Newsletter Table of Contents

Summer 1999 Newsletter

Executive Director's Letter

Dear Friends of Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.,
As this Newsletter goes to print a Spring with daffodils, pansies and forsythia is in full bloom. Spring is a wonderful season when everything around us wakes up and begins again. I am reminded of St. Therese's comment that "the spiritual journey is beginning again, and beginning again."

I invite you to visit our website at www.contemplativeoutreach.org or www.centeringprayer.com.

We have NEW resources that I am eager to tell you about. A video series called: The Six Follow-Up Sessions to the Introductory Workshop to Centering Prayer. There are two half-hour sessions on each video tape. The sessions are entitled:
    Tape I: Session 1, Prayer in Secret
     Session 2, The Discipline of Centering Prayer; Tape II
    Session 3, What Centering Prayer Is Not and What It Is
    Session 4, The Basic Principles of Centering Prayer; Tape III
    Sessions 5 and 6 use the Method of Centering Prayer (part 1), Method of Centering Prayer (Part 2).

These two sessions (5 and  6) are from the Contemplative Heritage Series and are also used as the Prologue to the Spiritual Journey Video Tape Series. You will find order information on page 4.

Another NEW resource is The Spiritual Journey Handbook, a comprehensive guide and workbook, that compliments the Spiritual Journey Series. (See page 10).

We are in the process of planning our Annual Meeting for 1999 which includes two days for a Coordinator's Meeting and a Day of Enrichment.

(See Ruth Dundon's article on page 6). Thank you for your support of our Newsletter. The $9295 we received

towards the printing and mailing has enabled us to expand the size of the Newsletter to sixteen pages. We appreciate and count on your continued financial support.

Again, let me remind you that it is because of your interest and support that Contemplative Outreach came into being and continues to thrive. Enjoy the new beginning that Spring offers as you reflect on your Spiritual Journey.

With a grateful spirit,

Gail Fitzpatrick Hopler
Executive Director

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From the Network- About Centering Prayer

From Kentucky...

I have been practicing Centering Prayer for almost four years. In that time there have been many changes in my life, but even more important are the changes in the way I have come to view life. The first time I became aware of a change in my behavior occurred after I had been practicing Centering Prayer about eight months. While driving up an entrance ramp to an expressway someone sped by and almost forced me off the road. I thought to myself quite calmly, "well that guy must be in a real hurry." Suddenly I realized that was not my normal response. Normally there would have been some ranting and raving. Why was this time different? The only thing I could come up with was my Centering Prayer practice.

After this incident I began to notice my reaction to other situations. I began realizing that the prejudices and attitudes that were programmed into me in my youth were still there in some circumstances. As this knowledge came to the surface I would face the problem, realize the fallacy of my beliefs, and begin healing with the truth. I know that these things have been major blocks to my spiritual growth. The elimination of these fallacies is an ongoing process that will probably continue for the rest of my life.

Fr. Thomas Keating in his book Open Mind, Open Heart says that Centering Prayer will brings these blocks to the surface so we can face and eliminate them. He says it is like peeling an onion; "The Spirit works through our personal history layer by layer." As these fallacies are removed, they are replaced with a sincere concern and appreciation for all life. I am currently going through the Ministry Formation Program to discern where my talents can best be used to help others. I facilitate a Centering Prayer Group. Nature has become a real delight for me. When walking through the woods I can feel God's presence all around me.

The real proof of Centering Prayer's effect on my life was illustrated by my sixteen year old daughter. We were discussing prayer and I asked her if she would be interested in learning about Centering Prayer. She said after seeing what Centering Prayer has done for me, she would love to learn how to do it.

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From the Philippines... (submitted by Lita Salinas)

Centering Prayer and God's Gift of Presence
By Maria Elena la'O

It was Vinci who first introduced me to the gift of presence. "My father was always around for me," he said. "He didn't say much but I appreciated his gentle constant presence." I try to think of this gift in my own life and it becomes easy to recall many instances. Like when I woke up from surgery and, beside my bed, my sister Celia was by herself, keeping watch, reading a book. I kept slipping back into deep sleep but, each time I would open my eyes, she would still be there with her book. I was so dazed and groggy, I know it must've been my heart that remembered the experience so distinctly. To this day I can still recall that early morning and image Celia's quiet figure seated on a chair beside my bed. And I can still relive the feelings that her presence showered on me, the comfort and security and confidence in her support and love for me.

Presence is a gift, one that lasts, one that nurtures the receiver as well as the giver. We feel blessed when we receive this gift, when someone is there for us during a time of need or when we recognize a person to be the wind beneath our wings, just quietly affirming us. The gift of presence appears small and simple, sometimes brief and unnoticed, but it is such a powerful gift. It can transform and empower. It lingers and becomes rooted in our deepest memories. It grows on us and contributes to our growth.

The Divine Presence in the center of our being is God's most precious gift to us. Yet we could allow years to pass in our lives looking for Him elsewhere. To think that of all the gifts of presence in our whole lifetime, this is the most powerful and life-giving! In the practice of Centering Prayer, we dispose ourselves and consent to God's gift of presence. For an entire 20 minutes, twice a day, we wait on Him in interior silence and alert receptivity. Of course, we can count 100 percent on getting distracted or falling asleep! When this happens we simply express in our hearts our sacred word to signify our intention of waiting on Him again. Maybe it sounds too simple. But this is actually all that God asks of us-our consent for Him to shower on us His Presence that transforms and heals and loves unconditionally. We may not experience the magic instantly. God, after all, isn't magic nor is He instant.

It is also not within our capacity to get into union with God during prayer because only God can take us there. But our intention to wait on Him in the daily discipline of Centering Prayer disposes us to this Union. As we grow in the practice of making this single simple act of the will, we open up space for God to heal and liberate our inner injured selves, transforming us into the true selves He meant for us to become. In and outside of our prayer time, we grow in our spiritual awareness, making us attuned and sensitive to the delicate movements of the Spirit. Our daily periods of Centering Prayer nurture this unique relationship, this quiet dialogue with God--Presence and Action on His part and simple consent, listening and obedience on ours.

In our own humble way, this becomes our gift of presence to the Lord.

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The Workings of the Spirit on the South Coast of England...

It is amazing how the Spirit works by just making one's name available on the Contemplative Outreach UK Contact List. Some time ago a complete stranger, who had been practicing Eastern meditation, phoned to enquire about our form of meditation. I introduced him to Centering Prayer. He went on to do the Christian Initiation Course and is now baptized.

On another occasion two Centering Prayer exponents from California, Paul and Barbara, flew into the UK for 3 or 4 months. Upon arriving they checked the Contact List. Subsequently, we have at the moment Episcopalians, as well as Anglicans and Catholics, in our prayer group.

Contemplative Outreach is a sure way to Christian unity!

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Updates

Frenchville, PA (Bethany Retreat Center)

On August 15 we will have a Conference and Reflection with Fr. Thomas Keating offering helpful information about Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina. This will be a special time for anyone interested in or practicing Centering Prayer. Following Fr. Keating, there will be a one hour presentation on the spirituality of St. Teresa of Avila, St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Catherine of Sienna: Women Doctors of the Church. A light buffet reception follows. Call for reservations. Free will offering will be taken.

Fall Courses will be two tracks held on the same weekend (Friday to Saturday- $35 per person): Track One for those with little or no experience with Centering Prayer. Will be using Fr. Keating's tapes. Track Two will be for those who have been practicing Centering Prayer for one or more years. Emphasis will be on Lectio Divina Practice, the Active Prayer Practice, and study of the mystics. For information please call 814-263-4855.

Malaysia

Centering Prayer "officially" arrived on our shores with Fr. Basil Pennington, OCSO, holding an Introduction to Centering Prayer Workshop in April 1997 (over 200 persons) and another in September (more than 800). A handful among those participants came together and got things organized. At our inaugural meeting January 15, 1998. CPOM's core team is just over a year old - what we lack in experience we make up with our enthusiasm. For 1999 CPOM has lined up "A Day of Prayer (CP & Lectio Divina); two "Introduction to Centering Prayer" Workshops; and two Facilitator Training Workshops. CPOM thanks Fr. Basil Pennington, Fr. Thomas Keating, Fr. William Finkel and Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. for their support, encouragement and collaboration. CPOM can be contacted at cpom98@hotmail.com or center_m@catholic.org (that is "center_m")

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Milwaukee, WI

Contemplative Outreach of Southeast Wisconsin continues to grow. A new Centering Prayer Group, facilitated by Fr. Gordon Weber, has begun at St. Mary's Parish in Waukesha. We also sponsored the Living Flame 1 Series from October 1998 through April 1999. Twenty people from our area's Centering Prayer groups participated, which proved not only to deepen our Centering Prayer practice but to strengthen our community as well. Introductory Workshops were held in two other parishes in February and April. We are happy to announce that Thomas Keating will be in Milwaukee on Oct. 30, 1999. The theme for his talk will be "The Simple Path to God: Contemplative Prayer." This day long event is open to Centering Prayer practitioners and others interested in knowing more about Centering Prayer. For information or registration, call Madeline Soo 414-961-2610 or Barbara Wuest 414-332-8807.

Middle Tennessee

We are happily preparing for the growing number of Centering Prayer Groups, Introductory Workshops, 3-Day and 8-Day Intensive Retreats. We now have six trained Presenters and three attending the Formation for Contemplative Outreach Service this summer. Plans are underway for Thomas Keating's scheduled visit to Middle Tennessee - Chattanooga, Sewanee, Nashville - in February of 2000. Carol Wray 615-373-0613.

Walden, NY (St. Andrews' Retreat House)

In February we experimented with a two-track Intensive and Post Intensive Retreat. It was so successful for all who participated that we are doing it again in Feb. 2000. Our Contemplative Living Communities (CLC) met with Thomas Keating in December to review and refine our Guidelines. It was a powerful, Spirit-filled experience that reinforced the continuing movement of the Holy Spirit in Contemplative Outreach towards newness and growth. If you are interested in exploring these communities, we will be happy to send the information. Our Day of Enrichment with Fr. Thomas will be October 9, a brochure will be mailed out in July. Keep the date open! Cathy McCarthy

914-778-2102; or cathymc@frontiernet.net

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Washington, DC

In the fall, Contemplative Outreach of Metropolitan Washington (COMW) sponsored an Introductory Workshop at St. Columba's Episcopal Church in DC. Fr. Bill Sheehan, Fr. Eugene Sutton and Janet Aldrich co-led an Introductory Retreat at St. Mary of Sorrow Catholic Church in Burke, VA in January and a Centering Prayer Retreat Day at St. James' Episcopal Church in Richmond, VA in February. Also in January COMW hosted a Centering Prayer Retreat at the College of Preachers, on the grounds of the Washington National Cathedral. The Rev. Carole Crumley and Janet Aldrich led this event. Janet Aldrich 202-255-2367.

A Message from Alta, WY

"Sandy, would you please get me some Egg Beaters, frozen blueberries, brown sugar, walnuts and cupcake papers? And do you have any vanilla here?"

That was the first issue from the chef's mouth as retired Bishop John Thornton surveyed the kitchen situation and prepared to serve the first retreat breakfast. I wondered what the rest of the week would demand in the way of unusual kitchen requests! One thing for sure, these seminary students from Austin, Texas were treated to full course breakfasts - eggs, et al. With Bishop John at the helm, the ovens were hot as early as 5:30 AM on some days. He continually reminded me, "Sandy, you have to feed these people." By Wednesday, it was, "So Sandy, what are the possibilities of me being asked back NEXT year to help with the retreat?" I hesitated. In three days I had already made three unplanned trips to town to get breakfast items. "Well Bishop," I responded, "let's just see how it goes."

Suffice it to say the week was a huge success, and the breakfasts proved a very significant part of that judgment. Bishop Thornton will be back next January to serve the church's future priest and lay ministers from the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest. And they will be very well fed. My heart swells at the graciousness of our former bishop, his attention to hospitality, praise for Centering Prayer, and his delight in feeding God's people so well.

The Alta Retreat Center has many facets to its ministry. God works and cooks in divergent ways. The net result is we are ALL nourished.

It is with great respect and appreciation to Thomas Keating for his insight and generous spirit that I submit this article. The contemplative dimension of the Gospel is making inroads into priestly formation. Its fruit is being seen in the widening circles of clergy who benefit from the prayer. Future clergy are eager to open to the possibilities of transformation through the regular practice of Centering Prayer, and the "proof is in the pudding."

This year the Seminary of the Southwest has placed a three credit elective into the Master of Divinity curriculum entitled, "The Art of Christian Listening: An Introduction to Centering prayer and an Intensive Retreat Experience." Thomas Keating was the invited guest for the Seminary of the Southwest's Harvey Lecture Series this Winter, and the students were delighted to meet him in person. Thank you contemplative Outreach for your support of the Alta Retreat Center. Remember, "All are Welcome."
Sandy Casey-Martus- 307-353-8100.

S. Lyon, MI (Formation for Contemplative Outreach Service)
by Therese Price

On March 1, 14 men and women - young and older, of several religious traditions and vastly divergent backgrounds - met at the new DeSales Center in Brooklyn, MI to experience the Formation Workshop, facilitated by Bonnie Shimizu from Snowmass, CO.

The activity of the Holy Spirit was most evident both in presentations and in the visual aids that accompanied them. A prayerful atmosphere gave an unmistakable validation to the entire process. Each of us learned something about ourselves and our style of presenting. With these newly gained insights, we trust the Holy Spirit will reach others more effectively through us.

The Workshop proved to be the "holy ground" where the Presence of God held each of us in loving attentiveness in prayer, in our sharing and in our caring for one another. We highly recommend this formative week for all who strive to share the Method of Centering Prayer with individuals or groups, and to deepen their own practice. It is a sign of our intention to consent to the Presence and Action of God through us in His work of drawing all to a closer union with Himself!

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Bits and Pieces

LET US GIVE THANKS...

Last evening some friends invited me to watch a German film with them. The title in English would be something like "Under the Wings of an Angel." It was a fable about an angel who has been assigned to earth.

Like all good fables it bore an important message. This angel in the course of his mission became quite envious of humans. But his envy did not center on the spectacular things. It was rather the small everyday and oh-so-human things that he envied: the morning coffee, the smile of neighbor, the softness of a rose petal, the excitement of expectation, a sweet memory, above all the touch of a loved one, the sweet embrace of love. In the end, in the fable the angel traded heaven for these wonderful human realities.

No matter how humdrum and routine our daily lives might seem, if we would but take a moment to reflect - how many wonders fill our lives. Perhaps we do appreciate more now the gift of clean air to breath, clean water to drink, food to fill our stomachs, a solid roof over our heads, as television brings right into our homes graphic images of life without these. But how many wonderful little things that can give sparkle to our daily lives do we overlook? How many things do we take for granted?

Some years ago I had a minor stroke. It left me without hearing in one ear. I never before realized what a gift stereophonic hearing is. I can no longer tell what direction a sound is coming from. And foreground sounds easily get lost in background noises. It is virtually impossible to carry on a conversation at a noisy dinner table or in an airplane. Even with these limitations, I thank God for spare parts: two ears, two eyes, two lungs, two kidneys, two testicles, two ovaries. They give us a second chance.

Thank God for sunny days and for stormy days, for star-filled nights and full moons, for crashing waves and sandy shores, for fish of every color and giant, gracious sea turtles. Thank God for mountains and hills, for fertile valleys and open plains. If we pray the Psalms we are schooled in this sense of thanksgiving, a sense of wonder at a God so great and so near. A sense of thanksgiving for all the wonders of life, great and small, not only is God's due from us - and he is indeed to be thanked without ceasing for his benefits are without ceasing - it fills our own life with joy. A grateful person is a happy person. The person who is able to enjoy the little gifts that God has sprinkled across our daily path has less time to attend to the thorns on the roses and no time to envy others. There are too many things to be enjoyed, too many persons to be loved, to be touched, to be held in love.

Let me make a concrete suggestion. It is something that could perhaps be done as you ride home from work on the MTR or snuggle under your cover at the end of a day. Take a few moments to go over the day. Collect the day's joys, the day's wonders. Did the sun shine? Or did the rain water the earth? Did your two legs serve you well as you rushed about? Did you enjoy moments of rest and quiet serenity? Did your mind work vigorously on the challenges of life? How many smiles did you receive? And how many were you able to give? Did a friend touch you? A loved one embrace you? Did your memory yield up things needed, things that gave joy, sorrows that are now past? How many breaths were you able to take? How many foods were you able to taste? How many brothers and sisters contributed in one way or another to your well-being this day? Oh thank the Lord! Yes, thank the Lord! For numberless are his mercies, the benefits he bestows on us. To end the day in the joyful mood of thanksgiving, what better way to fall into deep restful sleep, confident that we are in the loving care of the Most High. Yes, let us give thanks.

M. Basil Pennington, OCSO - E-mail -mailto:fmbasil@hotmail.com

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A Poem

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The stars and I sing the Psalm,

"I mean to wake the Dawn."

I mean to let it rise right through me.

As if the sun and I

Through sleepy sweat soaked mornings,

Opened our eyes at the same time.

By Elena Estella Green

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