Over the past few months I have had the good fortune to be the guest on a few podcasts. Perhaps you might enjoy listening to them. If so, check the episodes out below… First up is “The Wisdom’s Table” podcast with Philip Averay, an Anglican priest based in Wales. We spoke about “The Treasures of …
Friends, as you can see from this photo, I have a new bookmark and I’d love to send a couple of them to you. While one side of the bookmark is “advertising” — what I’m most excited to be sharing with you is a prayer I call my “Centering Prayer Affirmations” prayer. Even though during …
It’s no secret to anyone who has been reading my blog for a while that I’m a huge fan of Verbum. Verbum is a Bible study software designed specifically for Catholics or anyone interested in a Catholic approach to Biblical scholarship. It draws on the entire history of Christian theology and spirituality, meaning that when …
Get Verbum to Study the Bible, Explore the Mystics, and… Read a Few of My Books, Too! Read More »
I’m glad you’re visiting my website. I’m Carl — and here’s a little bit about me. I am a writer, blogger, podcaster, spiritual director, and speaker. While I work with words for a living, I love to explore what ultimately cannot be put into words: topics like silence and love — and God. On my blog …
Friends, I’m pleased to announce that I have launched a new section on this website called Via Mystica. To visit it, click here: www.viamystica.com. Via Mystica is a website devoted entirely to the study and practice of Christian mystical spirituality. It’s still in its beginning stages, but let me share with you my vision for what it …
Via Mystica — An Online Resource for Exploring Christian Mysticism Read More »
A Retreat and Pilgrimage on the Isle of Mull (with visits to Iona and other sacred sites) — led by Carl and Fran McColman, Laura Imperial, and Phil Foster This retreat is fully booked. Please contact us if you would like to be placed on a waiting list. Explore the wisdom, the poetry, and the sacred …
This evening I’ve been asked to speak to a small house church in my neighborhood on the spirituality of silence. This particular community is evangelical, and silence is not something that they have traditionally placed a lot of emphasis on. But their pastor (who lives across the street from me)…… Read more at Patheos
Readers like you make this website possible. Anamchara — an online resource for the exploration of Christian and interfaith mysticism, contemplative living, and silent prayer — includes a blog, a knowledge base, and audio/video content. It’s a labor of love and requires several hours each workday to keep going. This website is made possible by …
This post originally appeared on Patheos. Follow this link to read it: Celtic Monks Observed Three Lents Each Year — Perhaps We Should Too
Everyone knows that monks devote their lives to silence, but also to daily prayer and chanting. Monastic prayer occurs at fixed-hours throughout the day. The rota of Psalms, canticles, scripture readings, antiphons and other prayers that incorporate this daily liturgy is known as the Divine Office (or the Daily Office, or the Liturgy of the Hours). …
I have learned of the passing of Father Kenneth Leech, who died on September 12, 2015 after a long illness. He was born in 1939 and grew up in a secular home in the north of England. As a youth he was inspired by Alasdair MacIntyre (later famous for his renowned study of postmodern moral theory, …
When I was a sophomore in High School, my English teacher, Mrs. Romano, taught a section on William Blake. She gave us a handout with some information on the poet, and in it Blake was described as “a mystic.” I had never come across the word before. I don’t recall if I or anyone else …
The more I read Richard of St. Victor, the more I love him. Here are a few jewels from the fifteenth chapter of Book IV of The Mystical Ark: See to it that the very time He begins to knock at the door is not the first time that you begin to want to throw …
Here is an excerpt from my book The Aspiring Mystic: Practical Steps for Spiritual Seekers (2000). This passage describes my own initiation into an embodied, luminous encounter with the Divine, after which “spirituality” for me would always be a lived reality, not just an abstract idea. The highlight of the weekend was the Saturday night …
