Spiritual Theology
With the Saints
Learn about conversion, prayer, discernment, and union with God through the lives of the saints.
Spiritual Theology With the Saints with Lisa Lickona, S.T.L
Courses in Spiritual Theology often focus on classic texts about the life of prayer such as The Ascent of Mount Carmel or The Imitation of Christ. This course takes a different approach. We learn about conversion, prayer, discernment, and union with God through the lives of the saints.
The saints show us spirituality in “real time.” We will follow the stories of flesh-and-blood human beings, with their own traumas, struggles, and sins, and discover what happens when they encounter Jesus Christ and this relationship becomes the meaning of their lives.
Each class will consider a different saint. We will learn from the “first monk,” the founder of the Jesuits, two Carmelite nuns, a young laywoman who is imprisoned with her infant son, and a modern scientist who survives an atomic bomb blast. Each one will help us discover new paths for our own spiritual lives.
Spiritual Theology With the Saints Online class with Professor Lisa Lickona, S.T.L.
Six Tuesdays on Zoom, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Tuesday, Sept 29, 2026
Saint Teresa of Avila (+1582) – selection from The Book of Her Life
Tuesday, Oct 2, 2026
Saint Ignatius of Loyola (+1556) – selection from The Autobiography of Ignatius of Loyola
Tuesday, Oct 13, 2026
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (+1897) – Maurice and Thérèse (a stage play)
Tuesday, Oct 20, 2026
Servant of God Takashi Nagai (+1951) – selection from Thoughts From Nyokodo
Professor Lisa Lickona, M.T.S., S.T.L.
Lisa Lickona’s mission is to invite others into a deeper encounter with God through the lives and prayer of the saints. After graduate studies in theology at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, Lisa spent many years at home raising her children.
In 2013, she began an eight-year stint as Editor for Saints at Magnificat magazine, a long-term deep-dive into the lives of the saints. In 2021, she became Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology at St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry, where she taught spiritual theology and led retreat-courses based on the prayer of the saints.
This year she joined the staff of McQuaid Jesuit High School in Rochester, New York, as Director of Ignatian Formation. Lisa runs popular half-day and weekend retreats in the upstate New York area. In 2025, she was the retreat master for the inaugural Word on Fire online Advent Retreat.
