Courses: The Heart of the Journey
The courses of the Theology of the Body Institute are not just “courses.” They’re prayerful encounters with Beauty in which hearts are stirred, minds are stretched, and lives are transformed. Here, the “art of becoming” isn’t just an idea—it’s something you begin to experience for yourself.
We accompany people into a deeper understanding of what it means to be human. This is the core of what TOBI does. Whether you join us in person for a five-day immersion or walk through the material online from home, each course invites you to see yourself, your desires, your vocation, and your destiny with new eyes.
What Makes Our Courses Different
Not Just Information. A Turning Point.
There are many ways to learn about the Theology of the Body. What makes our approach different is how deeply we engage the whole person-–head and heart, body and soul. You’ll receive serious teaching, but not in a cold or abstract way. The pace, the environment, the stories, and the space to pray and reflect all work together so that what you’re learning can actually impact your real life.
Graduate Level Instruction
Our world-renowned faculty members explore the riches of Catholic theology in a way that is faithful, engaging, profound, and accessible all at once.
Head and Heart Together
The experience is more one of being on retreat then of attending academic lectures—time to listen, pray, be still, and talk things through, not just take notes.
Rooted in Real Experience
These courses speak into the concrete realities of our lives: identity, longing, the quest for happiness, sexual desire and love, vocation (marriage and celibacy), suffering and hope, culture, music, and the things you love.
How Our Courses Are Offered
All of our courses offer 30 hours of instruction and guided experience. You can experience them in-person through a five-day immersion (usually at Black Rock Retreat Center near Lancaster, PA), or you can walk through the same material from home in our online format.
Core Courses
These core courses form the backbone of what TOBI offers. Most people begin with TOB1 and then move deeper as their questions and callings unfold.
Theology of the Body I: Head & Heart Immersion
The foundational lens for seeing the human person, love, and desire in the light of God’s plan.
Theology of the Body II: Into the Deep
A deeper dive into the mystical dimensions of TOB, with an emphasis on John Paul II’s “hidden” teachings on the Song of Songs.
Theology of the Body & the New Evangelization
A tour through the Catechism of the Catholic Church wearing TOB lenses illuminates the entire Christian Mystery in ways you would never expect, fueling a new evangelization.
Love & Responsibility
An in-depth exploration of John Paul II’s masterful philosophical work on how to put the power of sexual desire at the service of authentic human love.
Writings on Gender, Marriage, and Family
A focused look at the keen insights of John Paul II’s additional writings on the meaning of the sexual difference and the call to communion.
Catholic Sexual Ethics
Not moralism. Not legalism. But a clear, integrated understanding of the Church’s sexual ethic rooted in the new life of grace and the joy of loving as Christ loves.
Elective and Specialized Courses
These courses open up particular dimensions of TOB—art, prayer, philosophy, healing, Mariology, and more—so that different aspects of the mystery can speak more personally into your life and vocation.
Philosophy of Saint John Paul II
The philosophical foundations that shaped TOB and JPII’s vision of the human person.
TOB & the Way of Beauty (Art)
How beauty, art, and the imagination reveal the language of the body.
TOB & the Marian Mystery
Mary as the living icon of what it means to be “filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph 3).
Poets for the Kingdom: Lewis & Tolkien
How story, myth, and sacramental imagination open our eyes to the invisible through the visible.
Sexual Integration & Redemption
A practical application of TOB to our need for inner healing and integration in our personal lives and relationships.
TOB & the Interior Life
A marriage of Saints John Paul II and Ignatius of Loyola, of TOB and the “discernment of spirits,” enabling us to respond to God in the concrete circumstances of everyday life.
TOB & Vatican II
The relationship between the Council’s vision of the human person and the development of TOB.
TOB & Spiritual Direction
Principles for accompanying others with a TOB-informed vision of the person.
Where Course Should I Take First?
You don’t need to map out your whole future with TOBI before you start.
Most people begin with the course that speaks to their desires, and then discern from there.
01
For many, that first step is:
Theology of the Body 1
This is typically the best entry point as it provides the big picture and the basic “lens” through which everything else starts to make sense.
Begin Your Journey02
From there:
Go deeper with core or elective courses
TOB2, Love & Responsibility, and our electives let you go further in the areas that are most important to you right now—marriage, celibacy, healing, teaching, or mission.
View Course CalendarFor Those Called to Go Further
Certification and Degree Paths
For those sensing a call to teach, counsel, or build ministries around TOB, we offer a Certification Program.
We also work in partnership with Pontifex University for advanced degrees—masters and doctorate.
Beyond individual courses, the institute offers for those serving in ministry, education, counseling, or evangelization
Theology of the Body Institute
Certification Program
TOBI also collaborates with Pontifex University to offer:
Master’s of Theology of the Body and the New Evangelization (MSA)
One-of-a-kind master’s program integrating TOBI courses with Pontifex University’s emphasis on art, culture, and evangelization.
Learn more about MasterDoctor of Theology of the Body (ThD)
For those called to advanced research and teaching in this field.
Learn more about Doctorate