Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Web of Life: Retreat for Contemplative Solidarity
2023-11-20 17:30 - 2023-11-24 12:00 UTC | Loon Lake Retreat Centre, Maple Ridge, BC, 14500 Silver Valley Road, Maple Ridge, BC, V4R 2R3, Canada
With Cynthia Bourgeault, Heather Ruce, and more…
Dates: November 20-23, 2023
Location: Zoom or In Person at Lake Loon Retreat Centre, Maple Ridge, B.C.
How do contemplatives engage the world when forest fires, floods, and political uproar are happening in our own backyards? How do we stand in contemplative wisdom and be present in depth to the beauty and suffering inherent to the web of life on this blue-green planet?
We invite you to join The Contemplative Society board for three days as we learn from, and practice with Cynthia Bourgeault (joining online for one session), Heather Ruce (in person), and each other (in person and online). With an intention of stabilizing ourselves in compassion, discernment, forbearance, creativity, and spiritual strength and courage, we’ll take a deep dive into contemplative solidarity and imaginal practices, as well as centering prayer, lectio divina, chant, movement, and silence.
The retreat and practices will be facilitated by TCS board members Therese DesCamp, Lorie Martin, Henri Lock, and Jesse Burson. Heather will be joining us in person for live teaching, chant, and movement. Cynthia will be joining us remotely via Zoom for a morning to dialogue with retreat members about the questions and observations that emerge from our work together.
Retreat Details:
Zoom Option: Registration costs are $200 CAD.
In-Person Option: Registration costs include the program, food, and accommodation. Depending on the accommodation type selected, total costs range from $825 to $975 CAD. In-person room assignments are based on first-come-first-served registrations. Shared accommodations will be two people to a room until we run out, and then we will offer dorm accommodations (max. four people to a room). Check in will begin at 3pm on November 20, and check out will be by 1pm on November 23 (bag lunches will be provided).
Scholarships: A limited number of scholarships are available for both in-person and Zoom participants (max. 50% discount on shared accommodations or Zoom fees only). For enquiries, please contact us at admin@contemplative.org.
Please see the link below to register.

Presence, Prayer , and Writing From the Heart
2023-11-28 16:00 - 2023-11-30 14:00 UTC | Trinity Retreat Center, 79 Lower River Road, West Cornwall, CT, 06796, United States
All of us have many stories to tell. Some involve your family history, spiritual journey, experiences in Nature, or a life-changing situation. Stories 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 us into the unknown where we are often surprised at what surfaces. It’s a journey of discovery. And presence and prayer can help us along the way.
This writing retreat is structured for those currently working on a project, those who want to start one, or those who simply desire to spend time in beautiful surroundings playing with words. In addition to Centering Prayer sessions—silence can be a portal to the Source of creativity and truth-telling—there will be ample opportunities to write, walk, think, and just be.

9-Day Intensive and Post-Intensive Retreat - Spaces still available
2023-11-29 15:00 - 2023-12-07 11:00 UTC | Mercy Center Auburn, 535 Sacramento Street, Auburn, CA, 95603, United States
We still have a few spaces available (10/28/2023).
This retreat offers three tracks simultaneously: Intensive I, Intensive II and Post Intensive. For everyone, there will be three sets of two 30 minute periods of Centering Prayer daily. Intensive I and Intensive II will watch video talks from Fr. Thomas Keating’s Spiritual Journey. Intensive I focuses on “The Human Condition and the Spiritual Journey”. Intensive II focuses on “Divine Love: The Heart of the Christian Spiritual Journey”. The Post Intensive 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 Intensive retreat of this length, we suggest you choose Intensive I.
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 grand silence.
Prerequisite: A daily practice of Centering Prayer for six months or longer.
The retreat will be facilitated by Susan Turpin, Peter Morgan, and Fr. Bill Sheehan, OMI. Susan, Peter, and Fr. Bill have served within the Contemplative Outreach community for many years and have led numerous Centering Prayer retreats and workshops.
The fee includes all meals and lodging. Rooms are single with a sink in the room; bathrooms are shared.

Universe Story Shapes Spirituality – via Zoom
2023-11-30 18:30 - 20:30 UTC | Internet – Online
Today the on-going development of scientific understandings of the origins of the universe are deeply shaping spirituality.
The Universe, or New Story moves us, among other things, from a fall-redemption spirituality to a creation-centered, evolutionary one; from an adolescent spirituality to an adult one.
In this session we will explore the implications of this evolution, and its lessons for our spiritual lives in the 21st century.
This workshop includes one session of Centering Prayer.
Please use the link below to register.

The Spiritual Journey via the Enneagram
2023-12-07 15:00 - 2023-12-10 13:00 UTC | Siena Retreat Center, Racine WI, 5637 Erie St, Racine, WI 53402, Racine, WI, 53402, United States
The Enneagram is an ancient holistic system that identifies nine personality types.
It helps us learn what our strengths are as well as where we go when under stress.
The Enneagram helps us understand and have compassion for ourselves and others.
It is a powerful tool for Transformation.
This retreat will:
✓ Introduce the Nine personality types
✓ Explore the Directions of Integration and Stress and the Levels of Development
✓ Understand the role of presence –a contemplative approach to the Enneagram
PRESENTER: Carol Schindler
Carol Schindler has been practicing Centering Prayer for 30 years. In 2001 she become a
Contemplative Outreach presenter and she has been co-leading a Centering Prayer Group since 2000. Carol was part of the New Jersey Chapter team and led yearly retreats at the Maris Stella Retreat House in Long Beach Island NJ. Carol studied Enneagram at the Enneagram Institute where she completed the course work required to be an instructor in 2009. Since then, she has taught many Enneagram programs with an emphasis on using the Enneagram for spiritual development.
This workshop will include Centering Prayer each day.
Please register using the link below.

Advent Centering Prayer Retreat
2023-12-08 17:00 - 2023-12-10 12:00 (America/Chicago) | St. Mary’s Sewanee: The Ayres Center for Spiritual Development, 770 St. Mary's Lane, TN, 37375, United States
This weekend retreat will focus on how Centering Prayer can heighten one’s understanding and appreciation for the season of Advent.
Centering Prayer is a form of Christian silent meditation where one lets go of thoughts during periods of prayer typically lasting 20 minutes. It is rooted in the self-emptying love that forms the heart of Jesus’ teaching and life. The effect on those who practice it is an every-increasing awareness of the God’s action and presence in the course of ordinary life.
Scholarship assistance is available. Please contact Reservations for application, Reservations@stmaryssewanee.org, 931-598-5342.

Silent Saturday with Sr. Carol Ann Spencer: The End of All that is not Christ - via Zoom
2023-12-09 08:30 - 14:30 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Virtual Silent Saturday with Sr. Carol Ann Spencer
The End of All that is not Christ
December 9 8:30-2:30pm Eastern Standard Time
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 Advent. Advent begins a new year in the liturgical cycle and we are invited once again to renew our journey by pondering Thomas Merton’s statement: “The Advent Mystery is the beginning of the end of all in us that is not Christ.” Sr. Carol Ann invites us to consider the wonders of the Incarnation. In Jesus, we are told that God and humanity are meant for each other. We are called to become more fully human as Jesus was fully human.
Sr. Carol Ann Spencer O.P. is a member of the Dominican Sisters of Peace. She has led countless workshops and retreats. She is also the founding director of WELLSTREAMS, a program for becoming a spiritual director, and the Spirituality Network. The day will begin at 8:30am and last until 2:30pm. EST.
Register by sending an email to Bob Gorman (below) and a zoom link and handouts 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.

Finding Fullness Through Simplicity
2023-12-09 08:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Contemplative Enrichment Day with Mark Kutolowski
This day is an opportunity to rediscover simplicity of life as a path to finding fullness and contentment in God. Drawing from his long experience living in an off-grid intentional community, Mark will invite us into an audit of three fundamental areas of human life: our relationships with time and activity, possessions and space, and word and technology. In each, we will seek practical ways to empty out, to grow in simplicity, and to make room for God to be born anew in our midst.
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 Kutolowski is the co-director of Metanoia of Vermont, a lay contemplative community where residents and guests seek to follow the Way of Christ through work, prayer, and study in relationship with the land. Mark is an Oblate of Saint Benedict and a Centering Prayer teacher and has spent the past 25 years exploring the intersection of Christian faith, embodiment, and relationship with the natural world.
Please use the link below to register.

Advent Silent Saturday
2023-12-09 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road, Encino, CA, 91436, United States
As we enter the season of Advent, join us for a quiet morning of 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 Centering Prayer, a contemplative walk, private journaling and reflection, and ends with a period of Lectio Divina. All are welcome. A brief introduction of Centering Prayer will be offered for those new to the practice.
For more info, please contact Marilyn Nobori at 818-815-4480 or centeringprayer@hsrcenter.com
Register online at hsrcenter.com by December 1st
A free will offering is gratefully appreciated.
Please arrive at 8:45am

The Healing Power of Centering Prayer
2023-12-09 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Cathedral of St. Matthew, 1725 Rhode Island Ave, NW, Washington, DC, 20036, United States
Led by The Rev. Tim Grayson
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”
– St. Augustine
Thomas Keating, one of the founders of the modern Centering Prayer movement, popularized the Centering Prayer process as “divine therapy” because it enables the healing of deep psychological wounds and promotes spiritual growth. According to Keating, this therapy leads to the “purification and healing of the unconscious, thus deepening the practitioner’s relationship with God.” Acknowledging and releasing troubling thoughts that bubble up from deep within helps deconstruct the false self that emerges in childhood from our efforts to find security amid damaging societal and familial influences.
In this retreat, Tim Grayson, a member of COMW’s coordinating team and an Episcopal priest, will review the work of renowned spiritual guides such as Keating, Basil Pennington, Thomas Merton, Cynthia Bourgeault, and Jim Finley, who have written extensively on the healing properties of Centering Prayer. The program will include three Centering Prayer sessions and ample time for discussion.
Location: The Cathedral of St Matthew the Apostle
1725 Rhode Island Ave, NW, Washington, DC
(Please enter at the lower level through the door next to the garage, and note that the church garage is closed on Saturdays, but metered street parking is available, as well as two parking garages close-by.)

The Healing Power of Centering Prayer
2023-12-09 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | The Cathedral of St Matthew the Apostle, 1725 Rhode Island Ave, NW, Washington, DC, 20007, United States
Presented by the Rev. Tim Grayson
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”
– St. Augustine
Thomas Keating, one of the founders of the modern Centering Prayer movement, popularized the Centering Prayer process as “divine therapy” because it enables the healing of deep psychological wounds and promotes spiritual growth. According to Keating, this therapy leads to the “purification and healing of the unconscious, thus deepening the practitioner’s relationship with God.” Acknowledging and releasing troubling thoughts that bubble up from deep within helps deconstruct the false self that emerges in childhood from our efforts to find security amid damaging societal and familial influences.
In this retreat, Tim Grayson, a member of COMW’s coordinating team and an Episcopal priest, will review the work of renowned spiritual guides such as Keating, Basil Pennington, Thomas Merton, Cynthia Bourgeault, and James Finley, who have written extensively on the healing properties of Centering Prayer. The program will include three Centering Prayer sessions and ample time for discussion.
Tim is a longtime board member of Listening Hearts Ministries, which is dedicated to teaching the practice of spiritual discernment, and is an authorized Listening Hearts trainer. He also has a burgeoning interest in Christian mysticism.

Lectio Divina and the Four Senses of Scripture
2023-12-12 14:00 - 2023-12-16 13:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Cross Monastery – New York, 1615 Route 9W, West Park, NY, 12493, United States
This Praying Holy Scripture retreat offers Centering Prayer periods plus presentations based upon Fr. Thomas Keating’s teachings on the deepening levels of faith: the Four Senses of Scripture – literal, allegorical, behavioral/moral, and unitive senses. The presentations teach a contemplative way of listening to and reading Scripture known as the ancient monastic practice of Lectio Divina. During the retreat, one will experience the interplay of the silence of Centering Prayer and Praying Holy Scripture combined with the rhythm of this Episcopal Benedictine monastic community’s worship and prayer life including Holy Eucharist. This contemplative retreat welcomes those comfortable with silence and yearning to learn this ancient way of praying rather than studying Holy Scripture.
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: As a Contemplative Outreach Commissioned Presenter of Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina, Leslee shares Fr. Thomas Keating’s teachings on the Christian Spiritual Journey to Love in workshop and retreat settings. She is part of the Service Teams that steward Fr. Thomas’s teaching for serving Intensive Retreats and Lectio Divina. She is a spiritual director in Lone Tree, CO and a graduate of The Center for Action and Contemplation Living School.
To register, please contact our Guesthouse Office by phone (845-384-6660, ext. 3002) or email (guesthouse@hcmnet.org).

Holy Breath: Centering Prayer & Ecstasy - online
2023-12-15 09:00 - 2023-12-17 16:00 (America/Denver) | Internet – Online
Centering Prayer and meditation are age-old techniques to put us in touch with what Jesus called ruha in Aramaic, the holy breath, a living and animating field that gives birth to psyche, to seed, storm and stellar nebulae. But what if there were an entire terrain of spiritual perception, a fluid and liminal continuum mapped by mystics, saints and shamans, inviting us to experience a living world that perceives us, a realm that invites us into our deepest longing?
Cynthia Bourgeault writes, “The imaginal is that quality of aliveness moving through this realm, interpenetrating, cohering, filling things with the fragrance of implicit meaning whose lines do not converge in this world alone but at a point beyond.” During this three day online intensive we will explore practices and group work that will help us deepen into different Centering Prayer practices inviting us to explore what Islamic scholar Henri Corbin called the Imaginal World. From the perspective of the neurobiology of the human body to wild landscapes and the more than human world, from ancient myths to the archetypal images found in scripture, trance states are common doorways of perception shared across time and place.
This introductory program will meet you wherever you are at in your own practice and hopefully expand and deepen your own journey offering practical seedings and practices you can further develop. Through consciousness-shifting practices and guided invitations we will deeply reconnect with the land and wonder together how deep eco-mysticism can help heal our relationship with Earth and one another.

Advent One-Day Centering Prayer Retreat
2023-12-16 08:00 - 17:00 UTC
Metanoia Journey is pleased to offer our first-ever one-day Centering Prayer Retreat. Centering Prayer is a foundational contemplative practice of our community. One’s participation in one-day, as well as multi-day Centering Prayer retreats, helps to deepen one’s spiritual practice. The day’s agenda as follows:
Welcome/Greeting
Centering Prayer
Periods of silence and solitude
Lunch (in community or in silence)
Centering Prayer
Communion in our circle
Closing comments
Please register using the link below.

Practices for Contemplative Living: Advent Day of Prayer with Fr. Carl Arico
2023-12-16 09:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | St. Walburga Monastery, 851 N. Broad Street, NJ, 7649, United States
Join a group of centering prayer practitioners to support each other on the contemplative path. Modeled after what was formerly known as the 9-month course, the program will be based on Julie Saad’s book, “Contemplative Life: Discovering Our Path to the Heart of God“. All are welcome. We meet the 3rd Saturday of each month from October 2023 through April 2024. Overnight accommodations are available. In December, Fr. Carl Arico will offer an Advent Day of Prayer.
Explore a different contemplative practice each month:
• October 22 – Fundamentals of Centering Prayer and Holy Listening
• November 18 – Guided Meditation (Stepping Stones)
• December 16 – Advent Day of Prayer with Fr. Carl Arico
• January 20 – Logging
• February 17 – Spiritual Reading
• March 16 – Going Deeper in Daily Life
• April 20 – Lectio Divina
Further information and registration are available at: https://centeringprayernj.com/events/, or email Eileen McCaffrey Schuman at coordinator@centeringprayernj.com.
Limited spaces are available to stay overnight at St. Walburga Monastery for a separate charge.

Back to Basics: Exploring the Why, What, & How of Centering Prayer - via Zoom
2023-12-18 08:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Free Contemplative Prayer Workshop
Join to return to the sacred basic tenants of Centering Prayer.
“Silence is God’s first language. All others are just poor translations.”
— Thomas Keating
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
Presented by Keith Kristich, founder of Closer Than Breath. Certified teacher of meditation & contemplative prayer. Commissioned presenter of Centering Prayer through Contemplative Outreach.
