About me - Dr Peter Mudge
and 'Living Spirituality', Series 1, 2 and 3

My Background and Interests

Dr Peter Mudge (BADipEd, DTheol, Honorary Research Associate, Sydney College of Divinity) is a baby boomer born in 1958, and has been teaching religious education, and then writing in the fields of religious education, spiritual formation and their links with the arts for almost 50 years. His classroom teacher training commenced in De La Salle Brothers’ schools and was formalised at Macquarie University. He has taught many online tertiary courses on religious education and spirituality between 2011 and 2020 in various institutions including Australian Catholic University. His academic writing began with an article on ‘Family Rituals and Sacred Space’ (ACR) in 1994. Since then, he has written over 50 academic articles, co-authored a combined 15 books and book chapters, and presented on many occasions at workshops and conferences, including several keynote presentations.

Peter has devoted most of his research, academic and teaching career to the twin areas of religious education and spirituality. These areas have punctuated all of his BADipEd, BTheol, MTheol and DTheol studies. He completed major studies in spirituality in each of his theology degrees. His MTheol focused on spiritual formation (Adrian van Kaam, Institute of Spiritual Formation, Pittsburgh), while his DTheol research topic was on connected knowing and sacred space (Belenkey et al, and other researchers).

Peter is the proud father of Christopher James (d.2020) and Nicola Levana Mudge (d. 2006). He has been married to Gwendoline Wijenberg for 40 years. During his career, Peter has taught in Catholic schools, as part of a retreat team, and worked in four Catholic education offices in two States, including two country dioceses. He then worked for seven years as a Senior Lecturer in Religious Education and Spirituality. Over the last seven years (end 2017 to 2024 inclusive) he has worked as a consultant and online lecturer, and as a ‘critical friend’ for senior leaders in spiritual formation and religious education. His work in integrating the Catholic Liberal Arts with Religious Education has inspired many leaders, RECs, teachers and students in both the Archdiocese of Sydney, and in the Diocese of Parramatta (including Years 9-10 and other Stages of Learning).

He has also prepared a series of ZOOM presentations on selected chapters from his books Living Spirituality, Series 1, 2 and 3. Some of these have been trialled in the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese and other dioceses. In past years he has authored: Out of the Desert (Years 7-10) (1995-2000); Living Religion, 6th Edition (2021); and his spiritual formation series, Living Spirituality, Series 1, 2 and 3. More recently, he has been preparing with his wife Eternal Life Letters to Our Two Children volume, which details the lives and death from a brain tumour of his two children. His most recent publication is: Mia the Wonder Cat – Spiritual Lessons that Cats [Creatures] Can Teach Us.

He is also involved in writing poetry as well as his own immediate family history, and online reflections on Ageing and Sageing, the spirituality of the Mystics, and other topics (1958 to the present). His hobbies include reading spiritual classics and non-fiction, creating art in his home studio, mindful walking, lectio divina,  travelling, and enjoying the company of family and friends. More information on his books and publications can be found on this website, especially in the final link, "Articles - Further Reading".

Why has this website been created?

There are very few, if any, websites in Australia or worldwide, dedicated to the practical teaching of spiritual formation skills in the classroom, and certainly none known that focus on Nancy Ammerman’s (2014) connected model of spiritual formation.

Ammerman’s model argues for the necessity of a close connection between spiritual traditions (STs), spiritual narratives (SNs), spiritual disciplines (SDs), and spiritual virtues (SVs). For example, the chapter designed for teachers and students on ‘breathing meditation’ focuses on the spiritual traditions of Christianity and Judaism, the narratives of Jesus, Pope Francis, and others, the discipline of breathing meditation, and the virtue of ‘cultivating the presence of God’.

This website also achieves something not addressed by any comparable resource. From a theoretical or academic perspective, it provides the teacher with all the above areas of background, it familiarises them with recent literature on the topic, and traces the evolution of the topic (e.g. breathing meditation) through famous exponents and practitioners up to the present.

From a practical perspective, it makes available to teachers (and for adaptation to students) a classroom script or reflection on the topic, reflection questions for staff development or staff meetings (see the three Living Spirituality books), as well as a list of academic resources, websites, YouTubes, and even suggested children’s books. Part of its innovative approach is to supply teachers with an adaptable ‘script framework’ for each topic (an adaptable reflection), rather than a ‘blackline master’ or ‘one size fits all’ resource. It factors in and acknowledges the creativity, imagination and professionalism of each classroom teachers.

What might be one key proof for the effectiveness of these resources? The author believes that this proof will manifest itself when Catholic and other office staff teach others in their office, when teachers can teach other teachers, and when students can teach other students. And then, as Lao Tzu says: “When the student is ready the teacher will Appear. When the student is truly ready... The teacher will Disappear” (Tao Te Ching). Once the ‘student’ has learned the tradition, the narrative, the discipline and the virtue, they no longer need the teacher. They can practise what they have learned and continue to teach others.

Thank you for your interest in Living Spirituality, Eternal Life Letters, and the topics of Spiritual Formation pursued within these web pages.

With best wishes and blessings for your own work and ministries, Peter.