Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.

Practices for Contemplative Living: Guided Meditation
2023-11-19 09:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | St. Walburga Monastery, 851 N. Broad Street, NJ, 7649, United States
Join a group of Centering Prayer practitioners to support each other on the contemplative path. Modeled after what was formerly known as the 9-month course, the program will be based on Julie Saad’s book “Contemplative Life: Discovering Our Path to the Heart of God“. All are welcome. We meet the 3rd Saturday of each month from October 2023 through April 2024. November will include a guided meditation, Stepping Stones, reviewing where you see God in past and present events of your life.
Explore a different contemplative practice each month:
• October 22 – Fundamentals of Centering Prayer and Holy Listening
• November 18 – Guided Meditation (Stepping Stones)
• December 16 – Advent Day of Prayer with Fr. Carl Arico
• January 20 – Logging
• February 17 – Spiritual Reading
• March 16 – Going Deeper in Daily Life
• April 20 – Lectio Divina
Limited spaces are available to stay overnight at St. Walburga Monastery for a separate charge. Further information and registration are available at: https://centeringprayernj.com/events/, or email Eileen McCaffrey Schuman at coordinator@centeringprayernj.com.

Centering Prayer and Interspirituality - via Zoom
2023-11-18 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
At our November retreat, Netanel Miles-Yepez, professor of Religious Studies at Naropa University and co-founder of Charis Foundation for New Monasticism and Interspirituality, will explore the roots of Centering Prayer as a receptive meditation practice in Christianity, and explore its applicability to the interspiritual milieu in which we live today.
Netanel Miles-Yépez, D.D., is an artist, philosopher, religion scholar, and spiritual teacher. He is co-founder of Charis Foundation for New Monasticism & Interspirituality, which is dedicated to the emergence of a newly conceived contemplative life in dialogue with all of the world’s great wisdom traditions. Netanel studied History of Religions at Michigan State University and Contemplative Religion at the Naropa Institute, before pursuing traditional studies with such spiritual luminaries as Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, founder of the Jewish Renewal movement, and Father Thomas Keating, founder of Contemplative Outreach. He is the author of The End of Religion and Other Writings (forthcoming, 2023) and the editor of The Common Heart: An Experience of Interreligious Dialogue (2006). Currently, Netanel lives in Boulder, Colorado, where he is Chair of Religious Studies and Director of the Keating-Schachter Center for Interspirituality at Naropa University.
See link below to register.

Guard of the Heart Workshop with Bob Mischke via Zoom
2023-11-18 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Denver) | Internet – Online
“One practice to bring the effects of contemplative prayer into daily life is traditionally known as “Guard of the Heart.” This consists of letting go of every emotional disturbance as it arises and before we start thinking about it. This method is more sophisticated than dismantling the emotional programs for happiness because it deals with the whole of life. It expresses our ongoing intention to be with God in the present moment and sustains it.” (Fr. Thomas Keating, 2017)
This class will teach the practice of “Guard of the Heart” (Also referred to as “Watchfulness” or “Presence Practice”) and how it compliments our Centering Prayer, and the practices of the Welcoming Prayer and the Active Prayer Phrase. We will learn the three ways any afflictive thought or emotional disturbance can be instantly released as it arises. Join us for this enriching and deepening complementary practice.
This workshop will include a session of Centering Prayer, Guard of the Heart presentation by Bob Mischke and a question and answer session.
Times listed are Mountain Time
Register using the link below

Meister Eckhart’s Insights in the Context of Centering Prayer
2023-11-18 08:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Contemplative Enrichment Day with Fr. Justin Lanier
Fr. Justin Lanier will look at Meister Eckhart’s teachings on the Divine Nature and Detachment/Releasement, as well as his teaching In Principio as helpful guides to Centering Prayer in subtle awareness and intention. Special attention will be paid to unstuckness experienced through the experiences of “Letting Be” and “Be Surrender” encountered by Fr. Justin’s practice of Centering Prayer.
This program will be offered both in-person and online via Zoom. Information on how to access the program on Zoom will be sent to participants in advance.
This program will include a morning and an afternoon session of Centering Prayer.
Fr. Justin Lanier serves as Priest and Curate of Saint Clement’s Church, Philadelphia. He is a retreat leader with a devotion to intensive contemplative immersion practice. Fr. Justin’s reading of Meister Eckhart at 16 inspired his contemplative vocation and study of philosophy and theology, as well as his entrance into monastic formation in Saint Benedict’s Trappist Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado. Fr. Justin spent 22 years practicing under Fr. Thomas Keating, O.C.S.O., where Eckhart’s teachings were always part of formation.
Please use the link below to register.

6-Day (5 Night) Intensive Silent Centering Prayer Retreat
2023-11-12 14:00 - 2023-11-17 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | St. Placid Priory, 500 College Street NE, Lacey, WA, 98516, United States
This Contemplative Outreach intensive retreat provides an opportunity to deepen your established Centering Prayer practice in an atmosphere of silence and community, away from the busyness of daily life, and to allow your mind, body and spirit to surrender to God’s presence and action within. Before attending the retreat, you should have an established daily practice of Centering Prayer for at least six months to one year. This retreat features about four hours of Centering Prayer each day along with videos from the Thomas Keating “Spiritual Journey” video series. Except for opening and closing times, silence will be observed throughout the retreat, including at meals.
The Priory requires retreatants to be Covid-19 vaccinated and boosted, and to wear a mask in designated areas. A COVID-19 test will be required and, depending on conditions at the time of the retreat, other restrictions or changes to plans might apply. More specific information will be provided to registrants prior to the retreat.
For more information and to register: email Sr. Anna-Camille Wooden at camillewooden5@gmail.com. A deposit of $100.00 upon registration will secure a place in the retreat. $50.00 is refundable if you cancel before the balance due date. Partial scholarships are available.

Young Contemplatives Centering Prayer Facilitator Training Weekend - via Zoom
2023-11-11 11:00 - 2023-11-12 14:00 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
COL Young Contemplatives is delighted to host an expanded weekend online event:
40s and Under Facilitator Training (two three-hour sessions) for our Younger Contemplatives community.
Saturday, November 11th & Sunday, November 12th, 11am – 2pm US Eastern Time.
If you are under 50 and feel called to become a facilitator, please join us. See event link to register below.
This two-part training will cover:
The Vision of Contemplative Outreach
The Purpose & Format of a Centering Prayer Group
What Facilitators ‘Do’
Guidelines for Faith-Sharing in Centering Prayer Groups
Growing as a Facilitator
and How to Get a Group Started (on Zoom or in-person)
There will be time for centering prayer practice and faith-sharing in breakout groups.
This Centering Prayer Facilitator Training is open to younger contemplatives with an interest in deepening their practice, being in community with other younger contemplatives and/or for those with a desire to become a Centering Prayer facilitator and start a group.
Come for both days or prioritize just one!
Saturday, November 11th
Will cover the method of Centering Prayer and exploration around ‘What Facilitators Do’ and ‘Faith Sharing Guidelines.’
Sunday, November 12th
Will feature our guest panelists Mark Dannenfelser and Heather Ruce to engage with us in conversation around the changing needs of young contemplatives. And Keith Kristich will facilitate a session on How to Get a Group Started and offer us insight into his ‘6 Week Experiment’ model.
We’re looking forward to being in community with you again!
Register here: https://us2.list-manage.com/survey?u=c244820d9d91f926201abfe4e&id=9b6b430bb4&attribution=false

The Grace in Dying and Centering Prayer FREE Event
2023-11-11 09:00 - 15:00 UTC | St. Mary’s Sewanee: The Ayres Center for Spiritual Development, 770 St. Mary's Lane, TN, 37375, United States
Join us for a one-day FREE online workshop led by The Rev Tom Ward exploring the “Grace in Dying” and its relation to the Centering Prayer practice.
In her book “The Grace in Aging”, psychotherapist and Buddhist practitioner Kathleen Dowling Singh recommends “taking the one seat” as a practice to enable us to age gracefully, and she sees Centering Prayer as one good way to take that seat. In this workshop we will consider different aspects of the aging process as Singh describes them through presentations, small group discussions, and the practice of Centering Prayer.
Tom is a retired university chaplain at the University of the South and now spends his days focusing on the contemplative dimension of the gospel, teaching Centering Prayer, and leading retreats.

A Contemplative Adventure: Spirituality Encounters Evolution (From Evolution to Quantum Theory) - via Zoom
2023-11-11 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Internet – Online
This is a hybrid presentation being conducted both in person at The Center for Contemplative Living in Denver, CO and Online via Zoom videoconference.
It seems that our contemporary world is obsessed with certainty and results. Who won the game? Who won the election? When will I get there? When will the project be completed? Am I cured? What is the correct answer? Is there a heaven and will I get there?
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What might be an unintended consequence of our obsession with certainty and endings? Might it be that we are not fully present to what is happening in the now. As Anthony de Mello insightfully says, “We go through life asleep!” Might this sleepwalking towards certainty and results creep into our practices of contemplation and meditation?
Contemplation and meditation are intended to foster mindfulness – a fuller awareness of all that arises in the present moment. However, it seems our transactional cultural and religious worldviews often lead us in the opposite direction – away from mindfulness towards mindless sleepwalking.
This workshop will include a session of Centering Prayer.
About Rick Klein
Our presenter, Rick Klein, believes that science offers insights to help us awaken from mindless sleepwalking. Building on Teilhard de Chardin’s teachings on evolution and Thomas Keating’s teachings on contemplation, together we’ll explore a rarely traveled terrain, the synthesis of science and spirituality.
Rick gives talks and workshops on contemplative spirituality. He is a teacher of Centering Prayer and has presented workshops on science and spirituality, compassion, and mysticism at the Center for Contemplative Living and other locations throughout Colorado.
Meeting times listed are Mountain Time.
Click the link below to learn more and register.

Practice the Presence Silent Saturday with Fr. Bill Sheehan OMI Zoom Registrations Available
2023-11-11 08:00 - 16:30 UTC | Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church, 26001 Muirlands Blvd, Mission Viejo, CA, 92691, United States
SILENT SATURDAY with Fr. Bill Sheehan, OMI
November 11, 2023 Zoom Registration available.
11:00 a.m. to 4:30 pm Pacific Standard Time
By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. So we know and believe the love God has for us.
God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.
-1 John 4:13,16
$25.00 per person Registration required; click on the link below.
Join us for a quiet time of cultivating interior silence with Centering Prayer and two conferences with Fr. Bill Sheehan.

Entering the Circle: A Contemplative Enneagram Soul Journey
2023-11-10 15:00 - 2023-11-13 13:00 (America/New_York) | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Overnight Retreat – Enneagram Formation with Rev. Nhien Vuong, J.D., M.Div.
Discover how the Enneagram can support a contemplative, compassion-based life. This introductory weekend intensive will reveal how the Enneagram can be used not merely as a personality typology but as an ancient mandala of wholeness, guiding you home to your True Self. LEARN the defining characteristics of all 9 Enneagram Types and how each type relates to Presence.
INTEGRATE the Enneagram wisdom teaching into your personal journey of contemplation.
PRACTICE an array of contemplative practices in a sacred, Enneagram-informed circle. (No prior Enneagram experience required.)
Rev. Nhien Vuong, J.D., M.Div., is an international Enneagram thought leader and keynote presenter who spiritually companions individuals around the globe using a contemplative, compassion-based approach to the Enneagram. An ordained Unity minister and accredited Enneagram Professional, Nhien is the founder of Evolving Enneagram, a community-based business whose team of professionals offers transformational programming to seed and sustain our collective awakening. Nhien is currently authoring a book on contemplative practices and the Enneagram.
Please use the link below to register.

Centering Prayer Retreat
2023-11-06 - 2023-11-10 | Subiaco Abbey, 405 N. Subiaco Avenue, Subiaco, AR, 72865, United States
Nov. 6-10, 2023
Subiaco Abbey/Coury House Retreat Center,
Subiaco, Arkansas (2hrs. west of Little Rock, AR)
Having an established meditation practice is recommended.
Contact Susan to register: 479.934.1290
Single Room- $450.00; Double Room- $370.00
$50.00 NON-refundable deposit holds your place
The retreat will be mostly in SILENCE with three periods of Centering Prayer/Meditation per day.
There will be some teaching each day using materials from Thomas Keating, Cynthia Bourgeault, Richard Rohr, and Michael Singer.
Retreat Facilitator: Nicholas Cole who has led retreats in Colorado, New Mexico, Arkansas, and Maryland since 1993.
Contact Nick with any questions (970-275-1170); ngcole42@gmail.com

Benedictine Spirituality – via Zoom
2023-11-02 18:30 - 20:30 UTC | Internet – Online
Listening and Responding to God

For over 1500 years, Benedictine spirituality, which finds its basis in the monastic Rule of St. Benedict, has assisted seekers from all walks of life in their search for God.
Join in reflecting on how prayerful reading of scripture, the practices of hospitality and gratitude, and finding God in daily work, can enrich our spiritual lives in a busy world.
This workshop includes a session of Centering Prayer.
Please see the link below to register.

Six-Day Centering Prayer Retreat: Intensive & Post-Intensive
2023-10-29 17:00 - 2023-11-03 13:00 UTC | Claggett Conference Center, 3035 Buckeystown Pike, Buckeystown, MD, 21717, United States
The retreat will provide an opportunity to deepen one’s practice of Centering Prayer in an atmosphere of profound silence and community support. All participants observe silence from the opening to the closing of the retreat. The Intensive and Post Intensive tracks share the same schedule of several hours of group Centering Prayer daily, with one exception. The Intensive track includes a daily video with discussion of some of Thomas Keating’s teachings. If you are relatively new to Centering Prayer, have not previously attended a Centering Prayer retreat, or would like a refresher of some of the teachings, choose the Intensive track.
The Setting
The retreat will be held at the Claggett Retreat Center in Adamston, Maryland. The Center is nestled in the rolling hills of Frederick County on 268 wooded acres with a working farm and fantastic views, yet only an hour’s drive from three international airports. Lodging will be in the Christiane Inn; a range of dietary needs can be accommodated. (For details and directions, visit: https://www.claggettcenter.org/)
Retreat Leaders
Ron Barnett, a psychologist by education, has practiced Centering Prayer since 1997 and is a commissioned presenter of the practice. He has served Contemplative Outreach (CO) as a chapter coordinator, retreat leader, board member and trustee, and currently facilitates the Board’s Gift Committee which oversees Thomas Keating’s intellectual property, a gift to Contemplative Outreach. He is now retired from medical research and teaches at The Miksang Institute for Contemplative Photography.
Susan Rush has been serving in the field of health care throughout her adult life. She has been involved with Contemplative Outreach for about three decades. Susan was the founding coordinator of Contemplative Outreach of New Mexico, and served on the governing board of Contemplative Outreach, Ltd for ten years. Currently she serves as a spiritual director and retreat facilitator. Susan is a presenter for the Living Flame program and serves on the Retreat Service team. The opportunity to serve in CO communities has been a great gift in her life.

Practices for Contemplative Living: Centering Prayer and Holy Listening
2023-10-22 09:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | St. Walburga Monastery, 851 N. Broad Street, NJ, 7649, United States
Join a group of Centering Prayer practitioners to support each other on the contemplative path. Modeled after what was formerly known as the 9-month course, the program will be based on Julie Saad’s book, “Contemplative Life: Discovering Our Path to the Heart of God“. All are welcome. We meet the 3rd Saturdays of October 2023 through April 2024. Overnight accommodations are available. The October session will introduce the program, review the fundamentals of Centering Prayer, and discuss the parameters of holy listening.
Explore a different contemplative practice each month:
• October 22 – Fundamentals of Centering Prayer and Holy Listening
• November 18 – Guided Meditation (Stepping Stones)
• December 16 – Advent Day of Prayer with Fr. Carl Arico
• January 20 – Logging
• February 17 – Spiritual Reading
• March 16 – Going Deeper in Daily Life
• April 20 – Lectio Divina
Further information and registration are available at: https://centeringprayernj.com/events/, or email Eileen McCaffrey Schuman at coordinator@centeringprayernj.com.

Foundations of Centering Prayer (Introductory Workshop) ONLINE
2023-10-21 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Mercy Center Burlingame, 2300 Adeline Drive, Burlingame, CA, 94010, United States
“Silence is God’s first language,’ says the sixteenth century mystic John of the Cross. And silence is the normal context in which contemplative prayer takes place. But…there is silence and then there is silence. There is an outer silence, and outer stopping of the words and busy-ness, but there is also a much more challenging interior silence…”
– Cynthia Bourgeault
Centering Prayer prepares us to more fully enter the interior silence and receive the gift of God’s presence, beyond thoughts, words and emotions. Centering Prayer facilitates the movement from more active modes of prayer–verbal, mental, or affective prayer–into a receptive prayer of resting in God. It emphasizes prayer as a personal relationship with God.
Whether you are new to Centering Prayer, or you would like to deepen your practice, it is helpful to look again at the foundations of the practice.
Please join us for a morning of online instruction, group practice, and opportunity for discussion and questions.
Colette Lafia is a writer, spiritual director, and retreat leader. She is the author of several books including The Divine Heart: Seven Ways to Live in God’s Love, which received a 2022 Nautilus Book Award. As a graduate of the Living School, from the Center for Action and Contemplation, Colette has a passion for sharing the contemplative path and inviting people to see themselves as manifestations of Divine Love. To learn more about Colette, please visit: www.colettelafia.com
Joy Andrews Hayter, Ph.D. is a spiritual director, dedicated to fostering contemplative practices such as Centering Prayer and others within the Christian Wisdom tradition that help us become aware of God’s ever-present love. As a scientist she sees in the physical world an expression of that love.
Catherine Regan, Ph.D. is a spiritual director, retired psychologist, and adjunct staff member at Mercy Center, primarily serving on the Centering Prayer team. She has a special interest in participating in the reclamation of the Christian Wisdom tradition and fostering the contemplative practices so urgently needed at this time in our world.
$20 donation
Please register at mercy-center.org
Workshop times in Pacific Standard Time.

Centering Prayer Silent Weekend Retreat
2023-10-20 17:00 - 2023-10-22 13:00 UTC | Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road, Encino, CA, 91436, United States
This silent/contemplative retreat is designed to deepen the practice of Centering Prayer. Come and enter the inner room where “interior silence strengthens and affirms the human experience” (T. Keating, Open Mind, Open Heart). This weekend offers a supportive community which fosters a quiet space where God is known more intimately. There will be regularly scheduled prayer sits with contemplative walks in between as well as unscheduled time for personal reflection, journaling and walking the Center’s beautiful grounds.
Pre-requisite: A regular practice of Centering Prayer or silent meditation.
Fee: $300-all rooms private. $50 non-refundable deposit required.
Fee for Commuters: $200
Register online at www.hrscenter.com by October 4th with a non-refundable deposit of $50.
For more info, please contact Marilyn Nobori at centeringprayer@hsrcenter.com or call 818-815-4480

Welcoming Prayer Introductory Workshop
2023-10-18 18:30 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | CO-CT Online Zoom event
According to Fr. Thomas Keating, “Welcoming Prayer is the practice that actively lets go of thoughts and feelings that support the false-self system. It embraces painful emotions experienced in the body rather than avoiding them or trying to suppress them.”
This workshop introduces participants to the method of the Welcoming Prayer and provides an opportunity to practice. We’ll establish Welcoming Prayer’s place in Body Awareness Practice and include discussions of the human condition and the false-self system as conceptual background to Welcoming Prayer.
Presented by Mike Smoolca
Mike Smoolca is a contemplative group and workshop facilitator and a dedicated teacher and student of contemplative practice and wisdom spirituality. He is a Contemplative Outreach Commissioned Presenter of Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina and Welcoming Prayer and has lead many Centering Prayer Formation training workshops. He is Coordinator of Contemplative Outreach of CT, the Christian Contemplative Experience at Holy Family, and the Northern CT Chapter of the International Thomas Merton Society. Mike is a practicing spiritual director and supervisor as well as a BioSpiritual Focusing companion and teacher.
Please register using the link below.

Five-Day Centering Prayer Retreat
2023-10-18 - 2023-10-22 | Benedict Inn – Beech Grove, IN, 1402 Southern Avenue, Beech Grove, IN, 46107-1160, United States
The retreat is an opportunity to deepen your practice of Centering Prayer in community, silence, and in solitude with the theme of the Divine Symphony.
When we listen to a beautiful symphony we are often swept up in its embrace. God desires to bring us into his divine symphony of love and beckons us to live all our life—our work, our prayer, our family life, and our engagement with nature—in harmony with this Love.
This retreat explores God’s divine symphony of love through encountering silence, contemplative prayer, walking in nature, and viewing themed Spiritual Journey videos of Thomas Keating. Each of us is a part of the divine symphony where God is engaging us in mystical union and encouraging us to live into our own specific destiny of love.

Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop Part 2 (Zoom)
2023-10-16 18:30 - 20:00 UTC | Internet – Online
“Your activity in Centering Prayer is like a rose’s petals to the sunlight, like surrender unfolding in you.”
– David Frenette
Centering Prayer, a Christian form of meditation, is a way to surrender, becoming more receptive to the Holy Spirit’s presence in our life – supporting, inspiring and guiding us. Centering prayer serves as a method of movement into contemplative prayer, a way to open ourselves to the Divine Presence, to rest in God, freeing us to better love, work with and serve others.
If you feel the Spirit calling you, come explore Centering Prayer. Discover the possibility of resting in the healing presence of God, of being better able to help in Jesus’ work of lifting burdens.
Where and When:
ONLINE VIA ZOOM
Monday, October 9, 2023
6:30 pm to 8:00 pm CST – Part 1
Monday, October 16, 2023
6:30 pm to 8:00 pm CST – Part 2

Father Sheehan 6-Day Centering Prayer Retreat at Holy Cross Abbey Berryville VA - Still Space!
2023-10-16 - 2023-10-22 | Holy Cross Abbey, 901 Cool Spring Ln, VA, 22611, United States
FINDING THE PLACE OF THE HEART
“What makes us human is not our mind but our heart; not our ability to think but our ability to love.”
– Henri Nouwen
* * * * * * * *
Centering Prayer 6-Day Silent Retreat with Father Bill Sheehan
Monday, October 16 – Sunday October 22, 2023
Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville VA
www.virginiatrappists.org
• 5 Full Days & 2 Half Days of Silence and Solitude in a peaceful rural setting
• 3 plus hours per day of Group Centering Prayer
• Daily morning Centering Prayer sit begins at 5:30am
• Sunday morning Centering Prayer sit begins at 6:30am
• Comfortable single room with private bathroom/shower
• Opportunity to attend any or all of the daily Liturgy of the Hour prayers with the Trappist monks
• Eucharist celebrated with the Monks in the Abbey Monastery Chapel weekdays and Saturday
morning immediately following 7:00am Lauds
• Sunday morning Eucharist celebrated with Father Sheehan in the Retreat House Chapel
• Daily group conference Tuesday – Saturday offered by Father Sheehan
• Opportunity for two private individual conferences with Father Sheehan
Click on the event website link below for a full description of the retreat and for the registration form. https://conta.cc/41jcdm1
Contact martha@marthajohnston.com with questions.

Facilitator Enrichment Workshop via Zoom
2023-10-14 11:30 - 14:00 (Asia/Dubai) | Internet – Online
We warmly invite you to an Enrichment Gathering for Centering Prayer Facilitators via Zoom
Saturday October 14, 2023
8:30-11:00 am Pacific Time, 9:30 am to 12:00 pm Mountain Time, 10:30 am to 1:00 pm Central Time, 11:30 am to 2:00 pm Eastern Time.
Our program will include a period of Centering Prayer as well as information, skills, and spiritual enrichment for facilitators of all levels and small group discussion.
Please register for this event here

Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop
2023-10-14 09:00 - 12:30 UTC | First Fruits, Elm Grove, WI, 890 Elm Grove Rd, Building 2, Lower Level, Elm Grove, WI, 53122, United States
“Your activity in Centering Prayer is like a rose’s petals to the sunlight, like surrender unfolding in you.”
– David Frenette
Centering Prayer, a Christian form of meditation, is a way to surrender, becoming more receptive to the Holy Spirit’s presence in our life – supporting, inspiring and guiding us. Centering prayer serves as a method of movement into contemplative prayer, a way to open ourselves to the Divine Presence, to rest in God, freeing us to better love, work with and serve others.
If you feel the Spirit calling you, come explore Centering Prayer. Discover the possibility of resting in the healing presence of God, of being better able to help in Jesus’ work of lifting burdens.
In-person at First Fruits Center, Elm Grove, WI
Saturday, October 14, 2023
9:00 am to 12:30 am CST

The Power of Story: Exploring Hasidic Tales as a Path to Blessing
2023-10-14 08:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Contemplative Enrichment Day of Interfaith Understanding with Rabbi Rami Shapiro
Humans are by nature storytellers, and we often become the stories we tell. One of the greatest and most liberating stories we tell is God calling Avram and Sarai to leave the conditioning of country, kin, and family to be a blessing to all the families of the earth (Genesis 12:1-3). In this highly interactive exploration of liberating story, Rabbi Rami uses Hasidic song and Hasidic stories and chevruta (small group conversation) on a journey toward being a blessing.
This program will be offered both in-person and online via Zoom. Information on how to access the program on Zoom will be sent to participants in advance.
This program will include a morning and an afternoon session of Centering Prayer.
Rabbi Rami Shapiro is a Jewish practitioner of perennial wisdom. He is a storyteller and essayist, an award-winning poet, and author of over 36 books on religion and spirituality. He is a noted mystic and a comparative religion scholar and has engaged with Zen Buddhism, the Hindu Bhagavad Gita, and Goddess spirituality in his quest to hear the common heart of all religions. He is a sought-after leader of workshops and retreats nationally and internationally.
Please register using the link below.

Centering Prayer and the Enneagram: Finding A New Way Home
2023-10-13 10:00 - 2023-10-15 12:00 (America/Denver) | Mercy Center Burlingame, 2300 Adeline Drive, Burlingame, CA, 94010, United States
Many of us have grown up in faith groups that have spiritually wounded us with a transactional theology that has made us feel more distant from God and unworthy of receiving God’s love. As we step onto a new path, even as we intellectually embrace a new understanding of God, we still carry the spiritual scars and they can become impediments to our spiritual growth. Learning how to unwind the old story and reweave a new one requires more than adopting a new theology. The old theology remains part of our psychological and spiritual make up and it takes patience, practice, and loving compassion to begin to see through it to our original wholeness, lovingly planted deep within our being.
One of the most common impediments to living in God’s love is our concept of sin. The word “sin’ has often been used in a way that has been shaming and belittling. In this retreat, we will visit the works of an early desert father, Evagrius of Ponticus, who can help us deconstruct the word “sin” and come to understand it as a passion that ensnares the heart. Once identified, it can become a roadmap for leading us home. One way to portray this roadmap is a nine-pointed symbol called the enneagram. (In the retreat we will not do enneagram typing but only refer to the symbol itself). Our aim is to come to see ourselves more clearly so that we can begin to let go of the religious and other baggage we carry and allow grace to manifest more fully in our lives. This helps deepen our consent to God’s loving presence and action in our Centering Prayer, and in our lives.
Join us for this healing retreat. Grounded in periods of Centering Prayer, silence, teachings, time in the natural beauty of the Mercy grounds, liturgy, and optional gentle yoga, this retreat will make room for God’s transforming Spirit to reveal the love and mercy that are our true heritage.
Rev. Amber Sturgess is an Episcopal Priest, spiritual director, and a seeker on the contemplative path. She enjoys teaching contemplative practices that deepen our spiritual awareness. Amber currently serves as Rector of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Carmel.
Catherine Regan, Ph.D. is a spiritual director, retired psychologist, and adjunct staff member at Mercy Center, primarily serving on the Centering Prayer team. She has a special interest in participating in the reclamation of the Christian Wisdom tradition and fostering the contemplative practices so urgently needed at this time in our world.
Joy Andrews Hayter, Ph.D. is a spiritual director. Joy is dedicated to fostering contemplative practices such as Centering Prayer and others within the Christian Wisdom tradition that help us become aware of God’s ever-present love. As a scientist she sees in the physical world an expression of that love.
Please see the link below to register.

Manifesting God, A Silent Retreat
2023-10-12 - 2023-10-15 | Sisters of Charity Motherhouse, 5900 Delhi Road, Cincinnati, OH, 45233, United States
This is a four-day silent retreat, presented by the CO Chapter of Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky. The retreat starts at 10:00am Eastern Time, October 12, 2023 and ends at 12:30pm Eastern Time October 15. Dual tracks for the intensive and post-intensive retreats will be offered.

Register online at co-gcnky.org via the Donate link. Please include information requested on the form below in the comment section of the Donation Page.

Registration by Mail with check payable to Contemplative Outreach of Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (COGCNKY). Mail to COGCNKY c/o JOHN ORR, 5589 Day Drive, Milford, OH 45150. Please print all information and indicate Commuter/Resident

Name
Address
Email
Phone
Check one: Track 1 __ Track 2 __
Please include a note describing dietary restrictions/mobility limitations with your registration.

Email Bill Tonnis, billtonnis2012@gmail.com with questions.

Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop Part 1 (Zoom)
2023-10-09 18:30 - 20:00 UTC | Internet – Online
“Your activity in Centering Prayer is like a rose’s petals to the sunlight, like surrender unfolding in you.”
– David Frenette
Centering Prayer, a Christian form of meditation, is a way to surrender, becoming more receptive to the Holy Spirit’s presence in our life – supporting, inspiring and guiding us. Centering prayer serves as a method of movement into contemplative prayer, a way to open ourselves to the Divine Presence, to rest in God, freeing us to better love, work with and serve others.
If you feel the Spirit calling you, come explore Centering Prayer. Discover the possibility of resting in the healing presence of God, of being better able to help in Jesus’ work of lifting burdens.
ONLINE VIA ZOOM
Monday, October 9, 2023
6:30 pm to 8:00 pm CST – Part 1
Monday, October 16, 2023
6:30 pm to 8:00 pm CST – Part 2

The Healing Path: A Memoir and an Invitation - via Zoom
2023-10-07 10:00 - 13:30 UTC | Internet – Online
A Zoom Event with James Finley, Ph.D.
Student of Thomas Merton, contemplative practitioner and Clinical Psychologist
Dates: October 7, 2023, 10:00am – 1:30pm PST
Location: Zoom and option to gather in Victoria, BC
Join us as Jim Finley guides us through an exploration of his latest book The Healing Path: A Memoir and an Invitation. Hosted by Heather Ruce and Carol Hekman, our time together will include a talk from Jim on the book’s themes, question and response, and contemplative practice.
The Healing Path: A Memoir and an Invitation: The book explores the spirituality of healing, the fruit of the author’s lifetime in conducting spiritual direction and psychotherapy, drawing on his lessons from Thomas Merton and study of the mystical path. It is primarily written as a memoir of his recovery from the traumatic wounds of his early life (abusive father, abuse by his confessor in the monastery, a dysfunctional marriage, and his road to healing and wholeness). But it is not just about his story–it is an invitation to the reader to reflect and resonate with the lessons that apply to their own stories.
Registration: Pay from the Heart – $10 – $50 (Please be generous!)
In-Person Option: For those living in Greater Victoria, BC, Canada, registrants have the option to gather in-person with others at the University of Victoria Multifaith Centre (doors open 9:30am), where we will view the Zoom stream and be in contemplative community.
The event will be recorded and made available for a limited time after the event to all who have registered.
Schedule for the Day (in PST):
10:00 Session 1
11:30 Break
11:50 Session 2
1:30 Close
James Finley, Ph.D, is a contemplative practitioner, student of Thomas Merton and clinical psychologist. Drawing from his experience as a former monk and spiritual directee of Thomas Merton, Jim offers trustworthy guidance for the spiritual journey – teaching how connecting to our Divine indwelling can transcend fear and shame and awaken to our True Self. He is the author of Merton’s Palace of Nowhere and The Contemplative Heart, and most recently, The Healing Path: A Memoir and Invitation. He is the host of the Centre of Action and Contemplation (CAC) celebrated podcast Turning to the Mystics.

Brian McLaren: Faith, Doubt and Contemplation: Being Contemplatives in a Dangerous Time - via Zoom
2023-10-07 09:00 - 15:00 UTC | Internet – Online
This is a hybrid presentation being conducted both in person at The Center for Contemplative Living in Denver, CO and online via Zoom videoconference.
Description of Talk: Institutional religion, much like many of our other institutions, is under stress, and that will seem like an understatement to many. Contemplative spirituality has provided a way for many of us to continue in faith even though our relationship to organized religion is troubled. How can those of us rooted in the contemplative tradition contribute constructively in this tense moment? How can we, from a position of personal centeredness, be salt and light in these times? How can we draw deep roots from our own Christian tradition while welcoming insights and seeking collaboration among traditions?
This conference presentation will include at least one 20-minutes Centering Prayer session.
About Brian McLaren
Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A former college English teacher and pastor, he is a passionate advocate for “a new kind of Christianity” – just, generous, and working with people of all faiths for the common good. He is a core faculty member of The Living School and podcaster with Learning How to See, which are part of the Center for Action and Contemplation. He is also an Auburn Senior Fellow and is a co-host of Southern Lights. His newest books are Faith After Doubt (January 2021), and Do I Stay Christian? (May 2022).
Times listed are Mountain Time.
Click the link below to learn more and register.

Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop
2023-10-07 09:00 - 12:30 UTC | Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road, Encino, CA, 91436, United States
Contemplative prayer is God’s personal and unique gift to each of us. If we open to this gift, it will profoundly affect our lives and relationship to God, others, and the world. Centering Prayer is a form of contemplative prayer. It is a method of prayer that opens us to interior transformation and deeper intimacy with God and others. The workshop includes four presentations and the practice of Centering Prayer.
Cost: $40
For more info, please email Marilyn Nobori at centeringprayer@hsrcenter.com
Register online at www.hsrcenter.com by September 25th with a non-refundable deposit of $10.00
Arrive at 8:45am

ENNEAGRAM AND CENTERING PRAYER ONE-DAY WORKSHOP
2023-10-06 10:00 - 15:00 UTC | Christ United Methodist Church Greensboro, NC, 410 Holden Rd, Greensboro, NC, 27410, United States
The Enneagram is a powerful framework for self-discovery and inner awakening. It refers to a sacred symbol with the interlocking geometric shapes of a circle, a triangle and a hexad; and nine points around the circle. Most people first learn about the nine points and the personality typologies connected with each point. There is wisdom to be learned in the psychological insight of type as well as the wisdom embedded in the symbol itself. When engaged as an invitation into Presence, with spiritual practices, the Enneagram is a rich map which guides us to see who we are beyond personality.
In this workshop we will be engaging our minds, bodies, and hearts, all three centers of intelligence, as we explore how the Enneagram can reveal the ways we fall asleep to being present. How do we go on automatic and how might this map invite us to ‘self-remember’ and awaken to our aliveness here and now?
Cynthia Bourgeault recommended Jeanine Siler Jones to Nexus Journey as a gifted presenter on the Enneagram. Jeanine has been instrumental in establishing Wisdom Schools in the Southeast over the last decade and currently serves as Chair of the Board of Wisdom Waypoints whose mission is to support the work of Cynthia Bourgeault and transmit the Wisdom Christian tradition internationally.
She and her husband Russell Siler Jones live in Asheville, NC and have a counseling ministry, Siler Jones Counseling. Jeanine primarily works as a Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapist and Spiritual Director. She weaves together the practice of Centering Prayer with the guidance from the Enneagram and the Wisdom Tradition in all her work. The teachings and the practices offer daily opportunities to engage a ‘surrendered attention’ in which the grist for the mill of personal and spiritual transformation is endless.
Please register using the link below.
