Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.

8-Day Centering Prayer Dual Track Intensive / Post Intensive
2024-09-07 14:00 - 2024-09-14 10:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Cross Monastery – New York, 1615 Route 9W, West Park, NY, 12493, United States
The Eight-Day Centering Prayer Dual Track Intensive / Post Intensive Retreat offered from Saturday September 7 to Saturday September 14, 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.
Check-in is from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday. Vespers begin at 5:00. Dinner then follows. Orientation begins at 6:45. The retreat concludes with lunch on Friday. (Daily Holy Eucharist is available at 9:00 a.m.).
Cost for the retreat is $900. The price has been lowered by a $200 grant per retreatant from the Contemplative Outreach Divine Economy. 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

Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop
2024-09-07 09:00 - 12:30 UTC | Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road, Encino, CA, 91436, United States
Contemplative Prayer is God’s personal and unique gift to each of us. If we are open to this gift, it will profoundly affect our lives and relationship to God, others, and the world. Centering Prayer is a form of Contemplative Prayer. It is a method of prayer that opens us to interior transformation and deeper intimacy with God and others. The workshop includes four presentations and the practice of Centering Prayer.
Presenters: Marilyn Nobori and Contemplative Outreach Team
(Arrive by 8:45 a.m.)
For more information, please email Marilyn Nobori at centeringprayer@hsrcenter.com.
Register online at www.hsrcenter.com by September 3rd with a non-refundable deposit of $10.
(Photo by Jay Castor, Unsplash)

Living Flame 2 Program
2024-09-07 | Internet – Online
September 7, 2024 @ 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
The Living Flame 2 Program (LF2) offers seven additional topics and is being offered globally on Zoom. Individuals and small in-person groups of five people or fewer are invited to participate. This program is hosted by Contemplative Outreach’s Living Flame Service Team.
LF 2 is open to everyone who has participated in LF 1 as well as to those who have had a daily Centering Prayer practice for a year or more and who have reflectively read Open Mind, Open Heart by Thomas Keating. This will support a more engaged participation and assimilation of the program content. Additional suggested resources are Keating’s Invitation to Love and Intimacy With God.
Living Flame is a seven-day in-depth spiritual formation program presented over seven months by commissioned presenters of Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. It’s designed to heighten the awareness of the dynamics of Centering Prayer in the context of the spiritual journey. Registration and participation in the program is a commitment to all seven sessions. Topics for the Living Flame Program are noted in the Living Flame brochure
Each retreat-like day is facilitated in a five-hour scheduled format which includes: two periods of Centering Prayer; two presentations with Q&A; small group sharing; silent breaks and time for a meal.
Dates: 2024 – Sept. 7, Oct. 5, Nov. 2 2025 – Jan. 11, Feb. 1, Mar. 1, Apr. 5
Time: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM EST (-5 UTC)
Fee: $70 USD
Click here to register. Fee is due with registration. Scholarships are available.
Contact for the Living Flame Service Team: Judy Sharer jsharer@bbtel.com

Create Your Life. Write From Your Soul: A Contemplative Writing Retreat
2024-09-06 16:00 - 2024-09-08 14:00 UTC | Trinity Retreat Center, 79 Lower River Road, West Cornwall, CT, 06796, United States
“Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can’t remember who we are or why we’re here.”
— Sue Monk Kidd
All of us have stories to tell. They can take many forms but the most compelling are the ones written from the heart, those that move us and sometimes transform both the writer and reader. Writing from the heart demands attentiveness, honesty, courage, and a commitment to engage with a creative process that pulls you into the unknown where you are often surprised by what surfaces. It’s a journey of discovery. This retreat, through prayer, writing prompts, story sharing, walks along the river or on woodland trails, and time to simply rest, will provide a quiet environment to work on a current writing project, begin stories long thought about, or immerse yourself in silence to discover what needs to be voiced.
The retreat is facilitated by Anne Simpkinson, an award-winning journalist, editor, story midwife, and writing coach. She has co-edited two anthologies – Sacred Stories and Nourishing the Soul – and co-wrote Soul Work: A Field Guide for Spiritual Seekers. When living in New York City, she rode the wave of media transformations – from websites to digital communications – in her positions with Beliefnet.com, Prevention magazine, WeightWatchers.com, and Guideposts. She also served as Communications Director for Mercy by the Sea Retreat and Conference Center for several years. Anne has been practicing Centering Prayer (CP) since 1996. She facilitates contemplative prayer and themed retreats in New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
Please register using the link below.

Create Your Life. Write From Your Soul: A Contemplative Writing Retreat
2024-09-06 16:00 - 2024-09-08 14:00 UTC | Trinity Retreat Center, 79 Lower River Road, West Cornwall, CT, 06796, United States
Life is like a river, often flowing strong and constant and, at other times, hindered by obstacles, churned by storms, and diminished by drought. As we move through life, we gather experiences and stories that need telling. How do we communicate those stories with honesty, courage, imagination, and a willingness to be surprised by grace? This contemplative writing retreat will consist of Centering Prayer sessions, writing prompts, personal writing time, and space to walk along the Housatonic River and on woodland trails. It will be a time to deepen your connection to our Creator and the creative process.
The retreat will be facilitated by Anne Simpkinson, an award-winning journalist, editor, and writing coach. She has co-edited two anthologies — Sacred Stories and Nourishing the Soul — and co-wrote Soul Work: A Field Guide for Spiritual Seekers. While living in New York City, she rode the wave of media transformations — from websites to digital communications — in her positions with Beliefnet.com, Prevention magazine, WeightWatchers.com, and Guideposts. She also served as Communications Director for Mercy by the Sea Retreat Center for several years. Anne has been practicing Centering Prayer (CP) since 1996. She facilitates contemplative prayer and themed retreats in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Please see the link below to register.

Contemplative Living I: Contemplative Practices in Daily Life - via Zoom
2024-09-01 08:00 - 2024-12-01 17:00 UTC | Internet – Online
I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.
– Ezekiel 36:26
“Contemplative life begins when we take the first step into the silence of our heart. It’s a pilgrimage—a journey that takes us first to the inner reaches of who we really are, and from there, into the life we were meant to live.”
– Julie Saad, Contemplative Life: Discovering Our Path Into the Heart of God
This four-month long online course is experiential, guiding participants to deepen their experience of the abiding presence of God by cultivating their contemplative capacities. Participants will learn and integrate contemplative spiritual practices into daily life within a community of seekers through monthly meetings, a weekly online prayer chapel, personal practices, and monthly Holy Listening Circles (group spiritual direction). Contemplative practices are the doorway into the gift of contemplative prayer where the journey that begins in the silence of our hearts leads us into the heart of God. As we cultivate contemplative practices in ordinary daily life, we begin to experience oneness with God and all creation.
The design of Contemplative Living I: Contemplative Practices in Daily Life:
Learning, cultivating and integrating into daily life the contemplative practices of

Centering Prayer – a silent Christian contemplative (meditation) practice.
Logging – a form of expressive writing designed to help you understand and deal with thoughts, memories, worries, commentaries, and afflictive emotions and the resulting behaviors.
Spiritual Reading – using a spiritual book, reading for formation rather than information, listening for how God is speaking to you in the passage.
The Active Prayer – a prayer phrase or sentence that you create or take from Scripture or another meaningful reading and repeat throughout your day.
Lectio Divina – praying with Scripture, allowing the meaning of the text and the experience of God to grow deeper.
The Welcoming Prayer – welcoming God into whatever you are experiencing in daily life—thoughts, emotions, body sensation, or commentaries.
Resting in God and Sabbath-keeping – resting is the state of interior silence that you experience in daily life through contemplative prayer. Sabbath-keeping awakens you to this inner state.
Holy Listening – Cultivating receptivity to attune to your inner wisdom, to God, and to the movement of the Divine in others.

Please see the link below to register.

Quiet Day with Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina – in German language (Zoom online event)
2024-08-31 09:00 - 12:30, 2024-07-06 09:00 - 12:30 (Europe/Berlin) | Internet – Online
An diesem Tag gönnen wir uns, einmal für ein paar Stunden scheinbar nichts zu machen, wir lassen einfach geschehen. Wir legen die Handys beiseite (falls wir es nicht zum Teilnehmen am Zoom Meeting benötigen), lassen den Alltag hinter uns und verbringen die Zeit weitgehend schweigend miteinander. Wir habe Zeit für stille Meditation (Centering Prayer oder eine andere Form des stillen Gebets), Meditation mit einem Text (Lectio Divina) und vielleicht auch eine Zeit abseits des Computers in der Natur oder der Umgebung, in der wir leben.
Wir werden einen ins deutsche übersetzten Text von Thomas Keating lesen aus der Publikation ‘That we may be one – Christliche Non-Dualität’.
Es sind keine Vorkenntnisse erforderlich, es erfolgt allerdings keine Einführung in die stille Meditation.
Der gemeinsame Tag beginnt um 9:00 Uhr und endet gegen 12:30 Uhr. [3:00 am until 6:00 am New York 🙁 ]
Registrierung erforderlich bis 12:00 Uhr einen Tag vor dem Event.
All times in CET

Bi-monthly Tech Circle – ONLINE
2024-08-30 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.
You’ll find dates for the reast of 2024 below. We meet alternately on a Saturday afternoon or Friday evening.
The remaining dates for the year are:
August 30th 8pm ET
Register for our next call here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYscu-gqj0sGdfXiJmpffULePmJvUyO33CX
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

The Way of the Heart: A Silent Wisdom Retreat
2024-08-23 12:00 - 2024-08-28 16:30 UTC | Mercy Center Burlingame, 2300 Adeline Drive, Burlingame, CA, 94010, United States
The Mercy Center Centering Prayer Wisdom Program presents…
The Way of the Heart: A Silent Wisdom Retreat
Starts with lunch at 12pm on August 23, ends at 4:30pm on August 28
Onsite at Mercy Center in Burlingame, California
“The heart is the place of our origin in which the soul is, as it were, coming from the hands of God and waking up to itself.”
– French Benedictine Henri Lassaux
The Way of the Heart is at the center of the Christian Wisdom tradition, a transformative pilgrimage of the soul. This immersive silent Centering Prayer wisdom retreat is an invitation to enter the cave of our hearts, to listen deeply to its rhythm, and open to the guidance we discover within. Engaging the timeless teachings of Christian mystics, teachers, and sages, we invite you to explore the depths of your being and cultivate a profound connection with the divine within and all around.
This retreat is ideal for seekers of all backgrounds who are drawn to the contemplative Christian Wisdom tradition and are yearning for a deeper connection with the divine. Whether you are new to contemplative practices or have been on the spiritual path for years, this retreat offers a sacred space for renewal, reflection, and inner transformation.
Join us in person at beautiful Mercy Center, Burlingame, CA where we will gather to explore the Way of the Heart through the teachings of mystics and the practices of Centering Prayer, chanting, Lectio Divina, guided meditation, and sacred gestures and movement; all held within the arms of the Great Silence. In this silent Wisdom retreat, there will be times of group sharing during teaching sessions.
Minimum of 25 participants needed.
Retreat Leaders:
Joy Andrews Hayter, Ph.D. is a spiritual director whose offerings include Centering Prayer and other contemplative practices of the Christian Wisdom tradition. She is the author of The Cosmic Web: Hope For Our World Through Science and Spirituality. Find out more at joyfulfillment.com.
Heather Ruce, M.A. Heather Ruce, M. A. is a Wisdom Spiritual Director who offers Wisdom Practice Circles, Retreats, and Wisdom Schools focused on the expansive Christian Wisdom Tradition. She works within the lineage of Wisdom Teacher Cynthia Bourgeault, having studied with her for over a decade. Find out more at heatherruce.com.
Catherine Regan, Ph.D. is a spiritual director, retired psychologist, and adjunct staff member at Mercy Center, primarily serving on the Centering Prayer team. She has a special interest in participating in the reclamation of the Christian Wisdom tradition and fostering the contemplative practices so urgently needed at this time in our world.
Registration closes on August 9, 2024
Please see the link below to register.

Intensive Centering Prayer Retreat
2024-08-11 15:00 - 2024-08-16 13:00 UTC | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
Rooted in the ancient Christian contemplative tradition, the goal of this form of Christian prayer is to foster a deeper intimacy with Christ through the silence and stillness of contemplative prayer.
Intensive: An in-depth retreat for those experienced in Centering Prayer. The retreat will facilitate entrance into a more profound level of spiritual practice in an atmosphere of silence, solitude, and community.
A post-intensive retreat: an opportunity to spend extended time in deep silence in community to encourage a more intimate union with God. An intensive Centering Prayer experience is a prerequisite of the post-intensive.
This six-day retreat will be an in-depth retreat for those experienced in Centering Prayer. The retreat will facilitate entrance into a more profound level of spiritual practice in an atmosphere of silence, solitude, and community with an opportunity to spend extended time in deep silence in community to encourage a more intimate union with God. An existing Centering Prayer practice is a prerequisite for attending this retreat.
Fr. Thomas Keating’s teaching on the Human Condition (videos) will be viewed. As we have experienced, these videos can be viewed over-and-over again as the spiritual journey continue at deeper levels.

Meet God in a New Way: An Introduction to Centering Prayer
2024-08-10 09:00 - 13:00 UTC
Do you have questions about centering prayer and whether it is the right practice for you? Are you ready to begin a practice but need help getting started? Are you interested in deepening your current practice but would like a refresher and connection with other practitioners? Join us for “Meet God in a New Way: An Introduction to Centering Prayer,” as the next step in your journey of connecting with God through the practice of centering prayer.
Let praying without words, in deep silence and openness, draw you closer to God. Come to realize the beauty of holiness in using what modern contemplative Thomas Keating called “God’s first language.” This retreat follows the national Contemplative Outreach Ltd. approach, combining short presentations, two Centering Prayer practice sessions, and ample time for questions and discussion.
This retreat is open to anyone, whether you have a longtime Centering Prayer practice or have never tried this form of prayer. There’s enrichment and insight for everyone.
Doors open at 8:30 a.m. for coffee, tea, and bagels. Ample parking is available.

Our Amazing Journey of Contemplative Prayer, Life and Growth
2024-08-08 - 2024-08-11 | Mercy Conference and Retreat Center, 2039 N. Geyer Road, St. Louis, MO, 63131, United States
“We wait patiently; in silence, openness, and quiet expectancy; motionless within and without. We surrender to the attraction to be still, to be loved, just to be.”
Fr. Thomas Keating
We invite all contemplatives to come celebrate Contemplative Outreach St. Louis 35th Anniversary with a four day retreat led by Patricia Johnson, who worked closely with Fr. Thomas Keating at St. Benedict Monastery in Snowmass, CO since 1984. From 1984 on Pat served retreats at the monastery and world-wide.
Pat recalls:
“Having access to Thomas Keating for so many years gave me a foundation that still has me in a state of awe and wonder. His humor, his brilliance, his humility, all have had a huge impact on my being. But…most of all, his humanness is what formed me.”
We joyfully welcome Pat to her first visit to St Louis to celebrate and to share her first-hand experiences of Fr. Thomas Keating.
This Centering Prayer Retreat is for those who wish to come together to celebrate our deepening relationship with the God of our understanding and to celebrate with those who have served to open the door to contemplative prayer and spirituality and all those who have been nourished along the way.
Long term practitioners and those new to the practice are welcome.
Throughout the weekend we will share daily Centering Prayer sessions and provide opportunities for silence interspersed with Pat’s reflections about the transformative movements of 40 years of Contemplative Outreach Ltd. and her observations of the growth, challenges, set backs and joys of the contemplative prayer journey. In addition, there will be offerings of yoga, a 12-Step meeting, private soul-friending sessions and time to explore the sacred spaces of the 72 acres of Mercy Retreat and Conference Center’s wooded campus.
Retreat Arrival: Thursday, August 8, 2024, between 4:00 pm- 5:00 pm.
Retreat Ends: Sunday, August 11, 2024 after 12:00 pm lunch
Celebration: Saturday Evening Contemplative Service 4:00 pm Dinner and Festivities 5:30pm-8:00 pm ($52 for dinner only)
Retreat Fee: $545 with discount for registration received before June 20th and discounts for shared bath accommodations.
Fee covers room and all meals including Saturday evening celebration dinner. See COSTL website for other room options and information on partial scholarships.
Nonrefundable deposit for all registrations: $125 with balance due by July 25.

The Spiritual Journey Program for Young Contemplatives (weekly) - via Zoom
2024-08-03 10:30 - 11:30, 2024-07-27 10:30 - 11:30, 2024-07-20 10:30 - 11:30 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Join the COL Young Contemplatives community for weekly gatherings exploring the essential teachings of Thomas Keating.
The Spiritual Journey program is a series of teachings structured in five parts. The program consists of 100 videos, all of which are accessible online.
These teachings provide a backbone for the contemplative life and the psychological background for the work of Centering Prayer in the formation of our spiritual lives.
Beginning Saturday, July 13th 2024 and each Saturday after, facilitators from our Young Contemplatives community will hold space for our 40s and under community to journey together through the program.
Each Saturday for one hour, 10:30am – 11:30am (Eastern Time US) a facilitator will guide a small group through the program. The hour will consist of a short Centering Prayer sit, viewing of the video teaching from the week’s session, followed by a time of faith sharing and discussion around the week’s themes.
These are open, drop-in meetings. No pre-registration is required. Anyone is welcome to join as often as possible! We recognize it may not be feasible to come every Saturday but do encourage you to follow along with the sessions, viewing the videos for the previous week(s) you may have missed.
We ask that those who join do so with their camera-on. The Zoom space will be monitored by the facilitator(s) to create a sacred and safe space. If you are not able to be fully present and participatory with your camera on we kindly ask that you complete the session on your own and join us another week!
Click here to join the Zoom sessions.

Introductory Centering Prayer Retreat
2024-08-02 17:00 - 2024-08-04 17:00 UTC | St. Mary’s Sewanee: The Ayres Center for Spiritual Development, 770 St. Mary's Lane, TN, 37375, United States
Centering Prayer is a receptive method of silent prayer which deepens our relationship with God, the indwelling Presence, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself. This event will combine dimensions of the Introductory Centering Prayer Workshop with those of a silent retreat as designed by Thomas Keating and Contemplative Outreach. It will serve as a beginning for those who have no experience of this practice, as a refresher for those who need it, and a silent retreat for those who are experienced in this way of praying.
Scholarship Assistance is available for those with financial need. Please contact Reservations for application, reservations@stmaryssewanee.org, 931-598-5342.

9-Day Intensive and Post Intensive Retreat
2024-07-30 15:00 - 2024-08-07 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. For everyone, there will be 3 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. You choose the track that works best for you. Any of the tracks may be repeated multiple times. If this is your first Centering Prayer retreat of this length, we suggest you choose Intensive I.
Lectio Divina 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 6 months or longer.
The retreat will be facilitated by Marty Badgett and other Contemplative Outreach staff. Marty has served within the Contemplative Outreach network for many years and led numerous Centering Prayer retreats and workshops.
The retreat begins Tuesday, July 30 with registration from 3:00 to 5:00, an opening session at 5:00pm, and dinner at 6:00pm. We end on Wednesday, August 7 at 11:00am (bag lunch optional).
For more information, contact Marty Badgett at (650) 862-5451 or email him at mbadgettexas@gmail.com.
Limited scholarship money is available to assist those who would otherwise be unable to attend. All of the scholarship money has been donated by former retreatants.
If you are traveling by air, the Contemplative Outreach staff can arrange transportation from the Sacramento airport to the Mercy Center. Please book your arrival on the beginning day for 1:30pm or earlier and your departure on the ending day for 1:30pm or later. Let us know your flight information. A $25/one way, $50 round trip cash or Venmo contribution is appreciated.
Single rooms with a sink in the room, shared bathrooms.

Intro to Centering Prayer Workshop
2024-07-21 13:00 - 18:00 UTC | Ignatius Jesuit Retreat House, 6700 Riverside Dr. NW, GA, 30328, United States
An Introduction to Centering Prayer Workshop will held in-person at Ignatius House (6700 Riverside Dr., Sandy Springs, Georgia, USA.), July 21, 2024 from 1:00 to 6:00 pm. The workshop includes themes of Prayer as Relationship, The Method of Centering Prayer, Thoughts and Use of the Sacred Word, and Deepening Our Relationship with God, time in Centering Prayer and the opportunity to submit questions. Our presenters are Leslie Geer and Joanna Brunson, both whom are prayerful Contemplative Outreach presenters.
See the link below to register.

Eight-day Centering Prayer Intensive and Post-Intensive Retreat
2024-07-21 - 2024-07-28 | Benet House Retreat Center, 2208 88th Avenue W, Rock Island, IL, 61201, United States
CENTERING PRAYER INTENSIVE AND POST INTENSIVE RETREAT:
SURRENDER AND INTENTION
This is an opportunity for more extensive periods of Centering Prayer to deepen the personal practice of contemplative prayer. The post-intensive retreat focuses more on complete silence for the duration of the retreat with no educational component presented. The intensive retreat has several days teaching components. All meals are silent with no conversation. A minimum of one-year regular practice of Centering Prayer is a prerequisite to attend.
Dates: July 21-July 28, 2024
Time: Arrival on July 21: 4:30 pm; Soup Supper: 5:30 pm. Retreat opening: 7 pm – July 28: 4 pm.
Fee: Register and pay in full by June 21: $820 (includes meals and private room.) Registration and payment after June 21: $835.
Retreat leaders: Dick Jensen and Carol Mizeur
Dick Jensen is an everyday mystic, teacher, and listener. He has been involved with Centering Prayer for over 25 years as a practitioner and certified presenter for Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. He is a member of the board for Centering Prayer of the Mississippi Valley and is involved with Centering Prayer as an 11th-step practice. Dick currently leads two Centering Prayer groups that meet on Zoom. He and his wife live in Davenport, IA. They have two children and four grandchildren as well as a large, shared extended family.
Carol Mizeur is from Moline, IL, Christ the King Parish. She has been a Centering Prayer practitioner for over 30 years. She has served Centering Prayer as group facilitator and as chapter coordinator for the Mississippi Valley Centering Prayer. She loves to share the prayer with anyone who is interested.
Email the event organizer to register (see below).

We Are All One - A Centering Prayer 8-day Retreat with Fr. Bill Sheehan
2024-07-14 16:30 - 2024-07-21 13:00 UTC | Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road, Encino, CA, 91436, United States
In one of his last conferences, Thomas Merton reminded us that we are all one. We just don’t know that yet. Our oneness/unity is rooted in the ongoing flow of God’s love that not only brings forth all that is but sustains and is present in all that is. During our retreat we will explore not so much the what of God’s love but the how of God’s love revealed in both the Mystery of the Trinity as well as the Mystery of the Incarnation. Resources referenced: Richard Rohr, The Diving Dance; Cynthia Bourgeault, The Law of Three; Vincent Pizzuto, Contemplating Christ.
We will be in silence for meals, breaks and prayer time. Periods of Centering Prayer will be included in our time together. There will be discussion following each of Fr. Sheehan’s presentations. Spiritual companioning and body work will also be available.
Pre-requisite: Centering Prayer practice, silent retreat experience, a desire to grow in your contemplative practice.
Fee: $700.00 —- all rooms private
Register online at hsrcenter.com by June 28th with a non-refundable deposit of $50. For more information contact Marilyn Nobori at centeringprayer@hsrcenter.com or +1-818-815-4480.

Summer Centering Prayer retreat: Awakening to Oneness
2024-07-14 - 2024-07-21 | Providence Renewal Center, AB, T6J 5R5, Canada
This retreat will include teachings on Oneness and Unitive Consciousness from Father Thomas Keating and Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault along with multiple daily periods of silence in Centering Prayer as a group. We will weave in teachings from Thomas Berry, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and Matthew Fox, and provide opportunities to experience Forest Therapy and Lectio Terra so that we may come into a felt sense of communion with the living world. This shift in consciousness is vital in these times of ecological destruction and human divisiveness. This retreat will be in full silence with the exception of the opportunity to engage in meaningful reflections together after the teachings. Participants should be familiar with the method and practice of Centering Prayer since this will be a week of silent depth. “Let Love alone speak” – Thomas Keating
Facilitated by Liz Rees and Mary Jane Yates
$700 Canadian dollars

1-Day In-person “Song and Silence” Workshop
2024-07-13 09:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | Church of Conscious Harmony, 7406 Newhall Lane, Austin, TX, 78746, United States
1-Day Centering Prayer “Song and Silence” Workshop
This retreat will cultivate interior silence through the combination of chanting, Centering Prayer, and reflective time in nature. The singing of simple chants is a beautiful threshold into Centering Prayer and can deepen the experience of the silence. The wish is to create a vibratory vessel through which Spirit can bless us, our community, and the world. Please bring a brown bag lunch. Light snacks will be available.
For more details and to register, please see link below.

A Sacred Pause Silent Wisdom Retreat: A Curated Retreat for Contemplatives Under 50
2024-07-11 17:30 - 2024-07-15 17:30 UTC | Mercy Center Burlingame, 2300 Adeline Drive, Burlingame, CA, 94010, United States
In a society bombarded with the allure of external validation and perpetual striving, we often find ourselves caught in the relentless pursuit of relevance, accomplishment, and fleeting happiness. Yet, amidst this tumult, there exists a timeless wisdom that transcends the ephemeral promises of the world—a wisdom that beckons us to turn inward, to listen to the Holy One’s heart in the depths of our being.
Drawing from the insights of contemplatives, mystics, and Wisdom teachers, this retreat offers a space to pause together with others to engage contemplative wisdom practices and inner exploration. Inspired by the teachings of luminaries such as Thomas Keating, Henri Nouwen and Cynthia Bourgeault, we embark on a transformative journey to recalibrate our gaze, redirecting it from the external trappings of success to the quiet rhythm of the heart, our organ of spiritual senses.
Throughout our time together, we will engage a rhythm of guided discussions, contemplative practices, and silent reflection that cultivates the inner postures of surrender and receptivity. At the heart of this retreat lies a profound invitation—to unravel the layers of conditioning that bind us, to relinquish the need for control, and to trust in the unfolding of life.
Join us on this sacred journey of profound surrender to the wisdom that resides within. Come tap into a deep wellspring of resilience and inner peace, unveiling the essence of our true nature. Together, let us embrace the transformative power of contemplation.
Minimum of 25 participants needed.
Facilitators
Colleen Thomas is a Spiritual Director and long-time practitioner of Centering Prayer who delights in companioning others on their spiritual journey facilitating contemplative prayer groups, workshops and retreats. Her particular passion is for widening the reach of contemplative practice and teaching to younger and BIPOC communities. Colleen earned her MA in Theology and Art from Fuller Theological Seminary. She worked in television in Los Angeles for 15 years before relocating to her hometown of Washington D.C. where she continues to explore her creative passions while enjoying the close companionship of her family. You can discover more about her work at https://soulcarela.com/and hear her in conversation about Centering Prayer and the contemplative life on the “Opening Minds, Opening Hearts” podcast.
Heather Ruce is a Wisdom Spiritual Director who offers Wisdom Practice Circles, Retreats, and Wisdom Schools focused on the expansive Christian Wisdom Tradition. She works within the lineage of Wisdom Teacher Cynthia Bourgeault whom she has been a student of for over a decade. Heather weaves her Masters in Marital & Family Therapy and training in Somatic Experiencing, Organic Intelligence & Spiritual Direction into her teaching and guidance in various Wisdom practices, all in service of waking up and putting on the Mind of Christ. Find out more at heatherruce.com.
Schedule (subject to change)
Thursday, July 11th
5:30 Dinner
7:00 Welcome & Introductions, followed by Centering Prayer & Practices
Friday – Sunday, July 12th-14th
7:30 Breakfast in Silence
9:00 Centering Prayer & Other Wisdom Practices
9:45 Silent Break
10:00 Theme and Reflection Session One
11:15 Silent Break
11:30 Centering Prayer & Other Wisdom Practices
12:00 Silent Lunch followed by Silent Contemplative Free Time with reflection questions
3:00 Centering Prayer & Other Wisdom Practices
4:00 Silent Break
4:15 Theme and Reflection Session Two
5:30 Silent Dinner
7:00 Theme and Reflection Session Three, followed by Centering Prayer & Practices
Monday, July 15th
7:30 Breakfast in Silence
9:00 Centering Prayer & Other Wisdom Practices
9:45 Silent Break
10:00 Theme and Final Reflection Session
11:00 Silent Break
11:15 Closing Reflections & Circle
12:00 Lunch
Please see the link below to register.

CENTERING PRAYER / ELFOGADÁS IMA ISMERTETÉSE
2024-07-06 10:00 - 16:00 UTC | Szent Margit Gimnázium, Villányi út 5-7., Budapest, Pest, 1114, Hungary
Thomas Keating Atya szavaival:
• Az Ima mint kapcsolat
• Az Elfogadás Ima módszere és gyakorlása
• Gondolatok az imában
• Kapcsolatunk elmélyítése Istennel
Időpont: 2024. július 6. szombat, 10h-16h óráig
Helyszín: Szent Margit Gimnázium (1114 Budapest, Villányi út 5-7.)
Az Elfogadás Imáját ismerteti: Viczián Ildikó, a Contemplative Outreach előadója
Adományt köszönettel fogadunk.
További információ: viczianildiko@gmail.com

Seven-Day Intensive and Post Intensive Centering Prayer Retreat
2024-06-23 17:00 - 2024-06-29 13:00 UTC | Siena Retreat Center, Racine WI, 5637 Erie St, Racine, WI 53402, Racine, WI, 53402, United States
Centering Prayer retreats immerse participants in the practice of Centering Prayer as taught by Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. This two-track retreat will allow the participants to come together for Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina and meal times. The retreat will provide an atmosphere of silence, solitude, and community. Persons new to long retreats (4+ days) are encouraged to choose the Intensive Track, which includes watching a daily video followed by discussion. Persons with experience in long retreats may choose the Post Intensive Track, which includes additional prayer periods.
Please see the link below to register or contact Ann Koerner if you have questions: +1. 262-282-8622, akoerner45@gmail.com.

Intensive/Post Intensive - Eight-Day Centering Prayer Retreat
2024-06-23 16:30 - 2024-06-30 13:00 UTC | Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road, Encino, CA, 91436, United States
Enter into a more profound level of spiritual practice in an atmosphere of silence and community. The Eight-Day Intensive and concurrent Post-Intensive Retreat is designed to strengthen one’s discipline and practice of Centering Prayer. We will be in grand silence.
The Intensive also provides a conceptual framework for the prayer through the viewing of selected DVDs from Thomas Keating’s Spiritual Journey Series. This retreat is for those with some experience with Centering Prayer.
Post-Intensive is for those who have previously made an Intensive Centering Prayer Retreat. Times of silence and periods of Centering Prayer are increased.
Fee: $700.00 — all rooms private
Register online at hsrcenter.com by June 7th with a non-refundable deposit of $50.
For more information contact Marilyn Nobori at centeringprayer@hsrcenter.com or +1-818-815-4480

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.
