Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.

Introduction to the Welcoming Prayer – via Zoom
2025-04-26 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Internet – Online
“Martha, Martha, you are worried and anxious about many things … but one thing is needful.”
-Luke 10:42
The Mary and Martha story is an example of the focus we can bring to everyday life activities. As the Welcoming Prayer 40-day practice booklet reminds us: “To assist this process, we need complementary practices. Centering Prayer teaches us consenting in stillness; the Welcoming Prayer practice teaches us consenting in activity.”
“The Welcoming Prayer practice is a way of letting go into the present moment in the ordinary routines of daily life. It is used when your needs for security, affection and control are frustrated or gratified and cause emotional reactions. It is a way of turning everything over to God …” Thomas Keating, Open Mind, Open Heart
The presenters are part of the community of the Center for Contemplative Living in Denver CO. Over the years they have been blessed through the presence and teachings of Thomas Keating OCSO, and Mary Mrozowski as well as many other spiritual leaders.
We hope to see you at our workshop. May you be open to including the Welcoming Prayer in your invitation to the Holy Spirit to extend the walls of your inner room to all of life.
Time listed is Mountain Daylight Time (Denver, Colorado)
Click the website link below to register.

Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop (ONLINE)
2025-04-26 12:30 - 15:30 (Europe/Amsterdam) | Internet – Online
Are you seeking a path to explore or strengthen your inner connection with God at the centre of your being?
Centering Prayer is a practice that leads to contemplation by opening oneself to God’s love, healing, and inner goodness; moreover, it nurtures the soul’s desire to grow in kindness and compassion towards all.
The online workshop offers a glimpse into this practice through short inputs on the method of Centering Prayer, along with times of silent practice together.
You are most welcome, whether you are a beginner or simply desire to refresh your practice.
The event is 12:30-3:30pm CEST (6:30am Eastern Daylight Time, 11:30am London UTC +1)
Please see the link below to register.

Centering Prayer Presenter Enrichment Gathering - via Zoom
2025-04-26 13:00 - 14:30 (America/Halifax) | Internet – Online
This Zoom gathering of Centering Prayer Presenters will include prayer/reflection, updates and opportunities for sharing.

Contemplative Outreach of Northern Nevada Silent Retreat 2025
2025-04-27 - 2025-05-02 | Zephry Point Presbyterian Conference Center, 660 US-50 Box 289, NV, 89448, United States
A 5-day silent retreat hosted by Contemplative Outreach of Northern Nevada
at Zephyr Point, Lake Tahoe Nevada.
The retreat begins Sunday April 27 and ends Friday May 2, 2025. Zephyr Point offers private rooms with individual in suite bathrooms. Meals are provided.
The silent retreat includes daily Centering Prayer sits and Lectio Divina practice. There is ample time for personal prayer, reflection, and reading.
The Zephyr Point web address is: https://zephyrpoint.org/

5-Day Intensive Prayer Retreat
2025-04-28 14:00 - 2025-05-02 11:00 UTC | Prince of Peace Abbey, 650 Benet Hill Rd., CA, 92058, United States
This five-day Centering Prayer intensive retreat provides an opportunity to deepen the practice of Centering Prayer in an atmosphere of silence and community support. This retreat follows the Contemplative Outreach guidelines for an intensive retreat including five 30-minute Centering Prayer periods on most days. An established practice of Centering Prayer for at least six months is recommended but not pre-requisite to attend.
The retreat begins Monday with check-in from 2:00 to 5:00 pm and concludes the following Friday morning. The retreat fee of $450 includes a single room (with private bath) and meals. We are limiting the number of registrations to 25 including retreat leaders so each has their own room for solitude. The cost of this retreat has been lowered by $200 per participant due to a grant from the Contemplative Outreach Divine Economy Fund. The fund is dedicated to making Fr. Thomas Keating’s teachings in retreats accessible to Centering Prayer practitioners.
Prince of Peace Benedictine Monastery encompasses 126 acres atop a hill approximately two miles east of the Pacific Ocean. Located in Oceanside, California, the monastery offers a serene haven for contemplation and spiritual growth. The grounds include walking paths, Stations of the Cross, and prayer chapel.
The monastery will be serving three meals a day but does not provide special meals. If you have dietary restrictions or preferences you may bring own food to supplement what is served. There is a refrigerator and microwave in the dining room.
Please see the link below to register.

Centering Prayer in the Treatment of Mental Illnesses - via Zoom
2025-04-29 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
3-4pm Eastern Daylight Time (New York); 7pm GMT, 2pm Central, Noon Pacific Time
Free
No need to register. The Zoom link is here.

Dr. Bob Hesse will report the results of neuroscientific studies on improvement in quality of life using Centering Prayer in the treatment of: PTSD, Bipolar Disorder, Parkinson’s Disease, and excessive fear of death (NDE). He will discuss using the results of these studies to establish ministries in medical treatment facilities.
The studies were published in scientific journals and summarized in Dr. Hesse’s book: Faith and Science: A Journey into God’s Mystical Love.
Dr. Hesse will review these findings and then there will be time to submit questions via the chat.
No need to register. The Zoom link is here.
About Robert J. Hesse, Ph.D.
Robert Hesse is a permanent Catholic deacon in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. In 2011 at the encouragement of Fr. Thomas Keating, he co-founded Contemplative Network (CN) and is its Chairman. CN is dedicated to interfaith contemplative prayer, medical research, and establishment of ministries based on the research. He is a practicing contemplative in the Trappist Christian tradition. During a retreat at Gethsemani monastery, Trappist Monk Thomas Merton was an inspiration in Hesse’s contemplative prayer practice. Hesse was appointed by Fr. Thomas Keating, commissioned presenter and co-coordinator for Contemplative Outreach Ltd. (COL) in Houston. In response to an invitation by The Dalai Lama to Keating, Hesse was Keating’s emissary to the first COL dialogue with the Mind & Life (M&L) Institute for research on contemplatives.
Hesse is retired board Vice Chairman and faculty of the interfaith Institute for Spirituality and Health (ISH), which serves the Texas Medical Center (TMC), the largest in the world; Adjunct Faculty at the University of St. Thomas (UST); faculty member of the Spitzer Magis Center and Spiritual Direction Institute at the Emmaus Spirituality Center; and instructor at the Pontifical University Regina Apostolorum in Rome. He served: on the Deacon Spiritual and Community Life Committees of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston; as a retreat team member at Holy Name Retreat Center; and on numerous ACTS and prison Kolbe prison retreats. He is a founding advisor of The WorkFaith Connection™ and cofounder of the first regularly scheduled Faith and Science Conference in Rome.

Centering Prayer Presenter Formation Retreat
2025-04-29 17:00 - 2025-05-02 12:00 UTC | Sophia Center, Atchinson KS, 751 S 8th St, Atchison,KS, KS, United States
This retreat, facilitated by the Contemplative Outreach Presenter Formation Service Team, will offer participants an opportunity to be formed as Commissioned Presenters of the Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop. Working with a notebook of materials, each participant will have ample opportunity to learn the content of the Introductory Workshop and to practice presenting the content to others, with supportive feedback and guidance.
All participants must complete an application prior to registration for this event. To receive an application please contact Rob Carr robcarr924@gmail.com.
Those individuals with approved applications will receive a link to the Sophia Center for registration.
Registration is $400.00 which includes three nights lodging, all meals and materials.
Space is limited.

Centering Prayer and Visio Divina Flowering ONLINE
2025-05-03 09:00 - 11:30 UTC | Internet – Online
Online half day Centering Prayer/Welcoming Prayer mini-retreat via Hawaiʻi (1st Saturday of every month)
@ 9:00 am – 11:30 am UTC-10
FREE
First Saturdays online retreats are a special time where we explore our Centering Prayer practice. We are looking forward to sharing Physio-Divina (Moving) practices, Visio-Divina (Visual-Art) practices, Terra-Divina (Nature), Lectio-Divina (Sacred Text) practices in addition to the Centering Prayer and Welcoming Prayer practice that are our foundation. Pulelehua, Liedeke, and Margie welcome all who wish to join us.
Dates 2024 ( the zoom link is the same for all these dates): March 2, April 6, May 4, June 1, July 6, August 3, September 7, October 5, November 2, December 7
We hope you will join us from wherever & whenever you are! Schedule in Hawai’i Time (UTC -10)
8:45am Room open to for early connections
9:00 Welcome and introductions
9:15 Centering Prayer
9:40 Break
9:45 Centering Prayer
10:10 Break
10:20 Visio Divina and Reflections
11:15 Closing prayer
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/92185854158?pwd=[REDACTED]
Zoom Meeting ID: 921 8585 4158 Passcode: [REDACTED]
Website: http://www.cohawaii.org
Phone (628) 400-2644
Email: cohawaii@gmail.com
All session are freely offered, donations are welcome, no registration is needed.

An Ancient Flowing Stream – via Zoom
2025-05-03 10:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | Internet – Online
This workshop presents how African origins, heritage, culture and music power the Christian contemplative spirit. Combining the wisdom and talents of the Very Reverend Michael Battle, Ph.D. and Julian Davis Reid, M.Div., this creative workshop will use storytelling, music, art, and poetry to bring alive the many contributions to contemplative life that flow from Africa and the Black experience.
Please see the link below to register.

6-Day Intensive and Post-Intensive Centering Prayer Retreat
2025-05-04 - 2025-05-09 | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
This retreat offers two tracks simultaneously: intensive and post-intensive. Everyone attending will share three sets of two 30-minute periods of Centering Prayer, daily. The intensive retreat will watch and discuss video talks from Fr. Thomas Keating’s The Spiritual Journey. Instead of videos, the post-intensive retreat includes an additional hour of Centering Prayer each day. You choose the track that works best for you. Lectio Divina will be offered daily, as well as optional soul-friending with the staff. Silence is maintained throughout the retreat.
Retreat led by: Fr. Bill Sheehan, O.M.I., and Susan Turpin
Please see the link below to register.

Seven-Day Centering Prayer Dual Track Intensive/Post Intensive Retreat
2025-05-13 14:00 - 2025-05-19 10:00 (America/New_York) | Holy Cross Monastery – New York, 1615 Route 9W, West Park, NY, 12493, United States
The seven-day Centering Prayer dual-track intensive/post intensive retreat offered from Monday, May 13 to Sunday, May 19, 2025, 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.
Tuesday check-in is from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Supper is at 5:45 pm. Orientation begins at 6:45 pm. The retreat concludes with breakfast on the last day with optional attendance at Holy Eucharist.
Cost for the retreat is $990. The retreat fee includes a single room and all meals. Shared single occupancy bathrooms in the hallways.
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.
Leslee Anne Terpay: As a Contemplative Outreach commissioned presenter of Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina, Leslee shares Fr. Thomas Keating’s teachings on the Christian spiritual journey in workshop and retreat settings. She is part of the service team that stewards Fr. Thomas’s teaching for serving Centering Prayer retreats. She is a spiritual director in Lone Tree, Colorado and a graduate of The Center for Action and Contemplation Living School.
Br. Bernard Delcourt is the Director of Associates of the monastery. Br. Bernard is a Contemplative Outreach commissioned presenter. He has been a monk since 2004. Before becoming a monk, he was an investment banker and then a life and business skills coach. He is also a spiritual director and regularly visits seminarians in New Haven to offer them spiritual direction.
To register, please contact the Guesthouse Office by phone at 845-384-6660, ext. 3002 or email guesthouse@hcmnet.org.
This retreat is full. You can be added to the wait list by contacting the Guesthouse Office.

The Enneagram and Eco-Spirituality: Self-Awareness and Contemplation Through a Nature-Based Lens - in person and online
2025-05-17 08:30 - 16:30 UTC | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
This workshop focuses on the integration of the Enneagram and Eco-Spirituality. Eco-Spirituality recognizes the sacredness of all life on Earth, as well as the inherent “wildness” of the human soul. The Enneagram is a set of teachings that show us how to be present to our life and free ourselves from self-defeating habits and patterns. The intersection of the two helps us stop “self-defeating” when it comes to our relationship with the Earth and embrace our potential as a truly life-enhancing force on this planet.
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.
Please see the link below to register.

Morning of Prayer Honolulu, Hawaii 3rd Saturdays every Month
2025-05-18 09:00 - 11:30 (Pacific/Honolulu) | Central Union Church, 1660 S. Beretania St., Honolulu, HI, 96826, United States
2025 Morning of Prayer
Third Saturdays In Person
9:00 – 11:30 a.m. Hawai’i time (UTC -10)
Central Union Church • Women’s Building
1660 S. Beretania St. Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Let us join together to pause in the presence of the Divine in the sacred silence. An introduction to the method of Centering Prayer is provided. While Centering Prayer is the basis of our teaching, all meditation paths are welcome. Books on the Spiritual Journey are available for purchase and loan.
No registration required, donations welcome.
Schedule
9:00 Welcome, sign-in, refreshments, book browsing
9:20 Gather in the circle for Introductions
9:30 Two 30-minute periods of Centering Prayer
or An Introduction/review to The Method of Centering Prayer
10:40 Silent break
11:00 One 30-minutes period of Centering Prayer
11:30 Depart in silence or stay and chat a bit
Dates 2025
January 18
February 15
March 15
April 19
May 17
June 21
July 19
August 16
September 20
October 18
November 15
December 20
CONTEMPLATIVE OUTREACH OF HAWAI’I
(628) 400-2644 | cohawaii@gmail.com | www.cohawaii.org
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

The Transformative Practice of Humility
2025-05-24 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Halifax) | Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, 1725 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, D.C., 20036
“When there is no more sense of an “I” (ego), the great I AM takes over our lives.”
– Fr. Thomas Keating, Reflections on the Unknowable
What is humility? And how do we practice it? What role does humility play in Centering Prayer and transformation?
With Fr. Thomas Keatings’ Reflections on the Unknowable and Philippians 2 as our guides, together we will explore the transformative practice of humility.
Through Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina, and faith-sharing, we will reflect on humility as a practice. This workshop will challenge common misconceptions about humility and expand our awareness of humility as a pathway to transforming union with God.
Meet Colleen Thomas
A spiritual director and long-time practitioner of Centering Prayer, Colleen Thomas delights in companioning others on their spiritual journey. Trained in the monastic arts of discernment, spiritual companionship, and retreat leadership, she leads contemplative prayer groups, workshops, and retreats. She serves as the Diversity Outreach Coordinator for Contemplative Outreach and as a Program Director for Stillpoint: A Center for Christian Spirituality. Her particular passion is aimed at expanding contemplative practice and teaching 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 hear her in conversation about Centering Prayer and the contemplative life on the Opening Minds, Opening Hearts podcast.
Please register using the link below.

6-Day Contemplative Retreat
2025-05-26 17:00 - 2025-06-01 14:00 (Europe/Amsterdam) | Sacred Heart Monastery, Missiezusters Klooster, 20, Steyl, Venlo, 5935 BX, Netherlands
“So, I came to the graced realization that I could, in the midst of my life in the world, cultivate a contemplative culture in my heart by renewing my fidelity to a daily quiet time in which I could learn from God how to love and be loved by God.”
– James Finley
Through the practice of Centering Prayer, one embraces the process of transformation in oneself and in others. By persisting in this practice, a compassionate way of seeing and acting has space to emerge, and the soul’s innate sense of awe and wonder at creation can be nurtured.
The retreat includes input sessions (twice daily) on silence and contemplation, Centering Prayer method, and the path of transformation; several periods of guided Centering Prayer daily; soul companionship if desired; personal time for reflection and journaling.
Requirement: To have attended at least one weekend retreat in silence and have a regular practice of Centering Prayer.
Please see the link below to register.

Directed Silent Retreat
2025-05-27 17:30 - 2025-06-03 12:00 UTC | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
with the topic Heartfulness Transformation in Christ – with Thomas Keating and Betty Sue Flowers.
Spiritual direction or spiritual companionship is a process guided by the Holy Spirit in which two people enter into a unique conversation. The spiritual director or guide is trained to listen in a particular way to hear where God is present and acting in the life of another. This “holy listening” approaches each person’s life and story as sacred.
Facilitated by David Roncolato, Mary Ann Nicholls and Sr. Ruth Ann Madera .
For more information about the facilitators and the retreat, go here.

Welcoming Prayer Workshop - via Zoom
2025-05-30 19:00 - 2025-05-31 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Internet – Online
The Welcoming Prayer is an incarnational method of consenting to God’s presence and action in our physical and emotional reactions to people and events in daily life. This “consent-on-the-go” embodied practice deepens our relationship with God as we move through the ordinary activities of our day, helping us to stay in the presence of God and the present moment.
This online workshop will cover the human condition and the basics of the practice. There will be guided practice sessions as well as time in Centering Prayer.
This enrichment will be held online Friday from 7:00-8:30pm Central Daylight Time (CDT), resuming Saturday from 9:00am-noon CDT. It will be led by Pamela Begeman and LeAnn Billups.
Please see the link below to register and receive the Zoom link.

Eight Day Centering Prayer Retreat
2025-06-06 17:00 - 2025-06-13 11:00 UTC | St. Mary’s Sewanee: The Ayres Center for Spiritual Development, 770 St. Mary's Lane, TN, 37375, United States
During this eight days of sacred silence, guests are invited to participate as either “intensive” (first time attending in a long retreat) or “post-intensive” (experienced in attending long retreats).
Guests can participate in daily sits, Holy Eucharist services, Meditation in Motion classes, and BodyWork sessions (acupressure). Fresh nutritious meals and daily snacks are provided throughout the week. Opportunities to enjoy the labyrinth, the meditation garden, the Turkey Hollow Trail, or a simple walk down St. Mary’s Lane, all while experiencing the gifts of holy silence.
Please see the link below for more information and to register.

“God Is All In All” Silent Saturday with Fr. Bill Sheehan
2025-06-07 08:30 - 14:00 UTC | Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church, 26001 Muirlands Blvd, Mission Viejo, CA, 92691, United States
Join us June 7, 2025 8:45 a.m. to 2:00 pm for a quiet time of cultivating interior silence with prayer, reflection and Christian meditation.
The day will reflect on Fr. Thomas Keating’s book, God Is All In All. Included are conferences by Fr. Bill, Q/A, Centering Prayer and plenty of free time for you to breathe in the Living Spirit of God for journaling, walking the labyrinth, visiting the prayer room, prayer garden or gazing at Saddleback Mountain. Time to “be” in the Presence.
All outside areas are ours to further experience the theme of God Is All In All.
Reservations are required. $35.00 per person, includes continental breakfast and lunch.
Registration Link: https://sothumc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/350/responses/new

Spiritual Radicals: Interspiritual Wisdom from Franciscan and Buddhist Spirituality - in person and online
2025-06-07 08:30 - 16:30 UTC | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
The parallel teachings of Christ and the Buddha find a home in the spacious minds and inclusive hearts of Franciscan and Buddhist spirituality. During this contemplative day, we’ll explore how Christian saints Francis and Clare of Assisi, and Buddhist Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, invite you into the interspiritual sense that love and compassion, lifelong learning and growing, peace and social justice, and a belief that the transformation of the world begins with our own transformation, and is at the heart of all contemplative paths. Off
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.
Please see the link below to register.

God in Nature practices Welcoming Prayer – ONLINE
2025-06-07 09:00 - 11:30 (Pacific/Honolulu) | Internet – Online
God in Nature is the focus for this online half day Centering Prayer/Welcoming Prayer mini-retreat via Hawaiʻi (1st Saturday of every month)
@ 9:00 am – 11:30 am UTC-10
FREE
First Saturdays online retreats are a special time where we explore our Centering Prayer practice. We are looking forward to sharing Physio-Divina (Moving) practices, Visio-Divina (Visual-Art) practices, Terra-Divina (Nature), Lectio-Divina (Sacred Text) practices in addition to the Centering Prayer and Welcoming Prayer practice that are our foundation. Pulelehua, Liedeke, and Margie welcome all who wish to join us.
Dates 2024 ( the zoom link is the same for all these dates): , November 2, December 7
We hope you will join us from wherever & whenever you are! Schedule in Hawai’i Time (UTC -10)
8:45am Room open to for early connections
9:00 Welcome and introductions
9:15 Terra Divina Welcoming and Centering in Nature
9:40 Break
9:45 Welcoming Prayer embodied
10:10 Break
10:20 Terra divina and Reflections
11:15 Closing prayer
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/92185854158?pwd=[REDACTED]
Zoom Meeting ID: 921 8585 4158 Passcode: [REDACTED]
Website: http://www.cohawaii.org
Phone (628) 400-2644
Email: cohawaii@gmail.com
All session are freely offered, donations are welcome, no registration is needed.

10-Day Contemplative Listening Retreat (“Post Post”)
2025-06-10 14:00 - 2025-06-19 10:30 UTC | Mercy Center Auburn, 535 Sacramento Street, Auburn, CA, 95603, United States
This is a retreat for those who have attended multiple Intensive and post-intensive 8-10 day retreats and find themselves desiring yet longer sessions of Centering Prayer in community. We will begin our day at 6:00am with three 30- minute periods of Centering Prayer. Mid-morning and mid-afternoon there will be an additional session of three 30-minute periods of Centering Prayer. Once a day, we will watch a brief (about five minute) segment of the film “From the Mind To the Heart”, a conversation with Thomas Keating, which he created for this retreat..
We will let the silence deepen in this retreat. There will be no scheduled soul friending, though staff will be available for a conversation if requested. There will be no reading at meals and no verbal prayer at the beginning of the Centering Prayer sessions. Lectio Divina and a contemplative Eucharist will be offered daily.
Pre-requisite: Two or more post-intensive Centering Prayer retreats given by Contemplative Outreach. This is a guideline, not a rule. Please speak with us if you have questions.
The retreat will be facilitated by Contemplative Outreach staff
The Retreat begins Tuesday, June 10 with registration from 2:00 to 4:00, an opening session at 4:15pm, and dinner at 5:15pm. We end on Thursday, June 19 at 10:30am (lunch optional).
For more information, contact Susan Turpin at 541-324-1207; slturpin@me.com.
If you are traveling by air, the Contemplative Outreach staff can arrange transportation to and from the Sacramento airport to the Mercy Center. Please book your arrival on the beginning day for 2:00pm or earlier and your departure on the ending day for 1:00pm or later. Let us know your flight information. A contribution of $25 per ride (cash, check or Venmo) sustains this for us.
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.
Rooms are single with a sink in the room; bathrooms are shared.

Introduction to Centering Prayer
2025-06-13 17:30 - 2025-06-15 11:00 UTC | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
Sr. Ruth Ann Madera will introduce and guide you to the inner silence of Centering Prayer. Centering Prayer is a form of Christian contemplative prayer, to center awareness on the presence of God.
Please see the link below to register.

Online Wisdom Retreat: Revisiting the Welcoming Prayer
2025-06-14 09:30 - 12:30 UTC | Internet – Online
The Welcome Practice, also known as the Welcoming Prayer, is a powerful means for cultivating presence, releasing attachments, and deepening our connection to the Divine Indwelling or Great I Am. This practice strengthens us in our Greater I Am Self, allowing us to be anchored beyond the emotional, intellectual, and physical turmoil that we experience as humans living in the dense and challenging conditions of this world, helping us to disidentify with habitual patterns, plug energy leaks, and become free from that which ensnares, clouds, and divides the Heart. In the Wisdom tradition—as Cynthia Bourgeault, Robert Sardello, and others have pointed out—the Heart is considered not only the physical and psychic organ but also the organ of spiritual perceptivity. It is the center from which we can navigate the intertidal territory of this earthly realm and the imaginal realm, also known as the Kingdom of God co-arising within the Ray of Creation.
The Welcome Practice is a way to consciously loosen our emotional programs for happiness—the ways in which our egoic operating system (or small self) seeks power, control, affection, esteem, safety, and security to feel at ease. While these desires are natural for this level of selfhood, they can also keep us trapped in false security, clinging, and hoarding, preventing us from living out of our Whole Self.
We will explore the Welcome Practice in the context of understanding the human nervous system, exploring ways to deepen our understanding of when and how best to engage this practice in our lives. We will engage the practice individually and work with it collectively on behalf of the greater Body of Humanity.
This Wisdom Retreat will take place on Saturday, June 14th, 2025 from 9:30am to 12:30pm Pacific Time. It will be recorded and made available for later participation and viewing.
Offered by Heather Ruce.
Please see the link below to register.

Morning of Prayer Honolulu, Hawaii 3rd Saturdays every Month
2025-06-21 09:00 - 11:30 (Pacific/Honolulu) | Central Union Church, 1660 S. Beretania St., Honolulu, HI, 96826, United States
Morning of Prayer
Third Saturdays In Person
9:00 – 11:30 a.m. Hawai’i time (UTC -10)
Central Union Church • Women’s Building
1660 S. Beretania St. Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Let us join together to pause in the presence of the Divine in the sacred silence. An introduction to the method of Centering Prayer is provided. While Centering Prayer is the basis of our teaching, all meditation paths are welcome. Books on the Spiritual Journey are available for purchase and loan.
No registration required, donations welcome.
Schedule
9:00 Welcome, sign-in, refreshments, book browsing
9:20 Gather in the circle for Introductions
9:30 Two 30-minute periods of Centering Prayer
or An Introduction/review to The Method of Centering Prayer
10:40 Silent break
11:00 One 30-minutes period of Centering Prayer
11:30 Depart in silence or stay and chat a bit
CONTEMPLATIVE OUTREACH OF HAWAI’I
(628) 400-2644 | cohawaii@gmail.com | www.cohawaii.org
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

​Benedictine Spirituality & Contemplative Prayer: A Timeless Connection - via Zoom
2025-06-21 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Internet – Online
Join Br. Bernard Delcourt, OHC, to explore the roots of Centering Prayer in Benedictine wisdom. Benedictine spirituality cultivates a constant awareness of the Divine in daily life through a continuous dialogue of prayer with God. Centering Prayer opens oneself to God beyond thoughts and words, moving beyond conversations about God to direct communion with the Divine. Connecting the two enhances our prayer life.
The retreat will include two Centering Prayer sessions of twenty minutes each and ample time for discussion and Q&A.

11th-Step Retreat
2025-06-27 17:30 - 2025-06-29 11:00 UTC | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
Nancy Cord-Baran and Michael Gidlewski invite you to join us in this weekend retreat. It is for people who participate in any 12-step program of recovery and have the intention to improve their meditation practice and enlarge their spiritual life.
Please see the link below to register.

Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop - via Zoom
2025-06-28 12:30 - 15:30 (Europe/Amsterdam) | Internet – Online
Are you seeking a path to explore or strengthen your inner connection with God at the centre of your being? Centering Prayer is a practice that leads to contemplation by opening oneself to God’s love, healing, and inner goodness; moreover, it nurtures the soul’s desire to grow in kindness and compassion towards all.
The online workshop offers a glimpse into this practice through short inputs on the method of Centering Prayer, along with times of silent practice together.
You are most welcome, whether you are a beginner or simply desire to refresh your practice.
Please register by June 26, 2025, following the link below.

Interdependence : Welcoming and Centering Prayer Reflections – ONLINE
2025-07-05 09:00 - 11:30 (Pacific/Honolulu) | Internet – Online
Interdependence : Welcoming and Centering Prayer Reflections : is the focus for this online half day Centering Prayer/Welcoming Prayer mini-retreat via Hawaiʻi (1st Saturday of every month)
@ 9:00 am – 11:30 am UTC-10
FREE
First Saturdays online retreats are a special time where we explore our Centering Prayer practice. We are looking forward to sharing Physio-Divina (Moving) practices, Visio-Divina (Visual-Art) practices, Terra-Divina (Nature), Lectio-Divina (Sacred Text) practices in addition to the Centering Prayer and Welcoming Prayer practice that are our foundation. Pulelehua, Liedeke, and Margie welcome all who wish to join us.
We hope you will join us from wherever & whenever you are! Schedule in Hawai’i Time (UTC -10)
8:45am Room open to for early connections
9:00 Welcome and introductions
9:15 Reading: Interpendence
9:25 Welcoming Prayer in Response to reading
9:45 Centering Prayer
10:10 Break
10:20 Centering Prayer
10:45 Reading and Reflections
11:25 Closing prayer
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/92185854158?pwd=[REDACTED]
Zoom Meeting ID: 921 8585 4158 Passcode: [REDACTED]
Website: http://www.cohawaii.org
Phone (628) 400-2644
Email: cohawaii@gmail.com
All session are freely offered, donations are welcome, no registration is needed.

OPENING TO THE UNIVERSAL CHRIST: THE INTER-SPIRITUAL INVITATION OF CENTERING PRAYER
2025-07-18 15:00 - 2025-07-21 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Mercy Conference and Retreat Center, 2039 N. Geyer Road, St. Louis, MO, 63131, United States
Howard Thurman wrote: “In the Presence of God there is neither male nor female, white nor black, Gentile nor Jew, Protestant nor Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist, nor Muslim, but a human spirit stripped to the literal substance of itself before God.”
Are you looking for a break from the busyness of life to rest in stillness and to reconnect with yourself? Are you longing to step away from the distractions of everyday life and nourish your spiritual center? Join this summer’s retreat to get away from the norm and reconnect with your true self and God alive within you.
This retreat focuses on Centering Prayer as a path back to the “original religious experience.” Centering Prayer with practice may brings us to the immediate experience of God, the Divine Mystery, lovingly present within.
Contemplatives of all great traditions speak the same silent language, practicing silence in deep prayer and meditation. We explore how contemplation leads us toward greater unity among people with different belief systems and returns us to the original spiritual experience.
Highlights of the Retreat:

God as the Ground of Being: Explore God as the very foundation of existence and our direct experience of the Divine.
Return to the Original Spiritual Experience: Discover how contemplative prayer brings us back to the primal encounter with the Divine Mystery.
Interconnection of Religion, Spirituality, and Mysticism: Explore the relationship between these aspects and how they unite us beyond belief systems

Join this silent retreat to deepen your understanding and practice of Centering Prayer, reconnecting with the Divine Mystery at the heart of all religious experiences.
Led by Keith Kristich, founder of Closer Than Breath community.
Learn more and get tickets for this retreat here.
Early Bird pricing until February 14, 2025 ranging from $437 for double occupancy options to $500 for single occupancy options.
