Description
David describes the need for true contemplative prayer in the Church today in an interview with John-Henry Westen, ‘Exposing the Crisis in the Church’. After his eight-part Lenten Retreat, he explains in a final interview, how the heresy of Quietism destroyed traditional Catholic Spirituality.
Exposing the Crisis in the Church
Running time 58:18
David Torkington with John-Henry Westen, discusses the importance of contemplative Prayer and the necessity of dedicating significant time to deepening one’s relationship with God
David emphasises the need for personal transformation through prayer, repentance, and sacrifice, arguing that true renewal within the Church must begin with a return to authentic, contemplative faith.
Bishop Schneider ENDORSES LifeSite’s Lenten Retreat with David Torkington!
Running time 0:59
Bishop Schneider ENDORSES LifeSite’s Lenten retreat with David Torkington
The Lost Art of Prayer: LifeSite’s 8-Week Lenten Retreat DAY 1
Running time 56:44
LifeSiteNews and theologian David Torkington begin a transformative 8-week Lenten retreat, The Lost Art of Prayer—Praying as Christ Himself Showed Us. Bishop Athanasius Schneider joins them and explains the importance of ‘Retreat’ and leads Catholics in embracing true Contemplative Prayer
Strengthen Your Faith: LifeSite’s 8-Week Lenten Retreat DAY 2
Running time 50:40
Repentance, Prayer and Sacrifice. Strengthen your spiritual life. Learn the foundations of deep, contemplative prayer and how to restore an authentic connection with God.
Unlocking the Power of Prayer: Lenten Retreat Day 3
Running time 1:01:06
Discover the transformative power of early Christian spirituality in this week’s Lenten Retreat. David Torkington and Kevin Wells explore how prayer, sacrifice, and selflessness lead to a deeper union with God. Learn how to consecrate your day to Christ, and grow in holiness.
Rebuilding the Church: The Forgotten Lesson of St. Francis Lenten Retreat Day 4
Running time 56:59
True renewal doesn’t start with activism—it starts with the soul. David Torkington and Kevin Wells uncover the spiritual wisdom of St. Francis of Assisi, revealing how deep prayer, sacrifice, and selflessness must come before any real change in the Church. Learn how to embrace perseverance in prayer, structure daily life around faith, and build a foundation of holiness before transforming the world.
The Power of Sacrifice and Renewal: Lenten Retreat Day 5
Running time 1:05:14
True renewal begins within. Explore the profound significance of sacrifice, self-denial, and repentance in the Christian journey. Discover how deep prayer and meditation strengthen faith, transform hearts, and draw us closer to God.
The Simple Path to God, Prayer, Perseverance & Grace: Lenten Retreat Day 6
Running time 1:07:41
Learn how historical shifts, like Catholic stoicism, turned prayer into a human-centred effort rather than a God-centred surrender. Through personal testimony and deep reflection, this episode reveals how overcoming distractions, practicing self-denial, and committing to daily prayer lead to true transformation and union with God.
Hidden Stage of Prayer No One Warns You About: Lenten Retreat Day 7
Running time 1:09:59
David Torkington explores the true nature of contemplation—not as a technique, but as a divine gift and a purifying path to union with God. He explains how contemplation grows out of meditation, but marks a deeper stage in the spiritual life—one that cannot be reversed once entered. He introduces the concept of the dark night of the soul, a painful yet necessary process that purifies the heart, even when God feels absent. This “purgatory on earth” prepares the soul for total communion with the Divine. If you’ve ever struggled with dryness in prayer or felt abandoned by God, this episode offers clarity, encouragement, and a call to deeper trust.
The Only Way Forward: Reviving Contemplative Prayer: Lenten Retreat Day 8
Running time 1:21:19
In this final episode of the Lenten Retreat, David Torkington issues a stirring call for the Church to return to its forgotten heart: contemplative prayer. The retreat closes with urgency and hope. If we restore contemplative love, the Church will rise again. But without it, we will remain spiritually starved. He reflects on how early Christians lived in deep union with Christ—and how the Church’s abandonment of mystical prayer has led to moralism, activism, and spiritual decay. Tracing the decline of prayer from the heresies of Arianism to today’s psychological substitutes, he insists that true renewal won’t begin in chancelleries or programs, but in the family: through silence, storytelling, and teaching children how to love God in prayer.
How the heresy of Quietism destroyed Traditional Catholic Spirituality
Running time 1:06:24
A closing interview with Catholic theologian David Torkington explains how the heresy of Quietism destroyed the practice of traditional contemplative prayer, and how to return without delay to the profound contemplative spirituality bequeathed to the early church by Jesus Christ Himself. Discover how faithful Catholics can authentically give their lives to God through traditional contemplative prayer steeped in thousands of years of faithful devotion.
