What longing there is in wanting to pray without ceasing! We stumble on that boulder-filled road forgetting, remembering, forgetting and remembering again. Contemplative tradition tells us that help can […]
Reflections on Service
All who serve seek to be attuned to the needs and concerns of the whole community, whether individuals, small prayer groups, or local chapters. – Contemplative Outreach Guideline […]
Guiding a Centering Prayer Group in Jail
by Tom Cook I have been guiding a Centering Prayer (CP) class for the last year at DuPage County Correctional Facility in Wheaton, Illinois (USA). I have been amazed and […]
Using the Spiritual Journey Series for Ongoing Enrichment
Two different prayer groups – one on Zoom and one in-person, share their experience and approach to using the Spiritual Journey videos. Note that the entire series is freely […]
Abiding with Unloading
Q: From a prisoner in minimum isolation: “I have been working on Centering Prayer. It started off easy. For about three months it was happening with no mental or physical […]
Letting God Lead the Relationship
Q: My attempts at Centering Prayer have not been particularly good. Though I do believe that any attempts to connect with God are honoured and I know at times I […]
How Masks Reveal Our True Selves
by Charles Fiore It had been my lifelong habit, when greeting friends or strangers, to grin madly like an animatronic clown—all teeth. I used to think this made me seem […]
Practical Steps for Self-Knowledge
Q: Our Centering Prayer group has been studying The Cloud of Unknowing translated by Carmen Acevedo Butcher. In chapter 14, pg 42, we are told to “Get to know […]
Centering Prayer and Posture
Q: Can you lie down in Centering Prayer? A: Thank you for your question. At some point, we all wonder if it is okay to lay down during Centering Prayer. Centering […]
Going Deeper
I have practiced Centering Prayer for many years, but the most profound changes in my attitudes were effected by the presence of Father Thomas and friendship with him. It […]
What is “Collaboration” and When is It Needed?
An exploration of collaboration in the context of the relationship model by Mary Jane Yates In this new world of online prayer groups and events, the number of […]
Contemplative Walks
The Centering Prayer group at St. Thomas More parish in Sarasota, Florida, USA, started doing one hour contemplative walks on a Saturday afternoon in a local wooded area followed […]
Hosting a Facilitator Workshop
CONTEMPLATIVE OUTREACH (CO) PITTSBURGH FACILITATOR WORKSHOP CO Pittsburgh planned an in-person Facilitator Workshop in 2019 to introduce the newly-developed online video formation materials for Facilitator Training. A link to […]
Art as Prayer
Using a few colored pencils, black paper, and a journal our Centering Prayer Group in Hawaii has been responding to the Lectio Divina portion of our weekly Centering Prayer practice […]
The Unfolding of a Spiritual Memoir
Many years ago, I started the practice of journaling almost everyday. I needed to be aware and compassionate concerning my own feelings and my challenging profession. I was responsible […]
The Difference Between Centering Prayer and Contemplation — And Why It Matters
Q: I have a question about Centering Prayer, that has come to me after rereading David Frenette’s book about Centering Prayer. He talks as though Centering Prayer may, and sometimes […]
How Does God Work in Centering Prayer?
Q: My problem is in understanding in what way and how God works in me in Centering Prayer. I know that to enter in Centering Prayer is to let […]
Spiritual Depression or Clinical Depression?
Q: Can a spiritual depression turn into a clinical depression in the spiritual journey? According to Fr. Keating there is a period during the spiritual journey that all is obscure, confused […]
A Call for Essays on the Fruits of Centering Prayer: How Centering Prayer is Changing the World
Centering Prayer changes lives, as many of us have experienced first-hand. Sometimes mountains move in the silent stillness when we consent to God’s presence and action within and, over […]
Contemplative Group Spiritual Direction via Zoom
by Carol Fryer Editor’s note: Many Centering Prayer group participants experience the organic nature of ongoing soul-friending, a deep witnessing of each other’s journeys during a time of sacred sharing and […]
Is Charisma a Gift or a Curse?
Q: I have a question about charisma – I heard it can be a gift of the Spirit but I also know it can be a serious ego trap […]
Is The Welcoming Prayer a Prayer?
Q: Do you consider Welcoming Prayer a prayer? I recently presented Welcoming Prayer to the Centering Prayer group I attend … and a member asked this question. She listened […]
Zoom Prayer and Support: How Two Meditation Chapel Groups Meet the Need for Contemplative Community in Our Virtual Age
Two years ago Contemplative Outreach hosted a Global Introductory Workshop on Centering Prayer in the midst of the pandemic. Several hundred people from around the world tuned in to […]
Remembering Nestor de Armas
“Are we having fun yet”? This was Nestor’s way of greeting people in meetings and workshops. With these words, always accompanied with a broad smile and twinkle in his […]
