Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.

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.

Introduction to Centering Prayer
2023-01-27 - 2023-01-29 | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
Join us for the Introduction to Centering Prayer retreat to deepen your personal relationship with God, and to prepare to receive the gift of contemplation. Introduction to Centering Prayer will allow you to be still and know God through this method of Christian silent prayer.
This retreat consists of four conferences of contemplative practice, study, and support.
Session one is a deeper look into prayer, specifically Centering Prayer, as a relationship with God.
Session two provides initial instruction into the practice of Centering Prayer itself, with the introduction to the choice and purpose of your personal sacred word.
Session three provides a deeper level of understanding of the Centering Prayer Practice that includes both the sacred word and silence as prayer, and insight into your various processes of thought. All of these combine to open you to giving consent to God’s presence and action.
Session four provides a connection between the method and practice of Centering Prayer and being fully present in everyday life by removing the obstacles to the state of union with God.
Additional retreats are scheduled throughout the year to enable you to enhance your regular practice of Centering Prayer.

Personal Days of Renewal with optional Centering Prayer Group Sessions
2023-01-27 - 2023-01-29 | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
Do you find yourself stressed? Overwhelmed? In personal spiritual crisis? Exhausted from caring for others? Do you just need to “unplug” from the daily grind? How are you taking care of yourself spiritually, physically, and emotionally? You can’t pour from an empty cup. You are invited to take some time for yourself on a personal retreat to focus on caring for yourself and fill up your cup.
Bethany Retreat Center is offering personal days of renewal for those who want to come for a day, overnight, or a few days to rest, relax, rejuvenate, reconnect, and rejoice. Take time to walk the grounds or the labyrinth, visit the Mary grotto, enjoy the scenery on a hike to the cross on the hill, sit and contemplate, pray in peace, or do whatever fills your personal cup.
We offer a comfortable place to rest and home cooked meals to nourish your body, mind, and soul. Schedule a session of soul friending while you are here for a spiritual uplift. If you are a Centering Prayer practitioner, you are also invited to attend the Centering Prayer group prayers offered throughout the weekend.

Global Conversation for Contemplative Outreach Community - via Zoom
2023-01-27 00:00 - 2023-01-28 17:00 UTC | Internet – Online
“Sharing the Vision,” offered via Zoom
All are welcome to join in a gathering for volunteers, hosted by the Chapter Support Team of Contemplative Outreach Ltd. This is an opportunity for Contemplative Outreach volunteers to connect and converse in a Zoom meeting with breakout rooms. You are welcome to propose conversation topics in advance to Marie Howard at mrhfamlife@aol.com.
Two opportunities to participate:

Friday, January 27: GMT midnight; 7pm Eastern; 6pm Central; 4pm Pacific; 2pm Hawaii (UTC-10)

OR

Saturday January 28: GMT 4pm; 11am Eastern; 10am Central; 8am Pacific; 6am Hawaii.

Click here to REGISTER

Simple Presence - A Contemplative Prayer Experience with the Vision of Contemplative Outreach - via Zoom
2023-01-21 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Internet – Online
In Simple Presence, the divine Presence becomes an invitation for our community to listen deeply to the Spirit’s movement and action within. The event will offer a communal prayer experience dedicated to contemplation of the Vision Statement of Contemplative Outreach: “We embrace transformation in Christ, both in ourselves and in others through the practice of Centering Prayer.”
Each participant enters into inner awareness individually and then opens to the source of the Presence, which is shared by other members of the group. The underlying commonality of the intention held is sacred. Simple Presence is being offered to those who are engaged with Contemplative Outreach on any level or simply have an interest in this community. It will be assumed that participants have a regular Centering Prayer practice and are familiar with Lectio Divina and the Welcoming Prayer.
Alan Krema will lead this workshop and it will include embodied prayer, chant, reflective readings, Centering Prayer, Welcoming Prayer, and wisdom sharing. Come prepared to sit in Simple Presence with the sacred words of the Vision. This prayerful event will be approximately two hours in length and will be presented online as Zoom gathering.
Please use the link below to register

Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop
2023-01-21 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 are open to this gift, it will profoundly affect our lives and relationship with God, others, and our 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.
For more information, please contact Marilyn Nobori at 818-815-4480 or cpcoordinator@hsrcenter.com
Register at hsrcenter.com by January 18th with a non-refundable deposit of $10.00

Centering Prayer Summit - via Zoom
2023-01-21 - 2023-01-22 | Internet – Online
Join the two-day Centering Prayer Summit: a teachings & practice event.
Hear from these teachers:
– Cynthia Bourgeault
– Fr. Carl Arico
– Carl McColman
– Colleen Thomas
– Phileena Nikole
– Mary Dwyer
– Adam Bucko
– Nhien Vuong
Presentation Titles:
– The Mystical Roots of Centering Prayer
– From Prayer to Protest: On Being an Engaged Contemplative in the World
– The Enneagram of Soul: From Vice to Virtue
– What the heck is Divine Therapy and why should we want it?
– Obstacles to Grace in Centering Prayer
– & more.
Visit https://www.centeringprayersummit.com/ for details and to register!
Hosted by Closer Than Breath

New Year Silent Saturday
2023-01-14 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road, Encino, CA, 91436, United States
Start the new year off with a deeper sense of peace.
Join us for a quiet morning of Centering Prayer and silence. The day provides time for communal prayer, a contemplative walk, private journaling, and reflection
and ends with a period of Lectio Divina. All are welcome. A brief introduction to Centering Prayer will be offered to those new to the practice.
For more information, please contact Marilyn Nobori at +1-818-815-4480 or cpcoordinator@hsrcenter.com
Register online at hsrcenter.com by January 10th . A free will offering is gratefully appreciated.

Back to Basics: Exploring the Why, What and How of Centering Prayer - via Zoom
2023-01-07 10:00 - 11:30 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Start or Deepen a Centering Prayer practice. A free, 90-minute offering.
​Back to Basics: Exploring the Why, What, & How of Centering Prayer​
We’ll explore:
— Opening to God and peace within
— Silence as the universal language of God
— How to practice Centering Prayer meditation
— Mystical union with God and why it matters
This event is perfect for two kinds of people:
1. Those who are unfamiliar and want to explore this unique contemplative practice (how about a new meditation practice for 2023 ?)
2. And seasoned practitioners that want to return to the basics, take “beginners mind” into your practice, or reset your and clarify the why and intention behind your practice.
Led by Keith Kristich, commissioned presenter of Centering Prayer, Founder of Closer Than Breath
We hope you join us!

Online Half Day Centering Prayer/Welcoming Prayer mini-retreat via Hawaiʻi (1st Saturday of every month)
2023-01-07 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 will be celebrating 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
January 7, 2023, 9:11:30 am Hawai’i time (UTC-10)
EPIPHANY, the Light shining forth,
The 12th and last day of the Christmas season.
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)
January 7
February 4
March 4
April 1
May 6
June 3
July 1
August 5
September 2
October 7
November 4
December 2

Eight-Day Centering Prayer Retreat
2023-01-06 17:00 - 2023-01-13 11:00 (America/Chicago) | 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 week-long 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 eight-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.

Transformation Through Everyday Epiphany
2023-01-05 - 2023-01-08 | Omega Retreat Center, 216 West Highland, Boerne, TX, 78006, United States
A Silent Centering Prayer Retreat
Thursday, January 5 – Sunday, January 8, 2023
Omega Retreat Center, Boerne, Texas
Presented by Pamela Begeman
As the new year begins, join in community to explore and listen for the movement of the Spirit in our routines and ordinary lives. Each day we will experience several periods of Centering Prayer, brief reflections on the topic, lectio and visio divina, and spacious time for solitude and rest. May we each leave renewed in our intention to attend to the epiphanies in our everyday lives.
Pamela Begeman is a daily practitioner and commissioned presenter of both Centering Prayer and the Welcoming Prayer. She co-creates and facilitates many of the Contemplative Outreach worldwide online retreats, programs and publications. She is also one of the creators and editors of The Contemplative Life Program, a series of 40-day booklets on contemplative practices and dispositions. Her daily spiritual practices root her in the present and Presence while being an active wife, mother, grandmother and professional. Pamela serves as communications and program coordinator for the international office of Contemplative Outreach and lives in Austin, Texas. She also serves on the executive committee of The Meditation Chapel, a Zoom-enabled worldwide prayer chapel for people of all contemplative practices and spiritual traditions. She loves hiking, cooking, hugging trees, dogs, bubbles and art-making as spiritual practice.
January 5 (4:00-6:00 pm registration) and end by 11:00 am on Sunday, January 8, 2023.
Registration fee covers all meals and lodging for the retreat.
Retreatants must bring their own pillow, bed linens (twin), towels and toiletries.
Confirmation of your registration and additional details will be emailed to you upon receipt of your registration.
Registration $300 if paid before Dec. 1; after Dec 1, $325
Registration Closes December 20, 2022
All meals and lodging included
Please see the link below to register.
