Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.

Present to Presence: A Silent Centering Prayer Retreat
2021-08-15 16:00 - 2021-08-18 12:00 UTC | Mercy by the Sea Retreat and Conference Center, 167 Neck Road, Madison, CT, 06443-0191, United States
August 15 – 18, 2021
Thomas Keating once posed the question: Why go on retreat? His response was “to experience the deepest silence” and “just … [to] be, opening uninterruptedly to God’s presence and to the enormous energy of love that creates and sustains us and the universe…”
Even in our covid world, it’s important to step away from daily life and turn our focus inward. During this retreat, silence will begin after Sunday night’s gathering and end after breakfast on Tuesday. In between, there will be periods of Centering Prayer, lectio divina and eco divina (listening to God in Nature), morning and evening prayer as well as personal time to walk, read, journal or simply gaze at the waters of Long Island Sound in a beautiful summer setting. Single rooms with private baths will be ready at 4 p.m. on Sunday. The program will begin after dinner. All meals from Sunday dinner through Wednesday breakfast are covered by the fee. Call the Center or visit the website to register (see below).
Come listen to the still small voice. Let the deep silence enfold you, embrace you.

Wisdom Overflowing: Contemplation and the Perennial Philosophy - via Zoom
2021-08-14 10:00 - 11:30 UTC | Internet – Online
Although the various religious traditions have conflicting beliefs and rituals, the mystics and contemplatives all point to the same universal truths — that God is present, every where, and at all times, in everyone and that our unique human invitation is to wake up to this Reality.
Join this workshop to explore the Perennial Tradition and contemplative prayer as a way of returning to the “original religious experience” shared by all the worlds contemplative traditions.
When: August 14th, 10:00-11:30am Eastern Time
Virtual Event via Zoom
Cost: Suggested $15 OR Pay-from-the-heart: Whatever is right for you.
Presenter: Keith Kristich, commissioned Centering Prayer presenter
Time Spent In:
– guided meditation
– contemplative teaching
– silent contemplative prayer
– community conversation.
Register below or email Keith@keithkristich.com

Introduction to Centering Prayer
2021-07-24 12:00 - 16:00 UTC | Unity Luthern Church, 12250 fort Street, Southgate, MI, 48195, United States
A four-hour workshop.

A Two-Session Introduction to Centering Prayer via Zoom
2021-07-21 18:00 - 2021-07-28 20:00 UTC | Internet – Online
Are you Interested in learning more about the method of Centering Prayer, or do you know someone who is?
In this two-part Zoom workshop, participants will learn the method of Centering Prayer and its conceptual background. There will also be two opportunities to experience the prayer, followed by time for Q & A. The workshop is open to beginners as well as those who wish to deepen their practice. It will cover:
• Prayer as Relationship
• The Method of Centering Prayer
• Thoughts and the Use of the Sacred Word
• Deepening our Relationship with God
Centering Prayer is a receptive method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer. Centering Prayer emphasizes prayer as a personal relationship with God and as a movement beyond conversation with Christ to communion with Christ.
Space is limited, so please register now. The two sessions are on consecutive Wednesdays, July 21 and 28, 6:00-8:00pm via Zoom. The program is offered on a free-will donation basis, $25 suggested. To register, click here or contact Bill Epperly at bill@integralawakenings.com) for more information.
Following the two-session Introduction, a six-week program, “Deepening Your Practice,” will also be offered. Beginners and long-time practitioners of Centering Prayer are invited to join this six-week long program, with a one-hour Zoom session each Wednesday evening August 4 – September 8.
Centering Prayer is a simple practice. Simple, but not easy to master. Participants will benefit from weekly gatherings which will include: brief tips on practicing Centering Prayer, 20 minutes of prayer time with the group, and time for Q & A afterwards. The goal is that you come away from the program confident in your practice and experiencing Centering Prayer at a new, deeper level. Click here to register for “Deepening Your Practice,” or contact Bill Epperly (bill@integralawakenings.com) for more information.
About the presenters: Bill Epperly, PhD, is a research biochemist who left the lab in search of awakening. He is a workshop leader and spiritual director and is commissioned by Contemplative Outreach to teach the method of Centering Prayer. Bill is an adjunct faculty member at DePaul University where he teaches integral spirituality.
Sandy Janowski is a retired Social Worker, Addiction Counselor and Community College Adjunct Instructor. In 2009 she was commissioned by the Institute of Spiritual Companionship and has been a practitioner of Centering Prayer since 2001. Sandy serves on the Circle of Service for Contemplative Outreach Chicago. She is a mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.

Introduction to Centering Prayer
2021-07-18 16:00 - 19:00 UTC | Gingrichs Mennonite Church, 100 Forney Rd, Lebanon, PA, 17042, United States
Mark Kutolowski will be facilitating this introduction to Centering Prayer. It includes both instruction and group practice in a method that fosters contemplative prayer.
Please see the link below to register.

Zoom Centering Prayer Facilitator Training - 12 Step Friendly
2021-07-18 13:00 - 16:00 UTC | Internet – Online
A Zoom Centering Prayer Group Facilitator Training (everyone is encouraged to take this training to be empowered to share these volunteer opportunities).
This Level 1 workshop consists of fundamentals of facilitating a Centering Prayer group including:
– the spirituality of facilitating a Centering Prayer group;
– the basics of facilitating a Centering Prayer group;
– use of Zoom in Centering Prayer groups.
Included are handouts that may be useful in facilitating a Centering Prayer group.
Visit the website below for more information and to register.

9th Centering Prayer and Enneagram Zoom Retreat
2021-07-17 09:30 - 15:00 UTC | Internet – Online
“Centering Prayer and Enneagram” retreat is meant for anyone who wants to advance in their contemplative prayer practice with a deeper knowledge of who we are and why we do the things we do. Knowing who we are is the first step into growing in wisdom. Enneagram personality types will show us what motivates us and why some of us can focus, learn, pray, and have a discipline of life better than others.
This online two-day retreat on zoom is a quick look into the Enneagrammic person in us. When we know what inspires us, then it will be easier for us to pray and play. When we pray well, we will play well, meaning, we will do whatever we do for living joyfully.
Set aside one day and take this program from the comfort of your home. Each session is about 20 minutes long with a 10 minutes break in between. You can interact with Fr. Jos while you are attending just like being in a classroom. You don’t need to download anything or call anyone. Just simply be home in your PJs and have a cup of coffee and relax, learn, and grow. Register now and you will be provided with a secure link for the Zoom Retreat. The seats are limited to a maximum of 75.
09:30 am Introduction and Prayer
10: 00 am Session 1
10: 50 am break
11: 00 am Session 2
11: 50 am Centering Prayer Session
12: 10 pm Lunch break
01: 00 pm Session 3
01: 50 pm break
02: 00 pm Session 4

Guard of the Heart, A Traditional Way to Enrich Your Contemplative Practice via Zoom
2021-07-10 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Internet – Online
“Guard of the Heart … disposes us to let go of personal likes and dislikes and to accept painful situations as they arise.”
“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 as told to Bob Mischke
Register here (scroll down to event date): https://contemplativeoutreachofmarylandandwashington.org/retreats-events/half-day-retreats-intro-workshops/

Six-Day Intensive/Post Intensive Centering Prayer Retreat
2021-07-07 - 2021-07-12 | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
Presenters: Sr. Ruth Ann Madera, Fr. Phil Billotte, Doug Laplante.
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.
Post-Intensive: 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.

“The Cloud of Unknowing” via Zoom
2021-06-26 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Internet – Online
An anonymous Christian contemplative from the middle ages wrote the classic work The Cloud of Unknowing. Centering Prayer, of course, is based on this seminal work of spiritual practice. The whole of The Cloud of Unknowing is about contemplation. The practice of contemplation goes beyond the mind. It goes into unknowing. The author is insistent on this point. Our minds cannot grasp God because God is transcendent mystery. Therefore, we must pray beyond the thinking mind.
In this half-day retreat, we will seek to learn how to deepen our practice of Centering Prayer from the mysterious author of The Cloud of Unknowing. There is deep teaching in this work concerning how we deal with thoughts, humility, intention, and growth in divine unity.
Led by LJ Milone
Having practiced Centering Prayer for 17 years, LJ Milone has gone deep into the Catholic tradition. His spirituality is greatly influenced by Francis of Assisi, Meister Eckhart, the Cloud of Unknowing, Thomas Keating, Richard Rohr, Anthony De Mello, and, ultimately, the teachings of Jesus. As a pastoral minister at a Catholic parish in Silver Spring, MD, he has served the faith formation needs of children, as well as adults since June 2007. A leader of many retreats, lectures, and classes on the topics of the teachings of Jesus, contemplative prayer, Centering Prayer, Christian mysticism, and contemporary spirituality, LJ is also a spiritual director receiving his training at the Hesychia School of Spiritual Direction in Tucson, AZ.
Register using this link (scroll to event date) https://contemplativeoutreachofmarylandandwashington.org/retreats-events/half-day-retreats-intro-workshops/

The Enneagram and Contemplative Living via Zoom
2021-06-19 09:30 - 15:30 UTC | Internet – Online
THE ENNEAGRAM AND CONTEMPLATIVE LIVING
A Virtual Retreat from Contemplative Outreach of New Mexico
June 19, 2021
9:30-3:30 Mountain Time
The Enneagram offers a profound body of wisdom for psychological and spiritual healing. Based on the triadic nature of reality, it is intended to help us awaken to our truer nature. Understanding the Enneagram to be far more than a ‘typing’ system, we can discover often unconscious personality patterns that take us in the opposite direction of our soul’s yearning for unity. Rather than seeing the Enneagram personality ‘type’ as who we are, we learn who we are not.
In this day retreat, after a brief overview of Enneagram fundamentals, we will primarily focus on the Three Centers of Intelligence (belly, heart and head centers) inherent in the Enneagram symbol and important in personal inquiry. These are closely aligned with Fr. Thomas Keating’s three emotional centers of the false self.
The retreat will also include two periods of Centering Prayer, a lunch break and break during morning and afternoon sessions, short times of personal reflection and interpersonal inquiry. Having access to your zoom screen will be helpful as a few slides are shared.
Register via the link below or via the email address listed.
Facilitator: Roxanne Howe-Murphy, EdD Founder of the Deep Living Institute and author of “Deep Living with the Enneagram; Recovering your True Nature”

Presence, Prayer and Writing from the Heart One-Day Retreat
2021-06-12 09:30 - 15:00 UTC | Wisdom House, 229 East Litchfield Road, Litchfield, CT, 6759, United States
All of us have myriad stories to tell. Some focus on your family history, spiritual journey, experiences in Nature or a life-changing situation. These stories can take many forms but the most compelling are the ones written from the heart, those that touch and 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. What can help are presence and prayer. We’ll explore the link between both and the writing process, ever mindful that we are never closer to the Creator than when we are creating.
This writing retreat is structured for those currently working on a project, wanting to start one or simply wanting to spend time playing with words. In addition to a Centering Prayer/meditation session — Silence can be a portal to the Source of creativity and truth-telling — there will be time to write, walk, think or just be.
The fee includes lunch.

Contemplative Spirituality in a Contemporary Time
2021-06-10 08:00 - 2021-06-13 17:00 UTC | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
Presenter – Susan Komis
What is contemplation? In addition to exploring three stages critical to our spiritual journey relative to prayer and faith in ordinary life, this extended weekend retreat will include presentation and discussion on the dynamic of the many people who are beginning to experience and live a contemplative life in our contemporary time. We will explore awakenings that open the door to understanding contemplative prayer, transformation and union with God. Portions of this retreat experience invite interactive engagement of participants, but will include periods of Centering Prayer, silence, solitude, small group process and serene enjoyment of the beautiful Bethany Retreat Center.
Please register via the link below.

Spiritual and Physical Evolution: In Contemplative Hindsight of 2020
2021-06-05 08:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Looking back on the Covid-19 evolution of 2020, we will reflect on our own evolving and devolving during the pandemic. We must encounter the unwanted to be able to recognize the wanted in times of change. How have we changed physically? How have we grown spiritually? What brought out the best in us? What brought out the worst in us?
Evolution is happening physically due to the pandemic. Our brains changed with each new experience. Did you have anything to say about which way your brain went? Our world changed daily in wonderful and horrifying ways. Our behavior changed daily as we woke up to the meaning of pandemic. What dark night did you encounter and where did it take you spiritually?
Presented by: Charlotte A. Tomaino, Ph.D. is a Clinical Neuropsychologist whose career has been dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of brain function. She is retired from clinical practice but has learned about the power of belief to access neuroplasticity to adapt brain function from the clients she treated for several decades. Her book, Awakening the Brain: the Neuropsychology of Grace gently weaves together the power of spirituality to alter perception of life events and access the path of recovery from trauma or growth in times of change. She is formerly a Maryknoll Sister.

Opening to Our Pre-Existing Union with God
2021-06-04 17:00 - 2021-06-06 17:00 UTC | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
Presenter: Keith Kristich
So many of us grow up with the message that God is the great, old Guy-in-the-Sky. This God loves the world, but is ultimately separate from it and separate from us. But the great contemplatives say otherwise, that God is the Heart of our hearts and the very Center of our souls. From the contemplative perspective, the spiritual journey isn’t one in which we get closer to God, but rather about waking up to the reality that we are already one! Join this weekend retreat as we explore Centering Prayer as a path of waking up to our pre-existing oneness with God. We are not ultimately separate from God, and we’ll explore the significance of opening to this reality through teaching, reflection, and Centering Prayer practice.
Please register using the link below.

Living the Beatitudes: Discovering the Mystical Truth of Jesus’ Words
2021-05-27 16:00 - 2021-05-31 12:00 UTC | Mercy Center Burlingame, 2300 Adeline Drive, Burlingame, CA, 94010, United States
Living the Beatitudes: Discovering the Mystical Truth of Jesus’ Words
Hybrid retreat: On site* at Mercy Center and Online
May 27-31, 2021
Begins Thursday at 4:00 p.m. and concludes Monday at 12 p.m. (Pacific Time)
$400 *on-site, $400 online (Learning grant funds available on request.)
“Consider that the [Aramaic] word Jesus uses, which we have traditionally translated as ‘kingdom,’ is related to the word for the ‘Great Mother’ in the Middle East; the word we translate as ‘daily bread’ means nourishment of all kinds and derives from the roots for the divine feminine and for Holy Wisdom or Sophia.” — Matthew Fox
Emergence from this very difficult year of pandemic can be seen with the eyes of the heart as a great birthing of a new world. How do we align ourselves with this vision, join in this “one great act of giving birth?” What could be better guidance than the Beatitudes, Jesus’ instructions for realizing the Kingdom of Heaven right here on earth. And when we revisit his teachings with the help of Neil Douglas-Klotz’s translations from Aramaic, Jesus’ own language, we are brought home to a transformed relationship with the cosmos.
Join us as we give ourselves―body, mind and emotion―to this labor of love.
How will the hybrid retreat work?
You are invited to join us from your own home OR AT MERCY CENTER in Burlingame as we practice integrating prayer with our life, in our circumstances as they are. Teaching sessions will include experiential, participatory, and embodied exercises to draw us more deeply into the healing, contemplative space. Breaks will be provided for further integration.
Program Features
• Live Online Centering Prayer Sessions – Join via Zoom (at Mercy Center or at home) at scheduled times or practice on your own.
• Live Online Teaching Sessions – Join us live via Zoom (at Mercy Center or at home) or view recordings at a later time.
• Live Online or in-person Small Groups – for experiential processing (not recorded).
There will be teachings on the Beatitudes by Catherine, Heather and Joy.
You can participate in one of three ways:
1) From home online. The retreat is designed so that you can choose as much or as little of it as fits in your life, on any given day.
2) In person* at Mercy Center, participating online from your laptop in your own room and enjoying the beauty and peace of the grounds.
3) In person* at Mercy Center attending in a spacious room together with masks and social distancing. Bring your laptop, reusable beverage container, a yoga mat (optional). We’ll meditate in that same room, so you can bring your meditation cushion if you like.
Meals will be served in eco-friendly containers and can be eaten in the conference room, in your room, or outside on the patio.
Everything will be on Zoom so we’ll all be sharing the retreat no matter where we are. Be met, trusting that God’s love surrounds all of it, all of us, exactly as we are.
*On-site participants must be fully vaccinated for COVID 19 and follow our onsite COVID protocol.
Optional reading: We will be presenting some material from the book “Prayers of the Cosmos: Meditations on the Aramaic Words of Jesus” by Neil Douglas-Klotz. You are welcome to purchase it ahead of time if you like, but it will not be necessary – we will provide supportive handouts for the retreat.
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.
Heather Ruce, M.A. is a wisdom spiritual director with a background as a therapist and training in a neurophysiology based approach to trauma resolution. She loves working with individuals as well as facilitating groups and retreats focused on learning and practicing the Wisdom Tradition.
Joy Andrews Hayter, Ph.D. is a spiritual director, and Centering Prayer coordinator at Mercy Center. Joy is dedicated to fostering contemplative practices such as Centering Prayer and others within the Christian Wisdom tradition that help us become aware of God’s ever-present love. As a scientist (and dancer, writer, and hiker) she sees in the physical world an expression of that love.
Please register at www.mercy-center.org or telephone 650-340-7474
Registration closes May 26, 2021

Recovery Centering Prayer Workshop
2021-05-26 19:00 - 20:30 UTC | Internet – Online
For those practicing a 12-step program, the simple yet powerful method of Centering Prayer opens one to a deeper spiritual awakening. Centering Prayer is a silent prayer practice like meditation that has been used over the centuries.
This workshop will help those searching for emotional and spiritual sobriety through the 12-steps of AA, Al-Anon, and other 12-step programs. Those with an established Centering Prayer practice will also benefit by refreshing the essentials of the practice.
This program will be offered online via the Zoom platform. Information on how to access the program will be provided to participants in their registration confirmation email.
Follow the link provided here below to register for this event.

Introduction to Centering Prayer
2021-05-22 09:00 - 2021-05-23 12:30 UTC | Internet – Online
9:00-12:30 Central Standard Time
During these challenging times Centering Prayer is a way to draw closer to God. It is a Christian form of meditation that serves as a method of movement into contemplative prayer, a way to open oneself to the Divine Presence and, through the healing of the Holy Spirit, to be of greater service to those around us.
hosted by Contemplative Outreach of Southeast Wisconsin COSEW
Register: https://www.contemplativeoutreachwisconsin.org/event-details/intro-to-centering-prayer-by-zoom-cosew

The Gift of Life: Death & Dying, Life & Living via Zoom - 12-Step Friendly
2021-05-16 13:00 - 2021-06-13 15:00 UTC | Internet – Online
Covid-19 has caused most of us to experience some type of loss, stress, questions of faith and possibly death of loved ones. Even without Covid-19, there is an almost universal pondering we share about suffering and death. Join us as we explore these common and often “tabooed” subjects in a four-part Zoom meeting series.
Four Sundays – May 16, May 23, June 6, June – 13
All meetings are from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Live Zoom interactive experience
We’ll learn from videos of Fr. Thomas Keating exploring our capacity for knowing God through relationship – a relationship that evolves and changes as we move through various phases of the spiritual journey.
Hosted by Gina DiGirolamo and John Orr
This video series is an intimate conversation between Fr. Thomas Keating and Fr. Carl Arico focusing on the transformative process of death and dying as part of, rather than the end of, life’s journey.
The original title of this series of interviews with Father Thomas Keating was Death & Dying and the Unknowable God. But as the series was worked on, it was realized that while the subject is death and dying, it is really about life – hence, “The Gift of Life: Death & Dying, Life & Living“.
Registration is requested. Please send an email to cogcnky@gmail.com (this stand for Contemplative Outreach of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky). Please provide:
1) Name (s) of participant(s)
2) Email address of participant(s)
A Zoom link to the series and a PDF Gift of Life: Death & Dying, Life & Living guidebook will be emailed to all registered participants a few days prior to the first Zoom meeting.
Event is Free.
Donations are gratefully accepted via the donation button on our local chapter website: co-gcnky.org

"In the Shadow of Your Wings" via Zoom
2021-05-15 13:00 - 16:00 UTC | Internet – Online
“In the shadow of your wings I take refuge, until the times of destruction pass.”
– Psalm 57:1
Sponsored by Contemplative Outreach of Maryland and Washington (COMW), Fr. Vincent Pizzuto will lead a virtual half-day retreat entitled “In the Shadow of Your Wings” on Saturday, May 15th, 1-4pm (Eastern Time). In light of the challenges of our post-pandemic world, Fr. Pizzuto will discuss the importance of cultivating what he calls “a contemplative refuge of spiritually intimate communities that embody Christ in the world.”
For more details and to register: ContemplativeOutreachofMarylandandWashington.org (link below)

Centering Prayer: The Human Condition via Zoom
2021-05-15 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Internet – Online
The Mercy Center Centering Prayer Program presents:
Centering Prayer and the Human Condition
Live Online Saturday May 15, 2021
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM USA Pacific Time
“Where are you? Why are you hiding?” In his book The Human Condition, Thomas Keating writes, “This marvelous story of creation is not just about Adam and Eve. It is really about us. It is a revelation of where we are … At every moment of our lives, God is asking us, ‘Where are you? Why are you hiding? All the questions that are fundamental to human happiness arise when we ask ourselves these questions: Where am I? Where am I in relation to God, to myself, and to others? These are the basic questions of human life.”
In this workshop we will explore what Keating calls our “programs for happiness” ― areas in which our small self grasps for security, affection and control; but which rarely bring us true satisfaction. As we learn to recognize these and see them in action more clearly we can invite God’s help in letting them go, and in discovering ourselves as we are: fully loved by God exactly as we are, ready to receive the Living Water that truly satisfies.
This online Centering Prayer workshop includes instruction, group practice, and opportunity for discussion and questions.
A $20 donation is suggested to support the program; however, any donation you are able to contribute is gratefully accepted. Your presence is most important.
Please register using the link below.
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.
Joy Andrews Hayter, Ph.D. is a spiritual director, and Centering Prayer coordinator at Mercy Center. Joy is dedicated to fostering contemplative practices such as Centering Prayer and others within the Christian Wisdom tradition that help us become aware of God’s ever-present love. As a scientist she sees in the physical world an expression of that love.

Centering Prayer from the Ground of the Heart
2021-05-15 08:30 - 16:30 UTC | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Looking afresh at Centering Prayer beginning from utter surrender, we will practice the cues of: be surrender, letting thoughts be as they are, and letting go of thoughts we have collapsed upon. We will practice noticing especially the interplay of surrender and spaciousness of heart, and the gentlest of return/re-recognition of surrender during regular sits, “micro-sits”, and while we work with these teachings.
Presented by: Fr. Justin Lanier, a contemplative missioner priest of the Diocese of Vermont (Episcopal). Formation includes monastic training in St. Benedict’s Monastery, Snowmass, under Fr. Thomas Keating & Dom. Joseph Boyle, and Tofuku-sodo, Kyoto, Japan, under Keido Fukushima Roshi. Fr. Justin leads intensive contemplative immersion trainings, workshops in Centering Prayer, as well as classes in contemplative practice & theology.

Two Thomases: Merton and Keating Leading Us to Transformation - via Zoom
2021-05-15 08:00 - 11:30 UTC | Internet – Online
A devotee of both Thomas Merton and Thomas Keating, Maggie Winfrey will share her reflections how these two have guided her spiritual journey simply as an ordinary seeker. A contemplative for over four decades, Maggie Winfrey taught kids to read as well as led adult spiritual enrichment for over 35 years. A commissioned presenter of Contemplative Outreach Centering Prayer Introductory Workshops, she is coordinator for Contemplative Outreach Atlanta and the Atlanta chapter representative for the International Thomas Merton Society.
Please register using the link below.

Facilitating Retreat - Postponed to Spring 2022
2021-05-14 - 2021-05-15 | Our Lady of Bethesda, 7007 Bradley Blvd, Bethesda, MD, 20817, United States
Contemplative Outreach of Maryland and Washington: Our May 2021 Facilitating Workshop is now-cancelled and is being rescheduled for Spring 2022. If you are registered for the cancelled workshop and would like a refund or to transfer your registration to the rescheduled workshop, please contact Kathleen Blank Riether at kathblankriether@gmail.com.
Contact Marjorie Centofanti at mcentofanti@jhmi.edu with any questions about the facilitator training / enrichment programs.
POSTED 2/15/2021
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An overnight event to support facilitators—new or longtime—as well as anyone thinking of leading or co-leading a Centering Prayer group.
Sponsored by Contemplative Outreach of Maryland and Washington (COMW)
May 14 – 15, 2021
At Our Lady of Bethesda conference center in a Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C.
Features national Contemplative Outreach Ltd. presenters Bob Mischke and Eileen McCaffrey Schuman.

The Mystical Meaning of Silence via Zoom
2021-05-08 10:00 - 11:30 UTC | Internet – Online
Join this free Centering Prayer workshop and unpack the Mystical Meaning of Silence by exploring
– Silence as a path to the Divine Presence within
– The mystical approach to silence and awareness
– Opening to God beyond words and concepts
Cost: Free
Presenter: Keith Kristich, commissioned Centering Prayer presenter and certified mediation teacher
See the link below for details and to register. Event times are in Eastern Time.

Re-Entering Community through Silence: Centering Prayer Retreat with Mary Dwyer
2021-05-06 17:00 - 2021-05-09 17:00 UTC | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
Presenter: Mary Dwyer
Come away to Bethany Retreat Center for a deeper experience of Centering Prayer in community. We will have extended prayer times (3 to 4 hours per day) and input on deepening our Centering Prayer practice. The retreat will be in silence with time for personal reflection and renewal. An already established knowledge and practice of Centering Prayer is required. Soul friending will also be available along with attending Mass and praying with the Sisters in Residence. Enjoy a comfortable room, private bathroom and all meals included during your stay. Please let us know of any dietary restrictions or special needs when you register.
Please see the link below to register.

Closer Than Breath, Six-Week Centering Prayer Course via Zoom
2021-05-02 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | Internet – Online
Join the six-week Centering Prayer course to deepen your prayer and meditation.
Closer Than Breath focuses on the Divine Indwelling at the heart of Centering Prayer teaching and practice.
With weekly, bite-sized videos to deepen your practice and three optional contemplative prayer groups a week, this course can be used to deepen your practice and commitment to God through Centering Prayer.
God is Closer Than Breath!
See the details in the link.
-Keith

World Labyrinth Day: Walk as One for Peace
2021-05-01 09:00 - 17:00 UTC | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
Presenter: Carmel Stabley
Each year on the first Saturday in May, thousands of people around the world participate in this moving meditation for world peace. The intention of World Labyrinth Day is to bring people from all over the planet together in celebration of labyrinths as a symbol, tool, passion and practice of spiritual growth. The labyrinth is a reflective exercise as you use each step to quiet your mind and your spirit.
Spend the day on the sacred grounds of Bethany Retreat Center learning about and walking the outdoor labyrinth as well as visiting other stations of prayer & reflection, while focusing on the theme of world peace, healing and restoration. This one-day retreat on May 1st will be led by Carmel Stabley, an Advanced Certified Labyrinth Facilitator. The retreat will begin at 9:00 am and conclude by 5:00 pm Eastern Time with lunch provided. The cost is $35.00 for the day. Overnight accommodations are available for an additional $88.00 per night.
Please register using the link below.

Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop on Zoom
2021-05-01 08:30 - 12:30 UTC | Internet – Online
Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop on Zoom
Holy Family Retreat Center, West Hartford, CT
Saturday, May 1, 2021
8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Eastern Time)
Contemplative Outreach Commissioned Presenter, Nancy Stimac
In this transformational introductory workshop, you will learn the method and principles of the Centering Prayer practice in a quiet, reflective atmosphere. The history, psychology, and theology of the practice will be covered. Two prayer sessions and a question and answer session are included. The workshop also welcomes current practitioners who wish to deepen their understanding of the Centering Prayer practice and of their relationship with the Lord.
Check in 8:30-9 a.m. Program starts at 9 a.m Eastern Time
Offering: $30 per registrant
Register at: https://www.holyfamilyretreat.org/calendar/centering-prayer-5-1-21
Presenter Profile:
Nancy Stimac, a longtime contemplative prayer practitioner, is a commissioned presenter of Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina for Contemplative Outreach. She is a graduate of the Archdiocese of Hartford’s Catholic Bible School and Lay Ministry programs. She uses her gifts to serve the Catholic community of Windsor Locks as a prayer group facilitator, Bible study leader, RCIA teacher, lector, and evangelization team member.

Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop
2021-05-01 08:30 - 12:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
In this introductory workshop, you will learn the ancient method and principles of Centering Prayer practice in a quiet, reflective atmosphere. We will cover the history, psychology, and theology of the practice. Two prayer sessions and a question and answer session are included.
The human transformation we undergo in Centering Prayer is complex and multifaceted. We face common questions about how our practice is progressing and our psychological experience of releasing the emotional wounds of a lifetime. This presentation is intended to clarify the psychological process on our journey to transformation.
Presented by:
Nancy Stimac, a longtime contemplative prayer practitioner, is a Centering Prayer facilitator and commissioned presenter of Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina for Contemplative Outreach. She is a graduate of the Archdiocese of Hartford’s Catholic Bible School and Lay Ministry programs. She uses her gifts to serve the Catholic community of Windsor Locks as a prayer group facilitator, Bible study leader, RCIA teacher, lector, and evangelization team member.
OR
Mike Smoolca is an experienced contemplative group and workshop facilitator and a dedicated student of contemplative practices and wisdom spirituality. He is a Contemplative Outreach presenter and coordinator for Contemplative Outreach of CT and the Northern CT Chapter of the International Thomas Merton Society. Mike is a practicing spiritual director who received his certificate from Fairfield University. He has been an internship partner at the Spiritual Life Center in West Hartford, CT.
