Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.

Introduction to Centering Prayer – Online Workshop
2023-04-01 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Anchorage) | Internet – Online
St. Mary’s Sewanee is hosting an online workshop via Zoom, “Introduction to Centering Prayer”, Saturday, April 1st, 9am to 3pm Central Time, led by The Rev. Tom Ward.
The Rev. Tom Ward is the 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.
Please register using the link below. This program is FREE. Donations to St. Mary’s Sewanee are appreciated.

11th-Step Centering Prayer Retreat
2023-03-31 - 2023-04-02 | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
This retreat will offer an environment of solitude and silence in community with time for reflection, fellowship and 12-Step Meetings. We will be presenting Centering Prayer as an 11th-Step Practice. Centering Prayer is an ancient meditation practice that is different from what we may think of as prayer. It is simply moving deep within ourselves in silence, saying nothing, asking for nothing, just being by letting go of our thoughts and resting in our Higher Power. Retreat staff have been active in 12-Step programs for many years and are longtime practitioners of Centering Prayer. They are commissioned presenters for Centering Prayer through Contemplative Outreach and 12 step Outreach.
If you are starting a meditation practice, seeking a new path or are interested in deepening your current practice, come and join. Please see the link below to register.

Father Sheehan 6-Day Centering Prayer Retreat at Holy Cross Abbey
2023-03-27 - 2023-04-02 | Holy Cross Abbey, 901 Cool Spring Ln, VA, 22611, United States
Silence and Solitude
FORGIVENESS
Centering Prayer Retreat with Father Bill Sheehan
Monday, March 27 – Palm Sunday, April 2, 2023
Holy Cross Abbey (HCA)
www.virginiatrappists.org
Berryville, VA
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 begins at 5:30am
Palm Sunday morning Centering Prayer 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 after 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
Here is the event/registration URL: https://conta.cc/3jp91oK
martha@marthajohnston.com

Introduction to the Forgiveness Prayer - via Zoom
2023-03-25 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Denver) | Internet – Online
Is there someone in your life whom you find difficult to forgive? The Prayer of Forgiveness is a powerful prayer that can help you forgive at the deepest level of your being. During this class, you will receive instruction on this prayer, developed by Contemplative Outreach founding member Mary Mrozowski. You will also have an opportunity for Centering Prayer as well as practice of the Prayer of Forgiveness.
This class will include a session of Centering Prayer.
Time listed is Mountain Time (Denver, Colorado)
Click the link below to register.

Introduction to Centering Prayer
2023-03-25 08:30 - 12:30 (America/New_York) | Messiah Luthern Church, 305 West Magnetic Street, Marquette, MI, 49855, United States
“Be still and know that I am God.”
– Psalm 46:10
Centering Prayer is a receptive, deep method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of the experience of God’s presence within us. It presents ancient Christian teachings in an updated form. Centering Prayer is not meant to replace other kinds of prayer; rather it casts new light on them. This method of prayer is a movement beyond conversation with Christ to communion with Christ. Through the regular practice of Centering Prayer, many people discover the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, self-control.
The workshop will introduce the four guidelines of Centering Prayer and will include two 20 minute silent Centering Prayer sessions. The teachings are based on Father Thomas Keating’s book, Open Mind, Open Heart. Follow up materials and resources will be provided. A donation is suggested for the presenters traveling expenses.
The co-presenters are the Reverends Jackie Falk and John Keller.
For more information and to RSVP contact, Laura Petrie at petriedish57@gmail.com
Please note there is also a Centering Prayer group in person on Sundays @ 5:00 p.m. Eastern time – same location, Messiah Lutheran Church. Please email Laura Petrie if interested in attending, petriedish57@gmail.com

Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop
2023-03-25 08:30 - 12:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
In this introductory workshop, you will learn the ancient method and principles of Centering Prayer practice in a quiet, reflective atmosphere. We will cover the history, psychology, and theology of the practice. Two prayer sessions and a question and answer session are included.
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.

Lenten Day Retreat: Preparing to Accompany Jesus and Mary Magdalene through Holy Week - online or in-person
2023-03-22 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | Multifaith Centre, Victoria, BC, Canada
On this Lenten Day, we will prepare ourselves to enter Holy week from the inside by embodying the postures of Jesus and Mary Magdalene through this timeless passage. Let’s join together in community to learn and practice Wisdom, weaving in the transformative currents of surrender, three centered presence, attention, and recollection. May we open more fully to encounter the transformative life-giving energy of Holy Week.
Join us ONLINE or at the Multifaith Centre in Victoria, B.C. for a contemplative wisdom event led by Heather Ruce, in which we engage this sacred day with our minds, feelings, and body through teaching, reflection and shared wisdom practices.
Retreat Leader: Heather Ruce, M.A., is a wisdom spiritual director companioning individuals and facilitating wisdom practice circles, groups, retreats, and wisdom schools focused on learning and practicing the Christian Wisdom Tradition. She offers teaching and guidance in various wisdom and mindfulness practices including Centering Prayer, Christian meditation, sacred chanting, lectio divina, conscious work and embodiment in service of waking up and putting on the mind of Christ. Find out more at heatherruce.com.

Christian Mystical Poetry and the Contemplative Path - via Zoom
2023-03-18 09:30 - 12:00 UTC | Internet – Online
Led by the Rt. Rev. G. Porter Taylor
If silence is the first language of God, as Thomas Keating writes, mystical poetry is a language by which we mortals may share our experience of God. What can we learn about spiritual practice, growth, and vitality from devout mystics who step beyond the limits of prose into poetry? This workshop offers an opportunity to study and react to a sampling of such poetry from the early Middle Ages into our current century.
Registrants will receive copies of the poems to be discussed in advance of the program, and following the program, a brief bibliography of references.
Program Facilitator: Dick Hall (COMW Coordinating Team member): dh0621@gmail.com
Please see the link below to register.

The Mystical Experience of Everyday Living
2023-03-18 09:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Contemplative Enrichment Day with Sophfronia Scott, M.F.A.
Mysticism is often viewed as the privileged experience of a few chosen, holy individuals. But German Jesuit, Karl Rahner, wrote about “everyday mysticism,” and Carmelite Sister Ruth Burrows described the mystical life simply as “God touching the depths of our being.” God is closer than we think–to all of us. We’ll explore everyday mysticism as life events filled with God’s unmistakable presence. Sharing Thomas Merton’s experiences and her own, Sophfronia will help attendees notice, identify, and appreciate mystical encounters in their everyday lives.
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.
Sophfronia Scott, M.F.A., is director of Alma College’s Master’s program in Creative Writing and holds degrees from Harvard and the Vermont College of Fine Arts. A novelist, essayist, and contemplative thinker, her books include the newly-released The Seeker and the Monk: Everyday Conversations with Thomas Merton, as well as All I Need to Get By, Unforgivable Love, Love’s Long Line, and This Child of Faith. Her work has appeared in Time, People and O, The Oprah Magazine.

Deepening Spiritual Practice through Three-Centered Awareness - via Zoom
2023-03-18 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Internet – Online
Presented by Phileena Nikole
Three-centered awareness is crucial for experiencing Divine Presence; mind, heart, and body coming on-line and cooperating together. But too often, we experience shutdown in one or more of these centers. This limits our capacity for opening to Presence and receiving the integration and wholeness we long for.
Are you curious about the deeper, subtle, life-changing dynamics of contemplative prayer? Do you feel stuck in your practice and desire to progress? Are you wondering how to more regularly bring the gifts of your sitting practice into your daily experiences of life and relationships?
If so, join Phileena for this online contemplative experience. During our time together, Phileena will offer a mix of foundational teaching, guided group contemplation, and three-centered awareness practice. This event will include a session of Centering Prayer
Time listed is Mountain Time (Denver, Colorado)
Click the link below to register.

Deeper Mind, Deeper Heart
2023-03-18 08:30 - 13:30 UTC | Internet – Online
This half day online retreat will explore the similarities and differences between the Buddhist practice of Insight Meditation and the Christian practice of Centering Prayer.
The unifying theme will be the emphasis in both traditions on intention, receptivity and interior silence. The goal will be to explore how these two traditions can be approached as complementary, affording a deepening spiritual journey when practiced together.
The retreat will include:
-Meditation instruction
-Periods of silent meditation in both practices
-Time for questions and discussion
Date and Time: Saturday, March 18th, 8:45am-1:30pm Eastern Standard Time
Please register using the link below.

Peace in Troubled Times Weekend Centering Prayer Retreat - via Zoom
2023-03-17 - 2023-03-19 | Internet – Online
Delve into a deeply spiritual experience growing closer to God on a two-night Centering Prayer Retreat on Zoom. Transform and deepen your relationship with God through Centering Prayer. Renew your mind by absorbing the wisdom of mystics. We will be able to maintain an atmosphere of silence during the retreat in our own homes by accessing our Zoom connection. Our time schedule is from 4 pm Eastern Time (ET) Friday to 12 noon ET Sunday.
Please see the link below to register.

9-day Intensive and Post-Intensive Retreat
2023-03-15 15:00 - 2023-03-23 11:00 UTC | Mercy Center Auburn, 535 Sacramento Street, Auburn, CA, 95603, United States
This retreat offers two tracks simultaneously: Intensive I and Post Intensive. You choose the track that works best for you. For everyone, there will be three sets of two 30 minute periods of Centering Prayer daily. The Intensive I retreat will watch video talks from Fr. Thomas Keating’s Spiritual Journey, focusing on “The Human Condition and the Spiritual Journey”. The Post Intensive retreat has no videos and an additional hour of Centering Prayer each day.
Lectio Divina and a contemplative Eucharist will be offered daily, as well as optional soul-friending with the staff. Throughout the retreat, we will be in silence.
Pre-requisite: A daily practice of Centering Prayer for six months or longer.
The retreat will be facilitated by Susan Turpin, Fr. Bill Sheehan, OMI, and Marty Badgett. Susan, Marty, and Fr. Bill have served within the Contemplative Outreach community for many years and led many Centering Prayer retreats and workshops.
The retreat begins Wednesday, March 15 with registration from 3:00 to 5:00, an opening session at 5:00pm, and dinner at 6:00pm. We end on Thursday, March 23 at 11:00am (lunch optional).
The fee includes all meals and lodging. Rooms are single with a sink in the room; bathrooms are shared.
Please see the link below for more information and to register.

It's All About Love Big Sit - via Zoom
2023-03-11 10:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Saturday, March 11th – 10:00 – 12:00 Eastern Time
Join us for a meaningful morning exploring the theme “It’s All About Love.” This Big Sit incorporates two 20-minute silent Centering Prayer sessions with Lectio Divina (sacred reading four times), Taizé chant, and a story about Love for our reflection.
See the link below to register.

The Being You Are is the Being I AM
2023-03-04 10:00 - 11:30 (Asia/Karachi) | Internet – Online
We all have stories about who we are based on our history, relationships, the roles we play in life, our personality, race, gender and identity at large.
This is who we think we are.
But beyond this storied self is our True Self — the vast, pure awareness known as the Divine Indwelling, or I AM — God’s Being within us.
Join this 90-minute guided retreat to learn how contemplation and Centering Prayer help us shift from who we think we are to who we truly are.
We’ll explore how centering prayer & contemplation shift us from
-our storied self to our True Self
-our ego to our Essence
-our small mind to our Big Mind
And why we need all of these parts to be our Whole (and holy) Self.
Please register using the link below.

Lenten Silent Saturday
2023-03-04 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road, Encino, CA, 91436, United States
As the season of Lent approaches, this quiet morning, free from daily activities, gives participants time for a communal gathering in silence and Centering Prayer. Along with scheduled prayers and a contemplative walk is unstructured time for private journaling or reflection, and enjoyment of the beautiful grounds of Holy Spirit Retreat Center. The day is open to beginners as well as those experienced in contemplative prayer or silent meditation. All are welcome. A brief introduction to Centering Prayer will be offered for those new to the practice.
Free-will offering
Register online at hsrcenter.com by February 28th
For more information contact Marilyn Nobori at cpcoordinator@hsrcenter.com or (818) 815-4480.

Online Half Day Centering Prayer/Welcoming Prayer mini-retreat via Hawaiʻi (1st Saturday of every month)
2023-03-04 09:00 - 11:30 (Pacific/Honolulu) | Internet – Online
First Saturdays
9-11:30am Hawaiʻi time (UTC-10)
Half day online retreats
First Saturdays online retreats are a special time where we explore our centering prayer practice. We are looking forward to sharing Physio-Divina (Moving) practices, Visio-Divina (visual-Art) practices. Lectio-Divina (Sacred Text) practices in addition to the Centering Prayer and Welcoming prayer practice that are our foundation. Pulelehua, Liedeke, and Margie have stepped into leadership and welcome others if you are called to join us.
Here is a preview of the first part of 2023: January 7th we celebrated Epiphany, February 4 we embraced Love, March 4th we will be entering into the Lenten Season, and April 4 we will be reflecting on Holy week.
Let the Light grow in us,
Visio Divina,
Centering Prayer and Welcoming Prayer
January 7, 2023, 9:11:30 am Hawai’i time (UTC-10)
We hope you will join us from wherever & whenever you are!
Schedule in Hawai’i Time (UTC -10)
8:45am Room open to for early connections
9:00 Welcome and introductions
9:15 Centering prayer
9:45 Welcoming prayer
10:00 Centering prayer
10:20 Break
10:30 Visio Divina
10:45 Reflections
11:00 Body Prayer with Lectio Divina
11:15-11:30 Closing Prayer
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/92185854158?pwd=[REDACTED]
Zoom Meeting ID: 921 8585 4158
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Dates 2023 ( the zoom link is the same for all these dates)
March 4
April 1
May 6
June 3
July 1
August 5
September 2
October 7
November 4
December 2

Silent Saturday with Fr. Bill Sheehan: Finding the Place of the Heart
2023-03-04 08:30 - 14:30 (Asia/Karachi) | Internet – Online
Virtual Silent Saturday with Fr. Bill Sheehan
Finding the Place of the Heart March 4
Contemplative Outreach of Columbus is offering a Silent Saturday. A Silent Saturday provides a few hours that are set aside for Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina, spiritual teaching and reflection. “Come rest awhile with the Lord” in preparation for Holy Week.
Fr Bill will discuss “Finding the Place of the Heart…Encouragement to go Deeper” so that we may listen to the Spirit praying in us, enlivening, enlightening and guiding us. How can we deepen our awareness that we are all mystics? God has pitched a tent on the fertile soil of our hearts.
Fr. Bill is a priest and member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He was present at the Lama retreat convened by Fr. Thomas Keating OCSO which founded Contemplative Outreach. He has led countless Centering Prayer workshops and retreats. He is an enthusiastic follower of the Red Sox and Patriots, but he is first all a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Expect that the day will begin at 8:30am and last until 2:30pm. EST
Register by sending an email to Bob Gorman at rbrtgorman@gmail.com and a zoom link will be sent to you a few days in advance.
The event is free. Nondeductible donations to Contemplative Outreach of Columbus to cover costs are welcome. They can be sent to the care of Tom Davis at 844 Franklin Ave, Columbus, OH 43205.

Introduction to Centering Prayer – via Zoom
2023-02-27 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Internet – Online
Two Session Event: February 27th and 28th, 2023 from 6 PM to 8 PM (Central) each day.
The Introduction to Centering Prayer explores the place of contemplative prayer in the Christian tradition. As Jesus said, “But when you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6)
The Introduction will guide you through the method of Centering Prayer and let you experience this prayer of silence. Centering Prayer’s purpose is to foster a deeper intimacy with Christ through silence and stillness. The presentation will include the conceptual background of Centering Prayer, psychological processes, and insights into establishing Centering Prayer as a way of life. There will be opportunities for discussion as well as invitations into prayerful presence.
This workshop is divided into four conferences across two days. Conferences 1 & 2 are on February 27 and conferences 3 & 4 on February 28. We plan to continue with 4 Follow-Up sessions at later dates.
To join us online, please email Sandra at: sandyandkali@sbcglobal.net.
Free will donation: $20 suggested. Click in the Event Website at the bottom of the page to donate to Contemplative Outreach Chicago.
Presenters:
Alan Krema is a commissioned Contemplative Outreach presenter of Centering Prayer and Welcoming Prayer. He is a Wisdom student of Cynthia Bourgeault and facilitates groups based on the Wisdom Way of Knowing. He has completed the Living School program at the Center for Action and Contemplation. Alan served from 2016-2022 as chapter coordinator for Contemplative Outreach Chicago and is enrolled in the Shalem Institute program for Group Spiritual Leadership.
Sandra Janowski is a retired Social Worker, Addiction Counselor and Community College Adjunct Instructor. In 2009 she completed a two year program in Spiritual Companionship and was commissioned by the Institute of Spiritual Companionship. Starting in 2016 Sandra became a member of the Chicago Chapter “Circle of Service” and has served as the Coordinator of Facilitators since 2018. In 2021 she was commissioned by Contemplative Outreach as a Centering Prayer Presenter. Currently she hosts a weekly Centering Prayer group on Meditation Chapel and co hosts a group at St Simon’s Episcopal Church. Sandra will be co-leading a seven day Silent Retreat at Sienna Center July 23 to July 29, 2023. She has 3 children, 4 granddaughters and 3 great-granddaughters.

What Does Centering Prayer Have to Offer the 21st Century? (via Zoom and in-person)
2023-02-25 09:00 - 15:00 UTC | Internet – Online
Presented by Adam Bucko and Rory McEntee
What do Father Keating’s teachings have to offer us in the 21st century? In an initial talk, Adam Bucko will set the stage for our time together by first looking to the past. How can we understand Centering Prayer’s connections to the historical structures and frameworks of the Christian tradition, and what do these structures of contemplative spirituality have to offer us today? Looking forward, what might we need to add or subtract from these structures to develop a robust contemplative life in the 21st century? How do the challenges we face today differ, as well as overlap, from those in the past? And how can Centering Prayer address the challenges of a broken world in which our contemporary journeys are embedded?
Rory McEntee will follow up Adam’s talk with reflections on interspiritual dimensions of Father Keating’s teachings and contemplative life. How might the two major projects of Fr. Keating’s later life, the Centering Prayer movement and the interspiritual “Snowmass Conferences,” come together? What might be gleamed for the Centering Prayer movement from this other half of Fr. Keating’s (inter)spiritual work in the world? Is an openness to other ways of being spiritual and/or religious necessary for contemplative lives in the 21st century? If so, what is a proper way of orienting ourselves within such openness? Answering such questions leads us beyond tolerance for other religious traditions towards an abiding love for them, as Fr. Keating often spoke of. For some, it may even lead to a deep engagement in our contemplative lives with those outside the boundaries of traditional Christianity, even while remaining anchored to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
In a final session, Adam and Rory will lead a dialogue around “new monasticism,” engaging one another as well as the audience. They will look back at their co-authored book from 2015, The New Monasticism: An Interspiritual Manifesto for Contemplative Living, and discuss what still feels relevant, and what has changed since then. As new monasticism aims to translate practices from monastic and other contemplative traditions into modern lives, as well as broaden ideas of what ‘total commitment’ to a contemplative life looks like, it resonates strongly with the Centering Prayer movement. Our hope is this discussion will lead to a robust Q&A dialogue with conference participants around the most pressing questions in our contemplative journeys today. This event will include two sessions of Centering Prayer
Time listed is Mountain Time (Denver, Colorado)
Click the link below to register.

Body Presence and Contemplative Awareness - BioSpiritual Focusing Day of Presence
2023-02-18 09:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Contemplative Enrichment Day with Donna O’Connor and Mike Smoolca
Discover a deeper awareness of healing and wisdom accessible to each of us through our bodies. We’ll establish BioSpiritual Focusing’s place in Body Awareness Practice and then progressively and experientially introduce participants to the focusing concepts which will conclude with individual experiences of being companioned through a focusing session. Participants will be invited to welcome and hold their feelings with curiosity and loving care to achieve integration into greater wholeness. This day provides the foundations to pursue further practice and study of BioSpiritual Focusing.
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.
Donna O’Connor is the BioSpiritual Focusing Coordinator at Genesis Spiritual Life Center in Westfield, Massachusetts, a retreat leader, and long-time spiritual director. Donna has a special interest in helping people who struggle with weight, body image, and eating disorders and is experienced in 12-Step Spirituality.
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 presenter and coordinator for the Christian Contemplative Experience at Holy Family, Contemplative Outreach of CT, 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.

Wisdom School: The Encounter with Evil – ZOOM OPTION
2023-02-17 19:00 - 2023-02-22 12:00 (America/Denver) | Internet – Online
“From time immemorial Wisdom Schools have emerged in times of global crisis or on the cusp of great leaps in human consciousness in order to help shepherd our planet through the transition. While there is academic teaching that goes on here, that is not the primary business of a Wisdom school; the primary business is to help anchor human wholeness and to work with the core practices that sustain the transformation of consciousness.” — Wisdom Waypoints
Please Note: In-person retreat is full
Mercy Center, Burlingame Centering Prayer Program presents
Wisdom School: The Encounter with Evil – ZOOM OPTION
In this timely advanced wisdom school, we will be inquiring into the nature and presence of evil as a discernible force, with a focus on these key questions: What is a useful, contemporary understanding of evil? How can we effectively deal with evil, at both an individual and collective scale?
Teachings will draw from a wide variety of sources both spiritual and psychological, with the emphasis first and foremost on the practical: learning to recognize and shield oneself better from the toxic effects of prolonged exposure to evil, “speaking truth to power” in a way that wields real clout, and as necessary, to draw more intentionally and skillfully on assistance from realms beyond our own.
We will be exploring:
the metaphysics of evil with an emphasis on the process and relational nature of its arising
the psychology of evil and its potential spawning ground
the roots of collective psychosis
the dangerous blind spot in the Christian strategy of “love conquers all”
considerations of personal responsibility
the remediating force of conscience and the costliness of engaging it
Because this is an advanced wisdom school, a strong meditation practice and familiarity with the Christian wisdom tradition as laid out by Cynthia Bourgeault is strongly recommended. Join us on ZOOM through Mercy Center, Burlingame, CA. There will be an invitation to a wisdom way of approaching this material through a daily rhythm with periods of silence, centering prayer, teaching, conscious conversation, Gurdjieff Exercises and Movements, chanting, mindful work, and contemplative free time.
Retreat Leader & Centering Prayer Team:
Cynthia Bourgeault is a modern day mystic, Episcopal priest, writer, and internationally acclaimed retreat leader. She divides her time between solitude in her seaside hermitage in Maine and a demanding schedule traveling globally to spread the recovery of the Christian contemplative and Wisdom paths. She is principal teacher for The Contemplative Society and the founding director of an international network of Wisdom schools, uniting classic Christian mystical and monastic teaching with contemporary practices of mindfulness and embodied presence.
Heather Ruce will be supporting our wisdom school experience through guiding us in daily Gurdjieff Movements. She is a wisdom spiritual director with training in a neurophysiology based approach to understanding the nervous system. She loves working with individuals as well as facilitating groups and retreats focused on learning and practicing the Christian Wisdom Tradition.
Joy Andrews Hayter is a spiritual director whose offerings include Centering Prayer and other contemplative practices of the Christian Wisdom tradition. These practices encourage us to lean into the Love that is constantly being offered within a relational web of Sacred Unity. As a scientist she sees in the physical world an expression of that love.
Catherine Regan 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.
ZOOM Hosts:
Jesse Roger Burson is a father of three, business owner, retired Coast Guard officer and dedicated practitioner of meditation and Centering Prayer for over forty years. He has been attending Wisdom Schools and following the teachings of Cynthia Bourgeault since reading “The Wisdom Jesus” in 2017 and has been a Spiritual Director and Group Spiritual Director since 2019. Jesse is also an avid sailor and pilot!
Alan Krema is a long time student of Cynthia Bourgeault and has attended multiple Wisdom Schools since 2010. He facilitates Wisdom practice groups focused on Centering Prayer, Wisdom Way of Knowing, and the Gospel of Thomas. He emphasizes the engagement of current issues with the embodied Wisdom of contemplative practice. He is actively engaged with Wisdom Waypoints and Contemplative Outreach and has introduced a variety of teachings from the Wisdom Way of Knowing lineage into the practice and prayer gatherings of Contemplative Outreach. He lives in the Chicago area.
CONTACT
To register, please see the link below.
For further assistance, contact us at (650) 340-7474.
For more information visit: www.mercy-center.org
These are unprecedented times. If finances are an issue, please email us at registration@mercywmw.org for a learning grant discount code. We want to make sure our offerings are available to everyone.
CANCELLATIONS / REFUNDS
Mercy Center requires notice of cancellation in writing (email to mc@sistersofmercy.org) 1 week prior to the event for a full refund by check or 50% of the total program cost if the notice is received 3 days or less prior to the event.
No refund will be given if a retreatant leaves early or arrives late during a retreat. Out of consideration for others on the waiting list, please make a commitment to attend the entire retreat.
Schedule (subject to change)
Friday Evening, February 17th
7:00 ZOOM Welcome and Orientation
7:30 Opening session Introducing the Encounter with Evil (Cynthia)
Great Silence from end of session until afternoon
Daily Saturday, February 18th – Tuesday, February 21st
6:25 Yoga (optional)
7:00 Centering Prayer & Chanting
7:30 Break for breakfast & Personal prayer time maintaining Great Silence
9:00 Morning Teaching
10:30 Break
11:00 Conscious Work or Gurdjieff Movements
12:00 Break Mindful conversation at Lunch followed by contemplative silent time for rest and reflection
2:30 Conscious Work or Gurdjieff Movements
3:30 Break
3:45 Gurdjieff Exercise
4:45 Afternoon Teaching
6:00 Break for Dinner
7:15 Questions and Dialogue, followed by chanting and Centering Prayer into the Great Silence from end of session until afternoon
Wednesday, February 22nd
6:25 Yoga (optional)
7:00 Centering Prayer & Chanting
7:30 Break for breakfast & Personal prayer time maintaining Great Silence
9:30 Final Teaching/Q&R
10:45 Break
11:00 Ash Wednesday Eucharist Celebration
12:00 Wisdom School Complete

Centering Prayer Retreat
2023-02-16 16:00 - 2023-02-19 13:00 (America/Kentucky/Louisville) | Knobs Haven Retreat Center, 515 Nerinx Road, Nerinx, KY, 40049, United States
Weekend Centering Prayer Retreat

Carolyn Goddard's "Reflection on Discernment" - via Zoom
2023-02-13 17:00 - 19:30 (America/Chicago) | Internet – Online
Using gardening as a metaphor, this workshop will look at the process of discernment in terms of tilling the soil of one’s soul, planting a seed for discernment and watching for sunlit growth.
The session will begin with Centering Prayer, and there will also be time for individual reflection as well as questions during the discernment discussion. Materials for this presentation are drawn from books by Sr. Mary Margaret Funk, Henri Nouwen and Contemplative Outreach’s booklets on Discernment.
The workshop is limited to 25 participants, so please register early.

Introduction to Centering Prayer Workshop
2023-02-11 10:00 - 15:00 UTC | St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, High Point, NC, 108 W. Farriss Ave., High Point, NC, 27262, United States
Be still and know that I am God.
– Psalm 46:10
“Centering Prayer is a discipline to foster interior transformation, initiated by God and leading, if we consent, to divine union. One’s way of seeing reality changes, which empowers one to perceive and respond to everyday life with sensitivity to the dive presence in, through and beyond everything.” – Thomas Keating, Open Heart Open Mind
About the Event
In this workshop, we will examine how Centering Prayer will deepen our relationship with God, others and ourselves. We will learn the method of Centering Prayer and how to deal with our thoughts during the prayer period. There will be two periods of Centering Prayer and a time for questions. A boxed lunch will be served.
To register please contact Diane Popalis at dianep@stmarysepisc.org. There is a registration fee of $30.00 which includes a boxed lunch and a copy of Open Mind, Open Heart by Thomas Keating.
Presenters
Diane Popalis and Tom Benson, Commissioned Presenters

Introduction to Lectio Divina - via Zoom
2023-02-11 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Internet – Online
Lectio Divina, a Latin term for “divine reading,” is an ancient monastic practice of praying the Scriptures. The monks would gather in prayer and hear the scripture proclaimed. They would take a word or phrase that spoke to them into the activity of their day. Pondering this thought, ruminating through it throughout their work, they were aware of God’s presence.
Many of you are quite familiar with Centering Prayer, and have experienced how it has deepened your relationship with God. In this workshop, you will learn the basics of Lectio Divina, experience it in a guided setting, and be able to ask questions and share experiences with the presenter and your fellow participants.
During Lectio Divina, the practitioner listens to the text of the Bible with the “ear of the heart,” as if one is in conversation with God. Lectio Divina includes moments of reading (lectio), reflecting on (meditatio), responding to (oratio) and resting in (contemplatio) the Word of God with the aim of nourishing and deepening one’s relationship with the Divine.
Lectio Divina will bring you into a more intimate sense of the presence of God in the word of Scripture, and you will experience that grace this word has to influence, and indeed transform your life.
Please register using the link below.

Centering Prayer Silent Weekend Retreat
2023-02-10 17:00 - 2023-02-12 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” (Thomas Keating). 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.
Prerequisite: A regular practice of Centering Prayer or silent meditation
Fee: $300 private room; $175 commuter (includes all meals)
Register online at hsrcenter.com by February 3rd
A non-refundable deposit of $50 is required when registering.
Contact: Marilyn Nobori at cpcoordinator@hsrcenter.com

Centering Prayer Retreat
2023-02-07 14:00 - 2023-02-10 14:00 (America/New_York) | Holy Cross Monastery – New York, 1615 Route 9W, West Park, NY, 12493, United States
This four-day retreat at Holy Cross Monastery in the Hudson Valley offers opportunities for both those new to the Centering Prayer and those who have an established practice. During the retreat, one will experience integrating contemplation and action through silence, solitude, community and the rhythm of this Episcopal Benedictine monastic community’s worship and prayer life. The retreat offers two tracks. For those new to Centering Prayer, the basic essentials of the method and conceptual background of Centering Prayer will be presented. To those who have an established prayer practice, more time will be available to foster an ever-deepening level of interior silence and awareness of the presence of God in everyday life. This contemplative retreat welcomes both those new to and those comfortable with silence that have a yearning to rediscover this ancient prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplation.
Check-in is from 2:00 to 5:00 pm Tuesday. Vespers begins at 5:00. Dinner then follows. Orientation begins at 6:45 pm. The retreat concludes with noon meal on Friday. (Daily Holy Eucharist is available at 9:00 a.m.). The suggested donation for the retreat is $430. The retreat fee includes a single room and all meals. Shared single occupancy bathrooms in the hallways.
Retreat Leader: Leslee Anne Terpay is a Contemplative Outreach commissioned presenter for Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina. She is part of the service team who defines Lectio Divina workshop teachings and retreat experiences. Leslee is a spiritual director in Lone Tree, Colorado and a graduate of The Centering for Action and Contemplation Living School.
Reservations may be made by e-mail or phone.
We accept payments via all major credit cards, PayPal, or personal check. We offer hospitality assistance if you’d like to visit but find the cost too burdensome. To register, please contact our Guesthouse Office by phone (845-384-6660, ext. 3002) or email (guesthouse@hcmnet.org). If you have questions on the content of the retreat please contact Leslee at co-leslee@comcast.net

Online Half Day Centering Prayer/Welcoming Prayer mini-retreat via Hawaiʻi (1st Saturday of every month)
2023-02-04 09:00 - 11:30 (Pacific/Honolulu) | Internet – Online
First Saturdays
9-11:30am Hawaiʻi time (UTC-10)
Half day online retreats
First Saturdays online retreats are a special time where we explore our centering prayer practice. We are looking forward to sharing Physio-Divina (Moving) practices, Visio-Divina (visual-Art) practices. Lectio-Divina (Sacred Text) practices in addition to the Centering Prayer and Welcoming prayer practice that are our foundation. Pulelehua, Liedeke, and Margie have stepped into leadership and welcome others if you are called to join us.
Here is a preview of the first part of 2023: January 7th celebrated Epiphany, February 4 we will be embracing Love, March 4th we will be entering into the Lenten Season, and April 4 we will be reflecting on Holy week.
Let the Light grow in us,
Visio Divina,
Centering Prayer and Welcoming Prayer
February 4, 2023, 9:11:30 am Hawai’i time (UTC-10)
We hope you will join us from wherever & whenever you are!
Schedule in Hawai’i Time (UTC -10)
8:45am Room open to for early connections
9:00 Welcome and introductions
9:15 Centering prayer
9:45 Welcoming prayer
10:00 Centering prayer
10:20 Break
10:30 Visio Divina
10:45 Reflections
11:00 Body Prayer with Lectio Divina
11:15-11:30 Closing Prayer
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/92185854158?pwd=[REDACTED]
Zoom Meeting ID: 921 8585 4158
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Dates 2023 ( the zoom link is the same for all these dates)
February 4
March 4
April 1
May 6
June 3
July 1
August 5
September 2
October 7
November 4
December 2

The Contemplative Spirituality of Icons and Iconography
2023-01-28 09:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Contemplative Enrichment Day with Marek Czarnecki
Icons in the Orthodox Christian tradition have been used as visual theology and as windows into the spiritual world. Through sacred imagery, the Holy Spirit speaks to the believer, revealing deep truths that may not be evident in other ways, leading the believer into the depths of prayer and contemplation. During this day, we will share the spiritual foundations of icons, reveal the contemplative practice of writing icons, and experience the contemplative practice of praying with icons.
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.
Marek Czarnecki is a gifted iconographer and artist, teaching and writing icons out of his liturgical arts studio, Seraphic Restorations, in Meriden, Connecticut. He is a student of Russian Orthodox iconographer Ksenia Pokrovsky. Marek is a popular icon workshop and retreat leader. His icons have been featured in numerous exhibits, videos and articles, including The New York Times and St. Anthony Messenger.
