2022. Click here to register. C ontact us to arrange a class with your friends/parish.

Mindful Like a Catholic

If you want to live your life more mindfully, but are leery of the Buddhist roots of the current mindfulness craze, the Catholic alternative to mindfulness is the answer. This 90-minute workshop presents the classic Catholic devotions of The Sacrament of the Present Moment and the Practice of the Presence of God and shows you how to use these to not only live more mindfully, but to do so in order to achieve sanctity. Mindful Like a Catholic will help you to be better recollected, less distracted, and in more control of your thought processes. Each lesson contains practical application tips. This workshop is available with an online instructor, as a self-paced course, or On-Demand at the day/time of your choosing for parish or private group instruction. The live workshop is recorded for registered students. Cost is $45 per person. A workbook for additional at-home study is also available.

Fight Like Catholic

Our Lord did not leave us orphaned and defenseless! In this 6-week course, students will learn who Satan is, what kind of powers he possesses, how he uses them against us, and how to protect ourselves from his wiles. On-line lectures, presented by Susan Brinkmann OCDS, will include coverage of material from the workbook entitled Fight Like a Catholic, and will review discernment techniques, how to recognize spiritual bondage, how to deal with curses and cursed objects, and why God sometimes allows victim souls to undergo possession. All online classes are recorded! Classes will be held on Tuesday evenings from 7:30-8:30 PM EST beginning October 4 through November 8, 20221. Click here to register for the course, or contact us to set up a class for your group.

Self-Paced Conferences & Reflections

These conferences and reflections are available as self-paced courses taught by members of our team on a variety of spiritual topics. We are constantly adding to this collection so be sure to visit from time to time to see our latest offerings! Contact us to join our mailing list!

Peace of Soul

God never meant for us to live such frantic, hectic lives. Our souls were designed for peace, joy and contentment. So how do we get from here to there? This one-hour conference will present a step-by-step guide to how to use our faith to regain our peace of soul. Click here to register.

Modern Mortification

This 90 minute Lenten workshop is designed to help souls prepare for the Lenten season by coming to a deeper understanding of the purpose of both corporal and spiritual mortification, how to deal with imperfections and attachments to sin, and how to do this in a modern world. Available as a pre-recorded workshop. Click here to learn more!

Weekend Retreats

These weekend retreats are led by retreat master, Susan Brinkmann, OCDS, and can be scheduled by parishes or individual groups at the retreat center of their choice. Please contact us at [email protected] to discuss bringing one of these retreats to your area!

The following retreats are available year-round.

THE SCIENCE OF WEAKNESS:

This weekend retreat looks behind the gossamer veils that too often hide the truth about the Little Flower of Lisieux and reveal fascinating details about her life, her loves, and the weaknesses that spawned her Little Way of Spiritual Childhood. Only by discovering her “hidden face” can devotees fully appreciate the teachings of her Little Way and learn how to turn their own weaknesses into strengths. Retreat topics include Theresian Humility: Finding Strength in Weakness; Theresian Mortification: Suffering for Love; Theresian Confidence: Taking Jesus by His Heart; Theresian Surrender: Abandonment to God.

Fight Like a Catholic

Based on the book Fight Like a Catholic by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS, retreatants will learn about the nature of Satan, his preternatural powers and how he uses them to tempt man to the acquisition of power and knowledge. Retreatants will be introduced to Satan’s extraordinary including how to spot the signs of spiritual bondage, infestation, oppression, obsession and possession. They will also come to a deeper understanding of the powerful weapons the Church provides the faithful to protect themselves and their loved ones from the machinations of Satan. This retreat is for ages 15+.

LIVE LIKE A CATHOLIC: The Interior Castle of St. Teresa of Avila

This weekend retreat details the soul’s journey through the seven mansions of the soul as taught by St. Teresa of Avila. Using easy-to-understand language, retreat master Susan Brinkmann, OCDS will introduce students to Teresa’s teachings on the interior life, such as how to avoid common pitfalls in their prayer life, how to overcome attachments to sin, the dangers of self-reliance in the spiritual life, how to become truly poor in spirit, and the most valuable virtues to develop to reach the ultimate destination of union with God.

Susan is also available to conduct day-long or weekend retreats for your parish or organization on subjects commensurate with her expertise. Please contact us to discuss further.