Why do I do it? When I sit with the Lord in the silence of those ten days I bring with me all aspects of my life, my joys, my problems, my frustrations, my virtues, my faults, my efforts and my failures. I come just as I am with nothing hidden..

It is not always easy to be quiet with God. Illusions are shattered. Reality has a way of intruding itself when there are no distractions and one is in complete silence. Each time, though, in some way I am eventually graced with a vision of the whole and what my place is in the total scheme of things. In some way I experience connectedness to God, everyone else and to the whole universe and there is an inner unity within myself. What’s more, there is an inexplicable sense of community among all those who participate in the retreat. Most of us have never met before. We don’t know the details of one another’s lives. The retreat is silent so we don’t get to converse. Yet, at the end, we’re all one, brothers and sisters in the Lord. Silence purifies thoughts and words. It tames the ego and enables one to listen to the Lord, to oneself, and, only then, is it possible to listen to other people. Centering Prayer, the 10-Day Retreat and the other practices which are part of a contemplative lifestyle have become for me an oasis with the Lord, a way to drink deeply of God’s Living Waters.

As a new co-coordinator in service to the Triangle chapter in North Carolina, I had the privilege of taking part in the Servant-Leadership Formation sponsored by Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. in early August. The week-long workshop was held just outside St. Louis at a Marianist retreat center, primarily to acquaint chapter leadership (not just coordinators, but anyone who is serving CO), with the many resources available to them. True to its title, it was presented in a way that continued our formation in the practices that make up contemplative life. Following Centering Prayer twice a day, a “lectio divina” process was used to mull over the theological principles, and silence each night until after breakfast the next day intensified the atmosphere of quiet and discernment. Our entire week was a model of interweaving prayer and work, silence, laughter and learning.

Conference sessions focused on what is known as the RHB (Resource Handbook), a manual that outlines all the programs and services of CO Ltd., and its International Resource Center, located in New Jersey. The book looks formidable until we realize how all those pieces could fit into our individual chapters, both now and in the future. Then it truly becomes a resource.

Susan Komis, Director of Chapter Resource and Communication Services, and Roseanne Havird, Regional Representative for the CO eastern region, were our primary guides through the Resource Handbook. We came to know what is available in books, tapes, programs and people. More important, we received more than information from Susan and Roseanne; we received wisdom. That wisdom consists of the knowledge, deeply held, that we are keepers of the vision, of the belief that Centering Prayer and the contemplative life it prompts can transform the heart of the world. The wisdom also includes the many practicalities that help us work more effectively in the chapters we serve such as having a program description of all CO programs as well as the contact information to coordinate these programs.

This is how the network grows: Each person is a resource of prayer and possibilities. As we open to the Spirit we realize the potential to transform our lives and our journey through prayer and work. We discern where we are called, then prayerfully take the next steps, whether it be attending retreats, workshops, or helping the leadership make them possible. One of my goals is to build Service Teams to help with chapter projects. The most helpful resources are the dedicated people who give their time and energy so that we can deepen and expand our journey. I’m very grateful for the leadership I met, not only of Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. (they were knowledgeable, kind, prayerful and fun!), but also the coordinators I met from California, South Dakota, Oregon, Washington, Missouri, Wisconsin, Texas, and Pennsylvania. Meeting people, hearing about their chapters and what they are doing, was a valuable experience. Some are in established chapters and very active while some brave souls are just beginning with a group or two, because Centering is so important a part of their lives and the need to network is great.

In the silence, prayer, learning, and socializing, what impressed me most was the trusting spirit of all we did. We grow and the organization grows through the silent listening to the Spirit. Discernment is a daily practice of aligning to the will of God, to the needs of the people we serve. That discernment, born in silence and surrender, is both the compass by which we are guided and the love that unites us.

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Fr. Thomas Leads Advanced Study Course
College Students Seek Contemplative Depth

Father Thomas Leads Advanced Study Course

I'm 84 and a half years old," exclaimed Father Thomas Keating with a weary smile, "I don't have the energy I used to." Father Thomas was addressing two dozen seasoned Centering Prayer practitioners invited to a two-week advanced study course held in October in White Plains, New York. But he might as well have been addressing all of us in Contemplative Outreach.

For over twenty years, Father Thomas has been crisscrossing the globe spreading the good news of Centering Prayer. Now, in his ninth decade, his body is telling him to slow down -- at least a little. And like any patriarch of a far-flung family, Father Thomas wanted to gather his flock to share a few intimate moments before his battery runs too low.

Mystics, contemplatives and wannabes of varied shapes, sizes and persuasions descended on the Divine Compassion retreat center just north of New York City to linger with and learn from Father Thomas. They came from all over the United States, Canada, the West Indies and even Cuba.

Among those attending were locals Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler and Cathy McCarthy who hosted the gathering. Latinas Isabel Castellanos and Maru Ladron DeGuevara -- who share Centering Prayer with communities in Mexico and Central America -- flew up from Florida. Quiet Sr. Catherine Labinowich trekked down from her contemplative community of nuns in Winnepeg, Canada. David Muyskens, from Grand Rapids Michigan, who just published a book on Centering Prayer for Protestant Christians, represented the Presbyterians. And Southern good ol' boy and Episcopal priest Tom Ward jetted up from Sewanee, Tennessee to pray, rest and receive the latest insights from Father Thomas.

Although billed as a "study course," the gathering felt more like a contemplative retreat -- a delicate Benedictine balance of work and prayer, silence and exercise, community and solitude. Each day began with an hour of Centering Prayer -- which was repeated at midday and late afternoon. Father Thomas taught during morning and afternoon sessions which left ample free time to walk the grounds, pray, exercise, read or meditate privately. Each day concluded at 7:00 p.m. with everyone gathered in a circle for a gentle, contemplative celebration of the Eucharist by either Father Thomas, Father Carl Arico, or Father Gilberto Walker.

As we might expect from a Yalie, in his lectures, Father Thomas harnessed his powerful intellect to expound on a wide range of subjects, including love, the spiritual journey, sin, self-surrender, higher levels of consciousness, mantric practices, the Eucharist and the Incarnation. Along the way, he quoted and explained the teachings of the gospels, the Buddha, Pope John Paul, Ken Wilber, Eckhard Tolle and numerous mystics down through the ages. Although it hardly seems possible, Thomas's teaching seemed even simpler, clearer and more profound than ever.

As powerful as these teachings were, what moved us most was Thomas's tender sharing of poignant stories from his personal journey. Thomas also shared the deep sadness he felt leaving his home during WWII to enter the Trappist Order, the rift this caused with his father who wanted him to become an attorney and join him in private practice, and the eventual healing and reconciliation with his father many years later that contributed to the completion of the building of the Trappist monastery at Snowmass.

For those of us fortunate enough to have sat at his feet, the two weeks was a lovely blessing beyond measure, and, at the same time, bittersweet because it is unlikely to be repeated. As Father Thomas reminds us, he's "84 and a half years old" and doesn't have "the energy he used to."

Steven Standiford is a psychotherapist in private practice in Manhattan and Westchester County, NY

As an English teacher and English department chair at Southeastern University, a small Christian university in Lakeland, FL, I have always loved sharing how God works in and through words. Plus I have been able to make references to the great mystics and contemplatives of Church history and weave in times of silent prayer in my classes from time to time.

But in the spring of 2006 I was surprised to find two young students knocking on my door asking me to give them a course on the Christian mystics I often talked about in class. Delighted, I developed an independent study course just for them in Fall 2006. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised when other students heard about it and asked me to make a course like it generally available. Wondering if it would really have enough students, I offered Christian Mystics as a special topics course on the regular schedule in the spring semester of 2007. The course filled in a few hours. In this course students not only studied great Christian mystics, but they also learned to do practices like praying the scriptures, praying the divine hours, and sitting silently in the presence of God.

After the course was finished I was delighted to be asked to sponsor a student group for Praying the Scriptures, an adaptation of Lectio Divina for group  prayer. Now two other faculty members and I meet weekly with about 7 to 10 students and former students. We rotate the role of choosing the scripture and facilitating the sessions.

One of the young men in the Praying the Scriptures group is presently seeking to become an Episcopal priest, and he asked me do a workshop on Centering Prayer at his local church. He advertised it in his church bulletin and shared the information with his home fellowship group. Eight young people, one middle-aged man, and one older couple from the church showed up for the workshop. A prayer group of mostly young people (and the original older couple) has emerged that now meets at the church every Thursday for Centering Prayer.

It has been exciting for me to discover that even with all the noise and distraction of modern society, many young people today hunger for a spirituality that is deep, genuine, and open to the presence of God.

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