Poets for the Kingdom
The Sacramental Stories of Lewis and Tolkien
Course Description
Perhaps no two authors in the last century have touched so many millions of lives with their deeply Christian imaginations than Lewis and Tolkien. Their intention to create "new mythologies" for England has quite literally touched the whole world, baptizing and evangelizing the imagination with a prophetic vision that speaks powerfully and critically to our reductionistic and "demythologized age". This course, combined with the sacramental vision of St. John Paul II in the Theology of the Body and his Letter to Artists, will delve deeply into the fellowship of these two great men, revealing how their personal histories and shared experiences shaped the writings that continue to shape new generations of readers. We will also explore their sacramental imagination through a host of their novels, stories, poems and letters. As St. John Paul II wrote, "Humanity in every age, and even today, looks to works of art to shed light upon its path and its destiny." (Letter to Artists)
Experience the Retreat
We offer two ways to experience this journey: as an immersive in-person retreat or as an online course. The details below describe the all-inclusive nature of our on-site retreats. Our online students receive the same world-class teaching and comprehensive study guide from the comfort of home.
Five days of learning & interactive lecture (30 hours of master’s level instruction)
Fantastic study guide so you can focus on receiving vs. note-taking
Daily Mass, adoration, and confession
Hotel style accommodations & delicious meals
Time for relaxation and networking
Gorgeous grounds to soak in God’s natural beauty
Optional round trip shuttle from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
Meet your instructor
Bill Donaghy, M.A.
Bill Donaghy has worked in mission, evangelization, and education for over 25 years, with a background in visual arts, philosophy, and systematic theology. He has taught biblical studies and theology courses for a private high school for boys, and served for over 13 years as an adjunct professor for Immaculata University. Presently, he teaches theology at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary as well as for Homeschool Connections online, offering live, interactive courses for middle and high school age students. Bill is a senior lecturer for the Theology of the Body Institute as well as a Certification Program instructor, national and international speaker. He has been giving talks, retreats, and course to bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated men and women, and the lay faithful throughout the world since 2006.
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Discover Our Other Courses
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.
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.
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.
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.
Poets for the Kingdom: Lewis & Tolkien
How story, myth, and sacramental imagination open our eyes to the invisible through the visible.
TOB & the Marian Mystery
Mary as the living icon of what it means to be “filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph 3).
TOB & the Way of Beauty (Art)
How beauty, art, and the imagination reveal the language of the body.
Philosophy of Saint John Paul II
The philosophical foundations that shaped TOB and JPII’s vision of the human person.
TOB & Spiritual Direction
Principles for accompanying others with a TOB-informed vision of the person.
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.
Sexual Integration & Redemption
A practical application of TOB to our need for inner healing and integration in our personal lives and relationships.