Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.

Embracing - a Retreat at Prairiewoods
2024-11-18 14:30 - 2024-11-20 11:00 UTC | Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center, 120 Boyson Rd, Hiawatha, IA, 52233, United States
A Retreat for the Season leading into Christmas
Sponsored by Contemplative Outreach Northeast Iowa Chapter
Is it time to embrace
– the movement of the Spirit in your life?
– a difficult relationship?
– a path to inner and outer peace?
– all that has come to you?
– hope when hope is lost?
– change when what is seems so comfortable?
The “Embracing” retreat is an opportunity to spend “time away” in the company of other pilgrims. This event (Monday at 2:30 pm through Wednesday at 11:30 am) will include structured opportunities for
– Quiet prayer in the Presence;
– Sacred Reading of Scripture;
– Communal Sung Prayer;
– Communal meals; plus
Free time for
– Yoga or Tai Chi,
– a Nature walk,
– walking a labyrinth,
– hand massage, and more
Registration: To register online, the link below; OR send an email to us with your intent, and we will send you a form to return with a check for the registration fee. Online registration closes November 4 @ 9 am.
Fees:
Full Retreat with shared room: $175
Full Retreat with individual room: $215
Commuter: $145 (meals, no overnight room);
One day only (Tuesday) $75 (with no overnight)
Prairiewoods is at 120 Boyson Rd, Hiawatha, IA.
Photo by Grant Ritchie on Unsplash
FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Will there be food provided?
A: Yes, there will be fruit, drinks (coffee, tea and water) and other snacks available throughout the event. Meals will be served by Prairiewoods staff, with the option to accommodate people with special dietary needs.
Q2: Will silence be a part of the event?
A: Yes, much of the retreat will include internal and external silence. However, there will some time for conversation with other retreatants.
Q3: Can I attend only part of the retreat?
A: Yes. We encourage people to attend the whole event; however, if you can only come for one day, you are welcome to do so. The related costs are listed above
Q4: Will I be expected to share many details of my life?
A: No. There will be time for introductions with other group members, but not extensive sharing. If extended sharing is desired, there will be opportunities to meet one-on-one with one of the leaders.
Q5: Is Prairiewoods handicap accessible?
A: Yes. The Center has all facilities on one level. While there are two levels withing the building for sleeping rooms, you may request a room on the floor level. Retreatants will need to assess whether the outdoor grounds are safe for them.
Q6: Is there anything else I might want to know about Prairiewoods?
A: Yes. Indoors, there is an onsite bookstore, an area for meals and snacks, a quiet prayer room, our meeting room, etc. Outdoors, the wooded grounds provide a space to commune in nature; with an outdoor labyrinth available.
Q7 If I cannot attend this event, can my registration be refunded?
Refunds are possible until 9 am November 4. However, thereafter we cannot provide refunds because of our contract with Prairiewoods. With this we guarantee the number of participants and associated fees. Refunds will be the full amount minus the Eventbrite processing fee if payment is made online.

Beyond Theology: The Interspiritual Wisdom of Roshis, Rebbes, and Holy Rascals - in person and online
2024-11-23 08:30 - 16:30 UTC | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
From the moment theologians seek to tame God with names and adjectives, mystics step into the wilderness to reveal the God beyond naming, and the ethical challenge to which this God calls us. Drawing on the wisdom and practices of the Hebrew and Greek Bibles, Kabbalists and Hasidim, Zen Roshis and Holy Rascals, Fr. Michael Holleran and Rabbi Rami Shapiro invite you to accompany them into the wilderness to meet the One beside whom there is nothing else (Deuteronomy 4:35).
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.

Advent Retreat
2024-12-05 16:00 - 2024-12-08 13:00 UTC | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
“Bridges to Contemplative Living” leads participants on a journey toward personal spiritual transformation and a more contemplative and peace-filled life.
This retreat is designed for those with an established daily practice of Centering Prayer who wish to deepen the transforming love of God in the midst of silence and solitude.
The weekend will include Centering Prayer, conferences with contemplative dialogue, personal time, meals and Sunday liturgy.
Please use the link below to register.

Encountering and Deepening Into God’s Inspiration: A Lectio-Inspired Advent Day of Retreat and Practice - in person and online
2024-12-07 08:30 - 16:30 UTC | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Spend an Advent day learning and experiencing how to encounter and deepen into God’s inspiration in sacred scripture and poetry, art, music, yourself, and your life. Our foundation will be Lectio Divina, the ancient method of reading, reflecting, responding, and resting in scripture, and we’ll apply that to poetry as well. We’ll continue with Visio Divina, praying with an icon created by a local iconographer. Lectio-inspired methods focused on music, body senses, and noticing God’s action in our daily lives will round out the day.
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.
Please see the link below to register.

Trusting in the Mercy of God
2024-12-07 09:30 - 15:30 (America/New_York) | St Paul’s Episcopal Church, 127 Summer Street, Lynnfield, MA, 01940, United States
This day-long Centering Prayer retreat will be based on the themes explored in Cynthia Bourgeault’s book Mystical Hope – themes that are both timeless and eminently relevant today. Our time together will be marked by chanting, silence, teaching and Centering Prayer.

Centering Prayer Half-Day Advent Retreat
2024-12-07 13:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Church of Conscious Harmony, 7406 Newhall Lane, Austin, TX, 78746, United States
Half-Day Centering Prayer Advent Retreat
Sat, Dec 7th from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Central Time; offered by the Church of Conscious Harmony
There will be Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina, and Silence & Solitude. All are welcome to participate in this half-day retreat.
There is no cost. Donations are joyfully received. For more info and to register, select the link below.

Thomas Keating: The Making of a Modern Mystic — A Dialogue with Cynthia Bourgeault and David Frenette (via Zoom)
2024-12-10 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Thomas Keating: The Making of a Modern Mystic — A Dialogue with Cynthia Bourgeault and David Frenette
Tuesday December 10, 2024
1-2pm Eastern Time (6pm GMT, noon CT, 11am MT, 10am PT) via Zoom
Free; $25 suggested donation
This event will be recorded
Available November 26, 2024, Cynthia Bourgeault’s new book, Thomas Keating: The Making of a Modern Mystic, is a much-anticipated portrait of Thomas Keating’s remarkable evolution during the last decades of his life into a fully realized modern-day Christian mystic. This book has rave reviews from Richard Rohr, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Rami Shapiro, Ilia Delio and others.
David Frenette said in his review: “As a close student and friend of Thomas Keating’s for thirty-five years, I was exhilarated reading this lively and profound exploration of his journey into unity consciousness, and grateful the world has the opportunity to glimpse the inner life, struggles, and spiritual evolution of this extraordinary soul. A must-read for Centering Prayer practitioners in navigating the farther, subtler terrain of their path and for anyone seeking a model of embodied Christian nonduality. Cynthia has given Thomas, and the world, a tremendous gift with this masterpiece of modern mysticism.” (author of The Path of Centering Prayer: Deepening Your Experience of God)
On the auspicious day of December 10, the 56th anniversary of Thomas Merton’s death, Cynthia and David Frenette will meet together on Zoom to discuss the book, the parallel lives and vision of Keating and Merton and the evolution of the Christian contemplative journey into unitive and nondual consciousness. This discussion celebrates the continuation of these teaching and practices in each of our lives and on behalf of the world.
Please register below for the Zoom link. Donations of any size are greatly appreciated.
Thomas Keating: The Making of a Modern Mystic by Cynthia Bourgeault is available for preorder on Bookshop (for those who prefer independent booksellers) or here on Amazon. Book will ship on November 26, 2024.
About Cynthia Bourgeault

Cynthia is a modern-day mystic, Episcopal priest, and theologian. She divides her time between solitude at her seaside hermitage in Maine and traveling globally to promote the rediscovery of the Christian contemplative path. She is a core faculty member emerita at the Center for Action and Contemplation and founding director of an international network of Wisdom Schools. Cynthia’s articles and essays have appeared in many journals and publications, and she is the author of numerous books, including Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening, Eye of the Heart, The Wisdom Jesus, The Meaning of Mary Magdalene, The Holy Trinity and the Law of Three, and The Heart of Centering Prayer. You can find out more about her teachings and events at wisdomwaypoints.org and cynthiabourgeault.org

About David Frenette
David Frenette is author of The Path of Centering Prayer: Deepening Your Experience of God, and a spiritual director/transpersonal counselor (now retired). He studied and worked closely with Father Thomas Keating for 35 years, and co-founded and co-led Chrysalis House, a Christian contemplative retreat community under Fr. Keating’s guidance. David has led Centering Prayer retreats at leading venues across the country, served as a trustee of Contemplative Outreach, on the faculty of Naropa University, and was involved with the founding of Ken Wilber’s Integral Institute. More info and teachings can be found at www.davidfrenette.com/.

Lectio Divina and the Four Senses of Scripture
2024-12-10 14:00 - 2024-12-13 14:00 (America/New_York) | Holy Cross Monastery – New York, 1615 Route 9W, West Park, NY, 12493, United States
This Praying Holy Scripture retreat offers 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 silence 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.
Tuesday check-in is from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Vespers begins at 5:00pm. Dinner then follows. Orientation begins at 6:45pm. The retreat concludes with breakfast on the last day with optional attendance at Holy Eucharist.
Cost for the retreat is $430. The retreat fee includes a single room and all meals. Shared single occupancy bathrooms in the hallways. Register by e-mail or phone our Guesthouse Manager, Donna Mallory at 845-384-6660 ext 1 or at guesthouse@hcmnet.org.
If you have questions about the retreat content or which track is best for you, please contact retreat leader: Leslee Terpay at co-leslee@comcast.net.
To find out more about Holy Cross Monastery, visit their website at: www.holycrossmonastery.com

The Heavens are Telling-The Spirituality of the Universe Story - Centering Prayer retreat
2024-12-12 16:00 - 2024-12-15 13:00 UTC | Siena Retreat Center, Racine WI, 5637 Erie St, Racine, WI 53402, Racine, WI, 53402, United States
Today the ongoing 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, and from an adolescent spirituality to an adult one. Come aside for this retreat to look deeply into this new chapter in the evolution of spirituality, and reflect on its implications for ourselves, our faith traditions, and the world.
This is a Centering Prayer retreat that is silent throughout including during meals, interspersed with conferences by the presenter, time for Q & A, scheduled times for Centering Prayer in community, periods of free time to enjoy walking in nature, and optional soul friending with staff.
Please see the link below to register.

Centering Prayer and Guard of the Heart 3 Day Retreat
2024-12-12 17:00 - 2024-12-14 15:00 UTC | St. Mary’s Sewanee: The Ayres Center for Spiritual Development, 770 St. Mary's Lane, TN, 37375, United States
Centering Prayer is a receptive method of silent prayer which deepens our relationship with God, the indwelling Presence, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself.
Two Guard of the Heart practices, the Active Prayer Sentence and the Welcoming Prayer, are to be used when we are going about our daily lives, the Active Prayer Sentence under normal circumstances and the Welcoming Prayer when we experience afflictive emotions. This retreat will combine elements of a Centering Prayer Retreat with both instruction and practice in these two Guard of the Heart practices. The design of all of these comes from Thomas Keating through Contemplative Outreach.
Scholarship assistance is available. Please contact Reservations for application, reservations@stmaryssewanee.org, 931-598-5342.

3-day Advent Centering Prayer Retreat
2024-12-13 18:00 - 2024-12-15 11:00 (America/New_York) | Cedarbrake Renewal Center, 5602 Hwy 317, Belton, TX, 76513, United States
3-day Advent CP Retreat″
This 3-day, in-person Centering Prayer Retreat is offered by The Church of Conscious Harmony and begins Fri, Dec 13th at 6pm US Central (Dallas) time and concludes Sun, Dec 15th at 11:00am at Cedarbrake Renewal Center in Belton, Texas.
For more info and to register, select the link below or call the church office at 512-347-9673.

Virtual Silent Saturday with Julie Saad
2024-12-14 08:30 - 13:30 (Asia/Karachi) | Internet – Online
Contemplative Outreach of Columbus is offering a Virtual 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 Christmas.
Interior Silence: Resting in the Midst of Activity
Advent is a season of quiet and darkness but also includes a frenzy we often experience during the holidays. How can our contemplative practices help us experience interior silence during this holy time of year? How can our silence be the place of receptivity to God coming to us as our lives?
Julie is the author of Contemplative Life: Discovering Our Path into the Heart of God. Julie practices and teaches Centering Prayer and the other contemplative practices outlined in the book. She is a member of the Contemplative Outreach community in Denver and the coordinator of the Contemplative Living Experience program which is a formation program in contemplative life.
Expect that the day will begin at 8:30am and last until 2:30pm. EST
Register by sending an email to Bob Gorman at rbrtgorman@protonmail.com
and a zoom link will be sent to you a few days in advance.
The event is free. Nondeductible donations to Contemplative Outreach of Columbus to cover costs are welcome. They can be sent to the care of Tom Davis at 844 Franklin Ave, Columbus, OH 43205.

Advent Silent Saturday
2024-12-14 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, and private journaling and reflection, and ends with a period of Lectio Divina. All are welcome. A brief introduction to Centering Prayer will be offered for those new to the practice.
Facilitators: Silent Saturday Centering Prayer Team
A free will offering is gratefully appreciated.
For more information, please email Marilyn Nobori at centeringprayer@hsrcenter.com.
Registration online at www.hsrcenter.com is appreciated but not required.
(Arrive by 8:50 a.m.)
(Photo by Waldemar, Unsplash)

A Morning of Peace and Refreshment - via Zoom
2024-12-21 08:45 - 11:45 (America/Denver) | Internet – Online
A morning mini-retreat of Centering Prayer periods, contemplative breaks and lectio divina.
As we enter the holidays, join us for a deepening of interior silence, as we rest together in God’s presence.
Times noted are in Pacific Standard Time.
Please use the Zoom link below.

Contemplative Living II: Daily Life as Prayer – via Zoom
2025-01-01 08:00 - 2025-04-01 17:00 UTC | Internet – Online
Your life is hidden with Christ in God.
– Colossians 3:3
Further enrich your contemplative life and embrace the practice of living each day as a form of prayer. In Contemplative Living I (CL I) the focus is on deepening your interior prayer life, leading to the awareness of God’s presence in all that is. In Contemplative Living II (CL II) the focus shifts towards increased intentionality in how you are living your daily life. You likely have a better understanding of what blocks you in deepening your relationship with God, others, and even with yourself. You are now more capable of looking at your part in relationships and what gets in the way of being and becoming the person God created you to be. Building on the contemplative practices learned in CL I, in CL II you will assess where you are in your life and how you can make choices aligning with your authentic self.
The design of Contemplative Living II: Daily Life as Prayer:
Gaining contemplative attitudes and dispositions through

Contemplative Listening – a practice of active listening in group spiritual direction, raising your awareness of the movements of the Divine within you and others.
Contemplative Discernment – a method of going to God with your questions and desires, allowing the answers to find you
Contemplative Awareness related to Addictions, Attachments and Aversion – using contemplative discernment to surface habit patterns that have become compulsions that you no longer freely choose
The Forgiveness Prayer – a prayer that guides you to follow Jesus’s example to live with hearts open to love
Contemplative Service – a vocation, a calling, or a way of life that’s rooted in living a contemplative life
Commitment to a Contemplative Rule of Life – looking at the rhythm of life you’ve created in this course, what practices have worked for you and that you will continue to commit to in the ordinary activities of your life
Contemplative Living Communities – the support we receive from community enhances our spiritual journey and is helpful to continue in some way at the end of the course

Please see the link below for more information and to register.

Writing Into the New Year: A Contemplative Writing Retreat
2025-01-10 16:00 - 2025-01-12 12:00 UTC | Mercy by the Sea Retreat and Conference Center, 167 Neck Road, Madison, CT, 06443-0191, United States
Stories give shape to the human experience
and touch us in our innermost places.
They pick us up right where we are and
leave us somewhere else – changed, transformed,
more awake, alive and aware.
– Sara Mackenzie, author
Life provides us with countless stories — of love, loss, grief, and courage; stories of unexpected life changes, family relationships, spiritual journeys, small miracles, and experiences in nature. Writing our stories 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.
This retreat will blend periods of Centering Prayer, personal writing time, talks, and creativity exercises. There will be time to read, walk the grounds, or gaze out at the waters of Long Island Sound. Come to work on a current project, begin stories long thought about, or immerse yourself in silence in order to discover what needs to be voiced. Come to be still and know …
Please see the link below to register.

Eight Day Centering Prayer Retreat
2025-01-10 17:00 - 2025-01-17 11:00 UTC | St. Mary’s Sewanee: The Ayres Center for Spiritual Development, 770 St. Mary's Lane, TN, 37375, United States
Each January, St. Mary’s Sewanee begins the New Year by hosting eight days of sacred silence in a Centering Prayer Retreat. 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.

Centering Prayer 5-Day Renewal Retreat
2025-01-10 18:00 - 2025-01-14 11:00 (America/New_York) | Cedarbrake Renewal Center, 5602 Hwy 317, Belton, TX, 76513, United States
Centering Prayer 5-Day Retreat
This in-person 5-day Centering Prayer Retreat is offered by The Church of Conscious Harmony at the beautiful Cedarbrake Renewal Center in Belton, Texas. The schedule will be quite spacious, with extended free time in silence and solitude. Retreat includes vegetarian meals and private room lodging. The retreat begins with check-in between 4 and 5pm and dinner at 6pm Friday and concludes by 11am Tuesday. Space is limited.
To register, select the link below or call the church office at 512-347-9673.

New Year Silent Saturday
2025-01-11 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road, Encino, CA, 91436, United States
Begin the new year by deepening our relationship with God. Join us for a quiet morning of Centering Prayer and silence. The day provides time for communal Centering Prayer, a contemplative walk, and private journaling and reflection, and ends with a period of Lectio Divina. All are welcome. A brief introduction to Centering Prayer will be offered for those new to the practice.
Facilitators: Silent Saturday Centering Prayer Team
A free will offering is gratefully appreciated.
For more information, please email Marilyn Nobori at centeringprayer@hsrcenter.com.
Registration online at www.hsrcenter.com is appreciated but not required.
(Arrive by 8:45 a.m.)
(Photo by Simon Berger, Unsplash)

A Time of Peace and Refreshment - via Zoom
2025-01-18 08:45 - 11:45 (America/Denver) | Internet – Online
If you need a retreat but can’t get away, join us for this free Centering Prayer online mini-retreat with periods of silent prayer, contemplative breaks and lectio divina.
This event is free, but a donation of any amount to Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. is greatly appreciated if you are able. You may donate here if you wish.
Please see the Zoom link below.
Times listed are Pacific Standard Time.

Retreat in Iceland with Mary Dwyer
2025-01-23 18:00 - 2025-01-26 14:00 UTC | IL
Welcoming Forgiveness
This retreat will be in silence with extended periods of Centering Prayer (Contemplative Prayer). Information and support will be available for those that do not know Centering Prayer.
Mary Dwyer will explore with us the dance between the Welcoming Prayer practice and Forgiveness. Soul friending will be available.
The Welcoming Prayer is a method of consenting to God’s presence and action in our physical and emotional reactions to events and situations in daily life. The purpose of the Welcoming Prayer is to deepen our relationship with God through consenting in the ordinary activities of our day — “consent-on-the-go.”
Centering Prayer is a receptive method of Christian silent prayer which deepens our relationship with God, the Indwelling Presence … a prayer in which we can experience God’s presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself.
Price: 110.000 Icelandic kronas – Room for one / 85.000 Icelandic kronas – Room for two. Food is included.
The retreat will be at Hotel Kríunes in the capital area in Iceland. It´s a long weekend from the afternoon of the 23rd of January until midday of the 26th of January. Sr. Arndís G. Bernhardsdóttir Linn and Bylgja Dís Gunnarsdóttir will lead the retreat. For more information send an email to Bylgja: kyrrdarbaen@gmail.com.

Chatting with the Divine Weekend Retreat
2025-01-24 17:00 - 2025-01-26 11:00 UTC | St. Mary’s Sewanee: The Ayres Center for Spiritual Development, 770 St. Mary's Lane, TN, 37375, United States
Sr. Marie Tasto wrote that practicing lectio divina “is an experience of being shaped by the Word of God and coming into fullness as the word God created us to be.” You are invited to participate in this experience while surrounded by the quiet beauty of St. Mary’s Sewanee. Although this is not strictly an introductory workshop, no prior experience of praying in this contemplative manner is necessary.
Participants will practice lectio divina in both the more structured scholastic format as well as the monastic format. Both formats invite participants to respond to what the Spirit is stirring up in them, thereby making manifest the grace and wonder of listening to Scripture as a community. Learn more about the two formats of lectio divina …
Please see the link below for more information and to register.

Laudato Si’ 10th Anniversary Contemplative Vigil - via Zoom
2025-01-25 | Internet – Online
The Laudato Si’ Movement, together with the World Community of Christian Contemplation, Contemplative Outreach, the Taizé Community, the Office of the Franciscan Minors for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation, and the Assisi Center, invite you to participate in a 10-hour contemplative vigil to honor the role of contemplation in caring for our common home.
Each of the 10 hours will be guided by a quotation from Laudato Si’ and the wisdom of leading contemplative communities, as well as some form of contemplative practice and reflection.

Date: Saturday, January 25, 2025
Begins: 6 am NYC / 11 am London / 12 pm Rome / 2 pm Nairobi / 7pm Manila

Volunteers from the Contemplative Outreach community will speak during the first hour and then host the 10am Eastern time slot (3pm GMT) on Saturday, January 25, 2025. The session is entitled, “The Perils of Pride: Embracing Humility for a Sustainable Future.”
More information can be found here including the Zoom link to join. Participate as much or as little as you like.

Centering Prayer Summit: The Contemplative Heart of Unity: A Retreat into Oneness through Centering Prayer
2025-01-25 - 2025-01-26 | Internet – Online
In a world where division and disconnection often overshadow our shared humanity, the call to unity has never been more urgent.
The 4th Annual Online Centering Prayer Summit on January 25-26 offers a sacred space to move beyond personal peace to embrace a shared, universal connection with the Divine and all of creation. Guided by renowned contemplative teachers, including keynote speaker Cynthia Bourgeault, we’ll explore how contemplative prayer not only deepens our relationship with God but also weaves us closer to one another, illuminating our shared journey.
Through shared silence and wisdom teachings, we’ll uncover the Divine thread that connects us all, revealing the wholeness amidst the fragments.
For more about the presenters and schedule, and to register, go here.

Quiet Day with Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina – in German language - via Zoom
2025-01-25 08:00 - 17:00 (Europe/Paris) | Internet – Online
Centering Prayer Berlin lädt ein:
An diesem Tag gönnen wir uns, einmal für ein paar Stunden scheinbar nichts zu machen, wir lassen einfach geschehen. Wir legen die Handys beiseite (falls wir es nicht zum Teilnehmen am Zoom Meeting benötigen), lassen den Alltag hinter uns und verbringen die Zeit weitgehend schweigend miteinander. Wir habe Zeit für stille Meditation (Centering Prayer oder eine andere Form des stillen Gebets), Meditation mit einem Text (Lectio Divina) und vielleicht auch eine Zeit abseits des Computers in der Natur oder der Umgebung, in der wir leben.
Es sind keine Vorkenntnisse erforderlich, es erfolgt allerdings keine Einführung in die stille Meditation.
Der gemeinsame Tag beginnt um 9:00 Uhr und endet gegen 12:30 Uhr CET.
Registrierung erforderlich bis 12:00 Uhr einen Tag vor dem Event.
All times in CET

The Body’s Bridge to the Experience of Living in God: Exploring BioSpiritual Focusing in Context of BioSpirituality - in person and online
2025-01-25 08:30 - 16:30 UTC | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Two Jesuits, Fr. Edwin McMahon and Fr. Peter Campbell, incorporated the embodied practice of Focusing into the larger context of BioSpirituality. Their work opens us to know ourselves as living within the greater Whole, the Body of Christ. During this day, we’ll experience BioSpiritual Focusing and explore, among other things, the embodied experience of grace and becoming a living expression of love. We’ll learn to reconnect to ourselves, one another, and to God, the Reality in whom we live and move and have our being.
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.

Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop
2025-01-25 09:00 - 12:30 UTC | Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road, Encino, CA, 91436, United States
Contemplative Prayer is God’s personal and unique gift to each of us. If we are open to this gift, it will profoundly affect our lives and relationship with God, others, and the world. Centering Prayer is a form of contemplative prayer. It is a method of prayer that opens us to interior transformation and deeper intimacy with God and others.
The workshop includes four presentations and the practice of Centering Prayer.
Presenters: CP Introductory Workshop Team
Fee: $45
For more information, please contact Marilyn Nobori at 818-815-4480 or centeringprayer@hsrcenter.com.
Register online at www.hsrcenter.com by January 21st with a non-refundable deposit of $10.
(Arrive by 8:50 a.m.)

Certificate in Contemplative Spiritual Direction
2025-01-29 - 2025-05-01 | Columbia Theological Seminary, 701 South Columbia Drive, Decatur, GA, 30031, United States
The certificate offering is a 2-year formation and training program for persons who discern a call to the ministry of spiritual direction. Applicants will begin Phase I in July 2025.
Certificate in Contemplative Spiritual Direction features:

Contemplative spiritual formation as the foundation
A 24-month Focused Program with home-based assignments
A Cohort Model in a hybrid format (online and residential components)
Facilitated by seasoned practitioners
A Supervised Practicum (One-on-One/Peer Group) facilitated by trained supervisors
Use of the Enneagram in Spiritual Direction for Greater Self-awareness and Spiritual Growth

Read more about the program here. It includes emphasis on Centering Prayer (including a five-day retreat), Lectio Divina and the teachings of Thomas Keating.
Applications Due: May 1, 2025
To complete the application, you will need to submit the following.

One current reference, including name, phone number, and email address.
A PDF or Word document of your responses to the short essay questions, found below.
A non-refundable application fee of $75.

For any questions, please email lifelonglearning@ctsnet.edu.

Introduction to Centering Prayer
2025-01-31 17:30 - 2025-02-02 11:00 UTC | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
Sr. Ruth Ann Madera will introduce you and guide you tot the inner silence of Centering Prayer. Centering Prayer is a form Christian contemplative prayer, to center awareness on the presence of God.
Please see the link below to register.

Centering Prayer and Three-Centered Knowing: A Silent Centering Prayer Wisdom Retreat
2025-02-07 17:30 - 2025-02-09 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Mercy Center Burlingame, 2300 Adeline Drive, Burlingame, CA, 94010, United States
“Centering Prayer … is the opening of mind and heart, body and emotions–our whole being–to God, the Ultimate Mystery, beyond words, thoughts, and emotions.”
—Thomas Keating, in Open Mind Open Heart
In Centering Prayer we practice letting go to the Divine Indwelling, building up a muscle of release, of consent to the presence and action of the Ultimate Mystery in our lives. Our Centering Prayer deepens further when we engage with our whole being: mind and heart, body and emotions, as Thomas Keating urges us. In this retreat we will explore Centering Prayer as a practice, in a way suitable for those new to it, as well as for those who have been practicing for a long time. Along with this, we will explore three-centered knowing, not just with our heads but with our entire physical, emotional, and intellectual being. In The Wisdom Jesus, when Cynthia Bourgeault talks about tuning into Jesus as a living being here with us now she says, “It’s not knowing something more, like a new fact or piece of esoteric information; it’s knowing deeper, knowing with more and more of your being engaged.”
Join us in person at Mercy Center, Burlingame, CA where we will gather together and practice silence, Centering Prayer, and wisdom practices of chanting and movement that will help to engage our whole being. There will be some group sharing during teaching sessions, but you are welcome to stay silent at those times too. This retreat follows on the material in our Centering Prayer and Wisdom Introductory Practice Series, but that series is not a prerequisite.
“May the next years see the increase of Centering Prayer, and the creative addition of other wisdom aspects that might enhance what we are doing, or at least help us to do what we have learned out of our tradition, with complete commitment.”
—Thomas Keating, in A Life Surrendered to Love
*For more information on the Christian Wisdom Path, see Cynthia Bourgeault’s book: The Wisdom Way of Knowing: Reclaiming an Ancient Tradition to Awaken the Heart. If you have not read this book you are encouraged to do so before the retreat, but it is not a prerequisite.
Please see the link below to register.
Leaders
Heather Ruce, M.A. is a Wisdom Spiritual Director who offers Wisdom Practice Circles, Retreats, and Wisdom Schools focused on the expansive Christian Wisdom Tradition. She works within the lineage of Wisdom Teacher Cynthia Bourgeault whom she has been a student of for over a decade. Heather weaves her Masters in Marital & Family Therapy and training in Somatic Experiencing, Organic Intelligence & Spiritual Direction into her teaching and guidance in various Wisdom practices, all in service of waking up and putting on the Mind of Christ. Find out more at heatherruce.com.
Joy Andrews Hayter, Ph.D. is a spiritual director whose offerings include Centering Prayer and other contemplative practices of the Christian Wisdom tradition. These practices encourage us to lean into the Love that is constantly being offered within a relational web of Sacred Unity. As a scientist she sees in the physical world an expression of that love. She is the author of The Cosmic Web: Hope For Our World Through Spirituality and Science, with foreword by Cynthia Bourgeault. You can find out more about her at joyfulfillment.com.
Catherine Regan, Ph.D. is a spiritual director, retired psychologist, and longtime adjunct program staff member at Mercy Center, at this time serving on the Centering Prayer/Wisdom Practices team. She also offers online and in-person retreat days. She is committed to fostering our reclaiming the Wisdom at the heart of the Christian Tradition and the contemplative practices so urgently needed at this time in our world.
