Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.

Bi-monthly Tech Circle ONLINE
2024-06-22 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
A space where we connect, explore questions and co-learn with a view to building our capacity to serve others in our community and beyond.
We’ve added dates for the year every couple of months. We met most recently on a Saturday at 1pm Eastern Time (ET) but not everyone was able to attend and so we’ve also added an alternating Friday night event too.
The remaining dates for the year are:
June 22nd 1pm ET
August 30th 8pm ET
October 26th 1pm ET
December 7th 8pm ET
If you are interested in attending these circles but have a question please email: matt@coutreach.org

A Taste of Lectio Divina
2024-06-22 | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
A Taste of Lectio Divina
Imagine what your spiritual life would be like if you were able to open yourself to the Word in Scripture, allowing the Spirit to guide you, learning about yourself and God’s will for you?
Lectio Divina, meaning “divine reading”, is the ancient interactive form of praying with Scripture, which allows us to explore the Sacred Word’s inner meaning.
The workshop will include:
• An Introduction to the method of Lectio Divina
• Delving into the “four senses” of Scripture – the literal, the allegorical, the moral/behavioral, and the unitive
• Practicing the method using passages from the New Testament
Join this exploration of sacred texts that help us move from an acquaintance with God to a transformative relationship with the Divine.
Please see the link below to register.

Centering Prayer and Living the Compassionate Life
2024-06-21 17:30 - 2024-06-23 17:30 UTC | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
How do we make a compassionate presence a part of our spiritual journey? It begins with giving ourselves time to reflect, time to become aware of the presence and action of the Divine in our lives. During this retreat we will take time to integrate our Centering Prayer practice with compassion, increase our self-care and practice compassion with growing discernment.
Join us at Bethany Retreat Center as we continue the spiritual journey with a look at the elements of Boundless Compassion and Centering Prayer, a seed of Compassion.
For more information about the facilitators and to register, please see the link below.

Centering Prayer Silent Weekend Retreat
2024-06-21 16:00 - 2024-06-23 16:00 UTC | St. Benedict Center, 1126 Road I, Schuyler, NE, 68661, United States
Saint Benedict Center
Schuyler, NE. 1.5 hours West of Omaha, NE
You are invited to gather with us for our summer retreat giving time to be present in the beauty of nature, prayer and solitude.
Come enjoy the beautiful grounds of Saint Benedict Center at the perfect time of year to rest in deep silence. Our retreat will begin with the Friday evening meal and conclude Sunday after lunch.
We will maintain silence with half-hour sits being offered though out our time together.
If you have a committed Centering Prayer practice and would like to deepen your practice, this is perfect for you!
Cost $330.00 due by June 7th, retreat limited to 15 people
Registration is on our website. See link below.
Private room, all meals from Friday evening to Sunday noon and programing are provided.

Thomas Merton: Finding the Gate to Paradise Everywhere
2024-06-08 09:30 - 12:00 (America/Halifax) | Internet – Online
Thomas Merton was a mystic giant. He wrote 50 books and 2,000 poems in 27 years. The first printing of his autobiography, The Seven Story Mountain, in 1948 was planned for 7,500 copies. It sold over 600,000. By 1984, more than 3,000,000 additional copies had sold.
Merton invites God seekers to go deeper and wider as we discover the difference between our “True Self” and our “False Self.” As we let go of defining our self by power, prestige, and possessions and discover that we are more than what we do, what people say about us, and what we own, we are then able to remember that we are made in God’s image–and with us God is well pleased.
As we discover the holy in us, we become equipped to be a vehicle of the Good News by what we do, by what we say, and mostly by who we are. Merton wrote, “At the center of our being is a point of nothingness which is untouched by sin and by illusions, a point of truth, a point or spark which belongs to God.” Therefore, “to be a saint is to be myself.”
As we go deeper in our faith and remember who we are in God’s eyes, we are able to discover that we can connect with the core of other religions. In his final talk before his death, Merton said, “This new language of prayer has to come out of something which transcends all our traditions and comes out of the immediacy of love.” Merton himself had one of his deepest mystical experiences gazing at the rock statue of the Buddha in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka.
This half-day retreat will include a presentation, time for silent meditation, and a plenary. Our focus will be Merton’s invitation to live a cruciform life: one that is vertically connected to God and horizontally connected to our fellow souls and to “this fragile earth our island home.”
Meet Bishop Porter Taylor
Bishop Porter Taylor is the retired bishop of Western North Carolina and recently served two years as visiting bishop in the Diocese of Virginia. He earned a Ph.D. in Literature and Theology from Emory University. He is the author of three books: From Anger to Zion: An Alphabet of Faith; To Dream as God Dreams: Sermons of Community, Conversion, and Hope; and his most recent, Are You Persuaded? In and Out of Being a Bishop. He and his wife, Jo, live in Asheville, North Carolina, with their dog, Sadie.
Please register using the link below.

Five-Day Centering Prayer Retreat
2024-06-05 15:00 - 2024-06-09 15:00 UTC | St. Mary’s Sewanee: The Ayres Center for Spiritual Development, 770 St. Mary's Lane, TN, 37375, United States
This retreat is an opportunity for practitioners of Centering Prayer to deepen their contemplative journey in the contemporary world. It is a five day experience of integrating contemplation and action through silence, solitude, and community.
The retreat offers two tracks. The intensive track is recommended for people who have completed the introductory workshop and who have a regular practice of Centering Prayer. The post-intensive track is for those people who have previously made an extended day intensive retreat. The post-intensive offers increased silence and additional periods of Centering Prayer.
Both the intensive and post-intensive Centering Prayer retreat provide daily experiences of silence, solitude, walking, hiking, yoga, and spiritual companionship to foster an ever-deepening level of interior silence and awareness of the presence of God in everyday life.
Scholarship Assistance is available for those with financial need. Please contact Reservations for application, reservations@stmaryssewanee.org, 931-598-5342.

Forming Future Keepers of the Tradition: Young Contemplatives Retreat
2024-06-02 - 2024-06-09 | The Lama Foundation, PO Box 240, San Christobal, NM, 87564, United States
All young contemplatives and professionals 50 and under are welcome to this Centering Prayer retreat.
Generous scholarships are available.
Please email snowmasscoc@gmail.com with questions and interest.

Introduction to Centering Prayer Workshop
2024-06-01 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Online Zoom, Select a Country:
Introduction to Centering Prayer Workshop – Online
Sat, Jun 1st from 9:00am to 12:00pm US Central Daylight Time
This workshop is offered online by the Church of Conscious Harmony. Learn the basics for beginning a Centering Prayer daily practice, using the Contemplative Outreach course based on Fr. Thomas Keating’s book, “Open Mind, Open Heart”. It includes four follow-up meetings via Zoom held four consecutive Tues 12:00-1:15pm US CDT beginning Jun 4th.
The cost is $15. Please register with the link below.

Contemplative Christianity at the Dawning of the Second Axial Age
2024-06-01 08:30 - 16:30 UTC | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Annual Day of Reflection with The Rev. Matthew Wright
Many thinkers today believe we are entering a “Second Axial Age” — a great shift in consciousness and spirituality equal to that which produced the headwaters of our great religious traditions between roughly 800-200 BCE. This next shift is related closely to the process of globalization, and our emerging sense and planetary need for oneness. Profound Interspiritual permeability will characterize this next phase. We will examine the insights modern Christian Mystics such as Teilhard de Chardin, Bede Griffiths, and Raimon Panikkar offer us.
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.
The Rev. Matthew Wright is an Episcopal priest, writer, and retreat leader working to renew the Christian Wisdom tradition within a wider interspiritual framework. He has been a student of Cynthia Bourgeault since 2010. Alongside his practice of Christianity, Matthew draws deeply from the sacred worlds of Islamic Sufism and Vedanta Hinduism.
Please register using the link below.

Introduction to Centering Prayer
2024-05-31 17:00 - 2024-06-02 17:00 UTC | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
Sourced from the depths of Christian contemplative tradition, Centering Prayer has emerged as a life-changing prayer practice for those who embrace it. Centering Prayer is a receptive method of Christian silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer; prayer in which we experience God’s presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself. Its purpose is to foster a deeper intimacy with Christ through the silence and stillness of contemplative prayer.
Join us to learn the method or to renew your practice of this ancient form of silent prayer.
Please see the link below to register.

Spring Silent Saturday
2024-05-25 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road, Encino, CA, 91436, United States
In this season of new life and promise, it is good to take a quiet morning for Centering Prayer and silence. The day is open to beginners as well as those experienced in contemplative prayer or silent meditation.
The day provides time for communal prayers with contemplative walks, time for private journaling, reflection, and an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful grounds of Holy Spirit Retreat Center.
All are welcome. A brief introduction to Centering Prayer will be offered for those new to the practice.
A free will offering is gratefully appreciated.
Registration online at hsrcenter.com is appreciated but not required.
For more information contact Marilyn Nobori at centeringprayer@hsrcenter.com or 818-815-4480.

Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop
2024-05-18 08:30 - 12:30 UTC | 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.
In-person and online.
$50 donation suggested.
Please register using the link below.

Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop Retreat
2024-05-17 13:00 - 2024-05-19 13:00 (America/Halifax) | Sisters of Charity Motherhouse, 5900 Delhi Road, Cincinnati, OH, 45233, United States
THREE-DAY CENTERING PRAYER RETREAT
May 17 – 19, 2024
CENTERING PRAYER INTRODUCTORY RETREAT
– Learning to improve our conscious contact with the God of our understanding through prayer and meditation together. –
“Silence is a great common denominator between people and also between us and God. God’s first language is silence. Everything else is a poor translation. It is by entering into silence that we are best able to hear God.” Fr. Thomas Keating
This retreat offers: An in-depth experience of silent prayer/meditation; an introduction to Centering Prayer (including its use within an 11th Step Practice); and a presentation on The Human Condition.
We have come to believe that true healing can only happen though our conscious connection with a Higher Power. As we consent to God’s presence and action within us through the Centering Prayer practice, we open ourselves to the exact healing we most need.
This retreat also includes four continuing sessions by Zoom on Saturdays 9:00-10:00 am Eastern Time; dates TBD by attendees.
This is an opportunity for deeper union with God through communal sharing of silence and stillness. For those making their first silent retreat, there will be periods of silent prayer as well as presentations on “The Method” with discussion. We will also share videos by Fr. Thomas Keating on The Human Condition.
Details: Location is the Sisters of Charity Motherhouse, 5900 Delhi Road, Mt. St. Joseph, OH 45051 Arrival on May 17 at 3:00pm; Depart on May 19 at 1:30pm.
Retreat Leaders: John Orr, Gina DiGirolamo, Bill Tonnis – Commissioned Presenters, Contemplative Outreach, LTD.
Cost: $250 includes private room w/bath, all meals, and a copy of “Open Mind Open Heart” by Thomas Keating. Commuters: $175 – includes all meals and book. Registration with deposit of $125 or $62.50 respectively required by May 13. Limited partial scholarships available.
Register by mail with the form below or online at co-gcnky.org via the Donate link. For online registration, please include information requested in the form below in the comment section of the Donation Page.
Contact Bill Tonnis @ billtonnis2012@gmail.com with questions.
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 whether staying overnight or commuting.
Name ___________________________ Address ________________________________________ Email____________________________________ Phone ________________________________________ Include a note describing dietary restrictions/mobility limitations with your registration. Thank you.

7-Day Centering Prayer Dual Track Intensive / Post Intensive
2024-05-13 14:00 - 2024-05-19 10:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Cross Monastery – New York, 1615 Route 9W, West Park, NY, 12493, United States
The seven-day Centering Prayer Dual Track Intensive / Post Intensive Retreat offered from Monday, May 13 to Sunday, May 19, 2024, provides an opportunity to deepen the practice of Centering Prayer in an atmosphere of profound silence and community support. The Intensive track will follow the Contemplative Outreach guidelines for an Intensive Retreat including six 30-minute Centering Prayer periods daily plus viewing and faith sharing on Thomas Keating’s Human Condition teachings. The Post Intensive track provides an additional 30 minutes of Centering Prayer with time for daily solitude. Retreat leaders: Leslee Anne Terpay and Br. Bernard Delcourt are available for soul-friending. During the retreat, one will experience integrating as one wishes contemplation and action through silence, solitude, community and the rhythm of this Episcopal Benedictine monastic community’s worship and prayer life including daily Holy Eucharist. An established practice of Centering Prayer for at least 6-months is highly recommended.
Monday check-in is from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Dinner then follows. Orientation begins at 6:45pm. The retreat concludes with breakfast on the last day with optional attendance at Holy Eucharist.
Cost for the retreat is $990. The retreat fee includes a single room and all meals. Shared single occupancy bathrooms in the hallways. Register by e-mail or phone with our Guesthouse Manager, Donna Mallory at 845-384-6660 ext 1 or at guesthouse@hcmnet.org.
If you have questions about the retreat content or which track is best for you, please contact retreat leader: Leslee Terpay at co-leslee@comcast.net.
To find out more about Holy Cross Monastery, visit their website at: www.holycrossmonastery.com
Retreat Leaders
Leslee Anne Terpay As a Contemplative Outreach Commissioned Presenter of Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina, Leslee shares Fr. Thomas Keating’s teachings on the Christian Spiritual Journey in workshop and retreat settings. She is part of the Service Team that stewards Fr. Thomas’s teaching for serving Centering Prayer Retreats. She is a spiritual director in Lone Tree, CO and a graduate of The Center for Action and Contemplation Living School.
Br. Bernard Delcourt is the US Director of Associates for the Order of the Holy Cross. Bernard is a Contemplative Outreach commissioned presenter. Bernard has been a monk since 2004. Before becoming a monk, he was an investment banker and then a life and business skills coach. He is a spiritual director and regularly visits General Theological Seminary in New York to offer spiritual direction to students and staff.

Coloring Outside the Lines by Returning to Elementary Questioning: ‘How Should I Contemplate?’ - via Zoom
2024-05-11 10:00 - 12:00 UTC | Internet – Online
Join us, via ZOOM, for a morning with Dr. Carmen Acevedo Butcher as she guides us in this session with the purpose of deepening and personalizing our own practice, both individually and collectively, with a heart for becoming more self- and others- compassionate.
Times noted are in Eastern Daylight Time. See link below to register.

1-Day Centering Prayer Retreat – Sacred Embodiment
2024-05-11 09:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Church of Conscious Harmony, 7406 Newhall Lane, Austin, TX, 78746, United States
1-Day Centering Prayer Retreat – Sacred Embodiment
May 11th, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm CDT, offered by The Church of Conscious Harmony. Led by Sharon Johnson, this in-person retreat includes times of Centering Prayer with gentle restorative yoga and stretching. It will be held in the fellowship hall. Bring a brown bag lunch. If you have a yoga mat, block, bolster, blankets or evo band, please bring them. Space is limited.
To register or for more information, please select the event website registration link below or contact The Church of Conscious Harmony at 512-347-9673.

I AM That I AM: The Invitation at the Center of Contemplative Prayer
2024-05-05 16:00 - 2024-05-08 12:00 UTC | Mercy by the Sea Retreat and Conference Center, 167 Neck Road, Madison, CT, 06443-0191, United States
Contemplative prayer draws us to the center of our being where Silence opens us to God’s dynamic, spacious, ever-evolving reality — the God Who is, not the God we expect. In this silent retreat, through periods of Centering Prayer; contemplative practices; simple body exercises; contemplative conversation; and quiet time for reflection, reading, and walking the grounds, we will heed the call to meet the God of unsettling mystery and grace, sometimes unfamiliar and unpredictable, sometimes wonderfully surprising and bountiful.
This silent retreat, intended for those with a Centering Prayer or other contemplative prayer practice, will draw on the writings of Thomas Keating, Ilia Delio, Teilhard de Chardin, Meister Eckhart, and others. It will offer the opportunity to explore your experiences with the Sacred and reflect on how and whether your image and relationship with the divine have changed over the years. Where is God calling to you? How are you responding?
Please see the link below to register.

Centering Prayer Intro Workshop
2024-05-04 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | All Saints by the Sea Church, 83 Eucalyptus Lane, Santa Barbara, CA, 93108, United States
This is an in-person event.
Workshop Highlights:
– Introduces participants to the method and background of Centering Prayer
– Offers two opportunities to practice Centering Prayer
– Follow-up meetings offered
Four Topics
1. Prayer as Relationship
2. The Method of Centering Prayer
3. Thoughts and the Us of the Sacred Word
4. Deepening our Relationship with God
Time zone: Pacific Time
To register, please email cliffg4250@gmail.com

The Gospel of Love: Finding Wholeness with Julian of Norwich in Fragmented Times
2024-05-04 08:30 - 16:30 UTC | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Contemplative Enrichment Day with Mark S. Burrows, Ph.D.
At the turn of the 15th century, Julian of Norwich received 16 “showings” as a middle-aged woman and spent the rest of her life “beholding” them. She eventually produced a book at once provocative and accessible, expanding these “visions of love.” What Julian offers is a remarkably complex and compelling vision of the immensity of God’s generosity, and the radical call of compassion this calls us to embody in our lives. Join us to explore ways to discover your life held by God’s healing wholeness.
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.
Mark S. Burrows, Ph.D., is an in-demand retreat leader in the U.S. and Europe. A leading voice in the work of integrating theology and the arts, he is widely respected for his work on the Christian mystical tradition. He is also well known as a poet, editor, and author. Mark is a member of the Iona Community and an oblate at Glastonbury Abbey. He lives and writes in Camden, ME.
Please use the link below to register.

Arising...a Quiet Day Retreat
2024-04-27 09:00 - 16:00 UTC | Westminster Presbyterian Church (Iowa), 1301 Kimball Ave, Waterloo, IA, 50702, United States
Looking for a quiet time away for reflection and prayer to be connected to the Center of all that is? Join others at Westminster Presbyterian for this day “Arising” in prayerful community with opportunities for
– Centering Prayer in community;
– EarthWhispers to make connections to the Divine Presence in the natural world;
– Walking a Labyrinth…with your feet or fingers;
– Yoga with Journaling (am) and Tai Chi (pm)…to connect body and Spirit;
– Sung Prayer in community;
– Meeting individually with another pilgrim (a leader within the group) to converse about your life’s journey.
Note: Several of the above are free time options. Participants may choose what to attend, or they may choose to not attend structured options.
Register by email to coneiowa@gmail.com, and include name and phone number, on or before Monday, April 22. More info about food, parking, etc. will be shared with those who register.
A free will donation is welcome to defray the day’s costs.
Westminster Presbyterian Church is at 1301 Kimball Ave, Waterloo, IA.

Bi-monthly Tech Circle ONLINE
2024-04-26 20:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
A space where we connect, explore questions and co-learn with a view to building our capacity to serve others in our community and beyond.
We’ve added dates for the year every couple of months. We met most recently on a Saturday at 1pm ET but not everyone was able to attend and so we’ve also added an alternating Friday night event too.
The remaining dates for the year are:
April 26th 8pm ET
You can register for our April circle NOW
June 22nd 1pm ET
August 30th 8pm ET
October 26th 1pm ET
December 7th 8pm ET
If you are interested in attending these circles but have a question please email: matt@coutreach.org

Centering Prayer Retreat
2024-04-26 16:00 - 2024-04-28 16:00 UTC | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
God — the source of true joy and lasting peace — is not outside, at a distance from ourselves. God is the very origin of ourselves. Contemplatives of all traditions know that, as the author of The Cloud of Unknowing writes, “God is your being.” Contemplative practice is a means of sinking into the deeper parts of ourselves and waking up to our rootedness in God as the Ground of Being.
But it can be a struggle to sit still and “just be.” The capacity to be is the mystical way of deep prayer & contemplation: resting in God beyond the activity of our mind, body & email — resting in God as the Beingness of our being, the Source of our self.
Weaving teachings from Fr. Thomas Keating, Cynthia Bourgeault, Rupert Spira, and The Cloud of Unknowing, this retreat explores how Centering Prayer opens us to God’s Being within us and the Becoming of God expressed in our daily lives.
Join this Centering Prayer retreat to explore:
· God as the universal Ground of Being
· Why oneness with God is so practical
· Contemplation as a way of opening to our natural state of mind
· The role of attention & “Objectless awareness” in Centering Prayer
· Finding God as closer that breath
God’s peace and presence of God are at the source of our very selves.
Join this retreat to explore in theory and practice! Please see the link below to register.

Contemplative Outreach South Africa National Conference
2024-04-26 - 2024-04-30 | Padre Pio Retreat Center, 25 Kort Street, Pretoria, Rietvalleirand, 0181, South Africa
All are welcome!
VENUE: PADRE PIO RETREAT CENTRE, PRETORIA
DATE: 26 APRIL – 30 APRIL 2024
with Mary Dwyer
Registration fee options:
1. Entire conference, full board, single room including banquet: R3000.00
2. Entire conference, full board, shared room including banquet: R2600.00
3. Entire conference, non-residential, meals and banquet included: R1500.00
4. Day Visitors, 09:00 – 17.00, tea/coffee included, bring own lunch: R450 per day
5. Day visitors, 09.00 – 17.00, tea/coffee included and banquet included: R700
NON- REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT WITH REGISTRATION REQUIRED: 50% OF INDICATED FEE, EXCLUDING DAY VISITORS.
For enquiries: Wendy Maree 012 993 3525/0823399969/ wndmaree@gmail.com
Please send the following information:
NAME:
Email address:
Contact number:
Dietary preferences
Option 1 2 3 4 5 Total: R ___ Deposit: R____
Payment method: EFT Payable to:
CONTEMPLATIVE OUTREACH PRETORIA
NEDBANK, MENLYN
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 1697057969
BRANCH CODE: 169745
POP TO: Wendy Maree, email: wndmaree@gmail.com

A Weekend Retreat: “Deepening the Contemplative Path And the Gift of Emotional Healing”
2024-04-26 - 2024-04-28 | St. Emma Monastery, 1001 Harvey Avenue, Greensburg, PA, 15601, United States
April 26 – 28, 2024
St. Emma’s Monastery
Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Sponsored by Contemplative Outreach of Pittsburgh
Our spring retreat will be led by Jim McElroy. Jim is on the governing board for Contemplative Outreach, and has been on the leadership team of 12-Step Outreach since its formation in 2005. He is the former coordinator of CO St. Louis, is on the Welcoming Prayer Service Team, and is a member of the Living Flame teaching team. Retreat will include presentations with dialogue on the Human Condition, Divine Therapy the Welcoming Prayer. There will be private time for Centering Prayer. silence, and soul-friending,
Preregister by emailing victoriae4copcenteringprayer@gmail.com

After the Resurrection with Fr. Carl Arico - in person or via Zoom
2024-04-20 09:00 - 15:00 UTC | The Center at Mariandale, 299 North HIghland Ave, Ossining, NY, 10562, United States
“Each feast of the liturgical year is both an event to be celebrated and a grace to be received.”
– Fr. Thomas Keating OCSO, The Mystery of Christ: The Liturgy as Spiritual Experience
Join us for a day of Centering Prayer, recollection and celebration as Fr. Carl Arico explores with us the graces to be received in the grand liturgical feast of Pentecost. What unfolds for us in the time between the Resurrection and Pentecost? How does the feast of Pentecost touch our hearts? Let us linger together and ponder that “The Spirit…is not given only once… it is an ongoing promise, an endless promise…always, fulfilled and always being fulfilled.”(Fr. Keating, The Mystery of Christ)
This day of recollection offers TWO ways to participate: attend in-person at The Center at Mariandale, or join in on Zoom. Time listed is Eastern Time.
Fee: $50.00 with lunch in person; $30.00 ZOOM. Fr. Carl’s presentation will be recorded and available to all who register. Please see the link below.

Practices for Contemplative Living: Lectio Divina
2024-04-20 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 April session will focus on Lectio Divina.
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 contact Eileen McCaffrey Schuman at coordinator@centeringprayernj.com.

Contemplating Christ With Fr Pizzuto - in person and Zoom options
2024-04-19 - 2024-04-21 | Canterbury Retreat & Conference Center, 1601 Alafaya Trail, Oviedo, FL, 32765, United States
In this retreat, Father Vincent Pizzuto will explore what it means to contemplate Christ not only in all people but in all things. Through conversations, group discussions and other activities, we will be looking at how the Incarnation has made mystics of us all and address this fundamental question: What if we read the Gospel as if that were true?
Registration options and fees:

$292 per person for shared rooms (2 per room).
$357 for private rooms (limited availability).
$167 commuter rate (includes meals).
$ 82 for Zoom attendance.
In-person Space is limited. Please register early.
Fr. Pizzuto’s book, Contemplating Christ is included free with paid registration and will be available for pickup at the retreat. Zoom participants will receive the Kindle version.

Please see the link below to register (which includes a link to the registration form above, if needed).

6-Day Silent Centering Prayer Retreat w/Father Bill Sheehan at Holy Cross Abbey VA
2024-04-15 - 2024-04-21 | Holy Cross Abbey, 901 Cool Spring Ln, VA, 22611, United States
Holy Simplicity of Life & Faith
Centering Prayer 6-Day Silent Retreat with
Father Bill Sheehan
Monday, April 15 – Sunday, April 21, 2024
* 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
To access the retreat flyer and the retreat application form, please click on the Event Website link below.

Communion to Community: "That We May Be One"
2024-04-13 09:00 - 12:00 (Asia/Dubai) | The Cathedral of St Matthew the Apostle, 1725 Rhode Island Ave, NW, Washington, DC, 20007, United States
Reflecting on the teachings of Fr. Thomas Keating and Beatrice Bruteau, Colleen Thomas will lead us in exploring the heart of Jesus’ teaching in the Gospel of John 17. In this Gospel, Jesus’ final prayer can be summed up as “that they may be one, as we are one.” As we commune with God through Centering Prayer, we become one with God.
Yet like the prayer itself, becoming one with others is not always so easy. Together we will reflect on the contemplative path as a movement beyond personal healing and transformation towards a prophetic and collective healing.
“Community is how being, even Absolute Being, and therefore all being fundamentally is.” -Beatrice Bruteau
See the link below to register.

Weaving a Nest for Stillness: A Silent Contemplative Retreat
2024-04-12 16:00 - 2024-04-14 16:00 UTC | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
This silent, contemplative weekend retreat invites you to engage with the Sacred in nature. Anchored in three Centering Prayer gatherings, the weekend will offer lectio and terra divina (sacred earth), body sensing-awareness practice, and evening prayer on Saturday. There will also be unstructured time for personal reflection, exploring the grounds, walking the labyrinth, reading, journaling, and rest. No experience with Centering Prayer is required.
The retreat will be facilitated by Claire Rusowicz and Anne Simpkinson. Claire is a spiritual director, retreat director, and spiritual director supervisor, with over 25 years of experience working with groups and individuals in Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts. A former staff associate and Program Director at Mercy by the Sea Retreat Center, she helps develop and facilitate its with Anne. Based in CT and MA, she works in private practice and serves as a guest retreat director in both states.
Anne has practiced Centering Prayer (CP) since 1996. While living in New York City, she served as co-coordinator of the Contemplative Outreach Chapter for three years and as a Centering Prayer facilitator at St. Bartholomew’s and St. Ignatius Loyola churches. A Commissioned Introductory CP workshop leader, she currently facilitates Centering Prayer groups and retreats, contemplative prayer, and contemplative writing retreats in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Please see the link below to register.
