Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.

Morning of Prayer and Reflection: Bringing what we hear in contemplative prayer into action – via Zoom
2022-11-14 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Internet – Online
The Contemplative Prayer Ministry of Saints Simon and Jude in Huntington Beach, California invites you to an online morning of Prayer and Reflection on Monday, November 14 9AM – 12Noon Pacific Time.
The theme will be The Gospel is a Life to be Lived: How do we bring what we hear in our prayer of silence into our daily lives. Fr. Bill Sheehan will be speaking with us about the two foundational prayer practices, Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina, that help us move from contemplation into action.
There will be no charge for this program, but your donation to our contemplative prayer ministry will be gratefully accepted. Please send your donation in the form of a check to Saints Simon and Jude Centering Prayer, 20444 Magnolia St. Huntington Beach, CA 62646.
For additional information and to register, contact Jack Gerken at Jack@gerken.org by November 7. A zoom link and handouts will be emailed to participants on November 11.

“Consent to Love” Silent Saturday with Fr. Bill Sheehan
2022-11-12 12:30 - 16:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church, 26001 Muirlands Blvd, Mission Viejo, CA, 92691, United States
Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, And I shall dwell forever (throughout all my days) in the house and in the presence of the Lord.
– Psalm 23:6 (AMP)
Saturday, November 12, 2022 12:30 pm – 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time
Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church • 26001 Muirlands Blvd • Mission Viejo, CA 92691
Fr. Bill will speak around the theme “Consent to Love”. How we experience the Mystery of the Incarnation unfolding from within the depths of our hearts. Focusing on Jesus Christ who reveals to us the Face of God. And highlighting Cynthia Bourgeault’s operating systems, stressing heartfulness with its capacity to listen to the voice of the Spirit praying in us.
Join us for this quiet afternoon of prayer and reflection. The day includes two conferences with Fr. Bill and Centering Prayer. The entire campus has been booked for this event with free time for you to breathe in the Living Spirit of God by journaling, walking the labyrinth, visiting the prayer garden or prayer room, viewing a video presentation in the sanctuary, or just “be” in the presence where ever the Spirit leads.
$20.00 per person includes afternoon tea fare. Reservations are required; please see the link below.
For questions, please contact Jill Yamada at jillprays@aol.com or +1-949-257-6002

Retreat to Learn & Pray the Centering Prayer Way
2022-11-12 09:00 - 16:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Journey Center Santa Rosa, 1601 4th St #A, Santa Rosa, CA, 95404, United States
Will you join us in this one-day retreat cultivating a contemplative prayer life as we
study, practice, and share “The Method of Centering Prayer – The Prayer of Consent”?
Gregory the Great summed up contemplative prayer at the end of the 6th century as the knowledge of God that is impregnated with love. He referred to contemplation as “resting in God.” In this “resting,” the mind and heart are not so much seeking God, as beginning to experience what they have been seeking. This state is not the suspension of all activity, but the reduction of many acts and reflections to a single act or thought in order to sustain one’s consent to God’s presence and action.
If you are new to Centering Prayer, do you seek to rest your mind and heart in the loving presence of God? How would it be to simply sit in silence enjoying each others company?
If you are familiar with Centering Prayer, would you like to refresh your practice?
For more information and to register, click on the “Event” website link below.

Lectio Divina Workshop
2022-11-12 09:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | St. Mary’s Sewanee: The Ayres Center for Spiritual Development, 770 St. Mary's Lane, TN, 37375, United States
Lectio Divina literally means “divine reading”. It is an ancient practice of praying the Scriptures. During the prayer period, the pray-er listens to a brief passage with “the ear of the heart” in conversation with God. In this one day workshop participants will learn how to practice Lectio Divina, as well as hearing something of its history in the Christian tradition. They will also be given an opportunity to experience the process. As with Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina leads to contemplative prayer. Unlike Centering Prayer, thoughts, images, and insights are fostered as steps to intimacy with God. Both are part of the transformation process, restoring the one praying to union with God.
Lunch is provided. Partial scholarships available – contact Reservations Office for application, Reservations@stmaryssewanee.org or 931-598-5342.

A Tale of Two Thomases: Entering the Woods of Awareness with Thomas Keating and Thomas Berry - via Zoom
2022-11-12 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Denver) | Internet – Online
With each passing day it seems our world is becoming more divided and polarized. Media commentators continually assure us that humanity is becoming more separated by the minute. Against this background of division, our common experiences of a global pandemic, the meteoric rise of information and misinformation, and the constant drumbeat of climate change evidence the increasing connectedness of our 21st century world. It seems we are torn apart and brought together at the same time.
And what about the spiritual paths we choose? Is the spiritual realm immune from these opposing forces of separation and connection? Challenging times call for wise guides. Fortunately, two guides named Thomas offer insights for these confusing and mysterious times. Rick Klein weaves together Thomas Keating’s inner spiritual wisdom with Thomas Berry’s outer spiritual and scientific wisdom, creating an emerging story of hope for the future.
In this course, Rick Klein will speak about the parallels and divergences between the paths of Thomas Berry and Thomas Keating. Rick is convinced “the only way to fully follow either the road of Thomas Berry or the road of Thomas Keating, is to travel both roads. Not one followed by the other, but both roads at the same time. Although the roads appear separate, they are in essence forever linked. Berry’s Universe Story and Keating’s Spiritual Journey connect whenever … action meets contemplation, matter meets spirit, being meets doing, meaning meets purpose … in intentional awareness”
This class will include a session of Centering Prayer
About Rick Klein
Rick gives talks and workshops on contemplative spirituality throughout Colorado. He is a teacher of Centering Prayer and has presented workshops on science and spirituality, compassion, and mysticism at the Center for Contemplative Living. He is a past facilitator and teacher in the Benedictine Spiritual Formation Program offered by Benet Hill Monastery.
Times listed are Mountain Time
Register at the link below

From Stillness to Being: Introductory Weekend in Centering Prayer
2022-11-11 18:00 - 2022-11-13 14:30 (Europe/Helsinki) | Wohlgemutsheim Castle, Baumkirchen, Tirol, Austria
Get to know Centering Prayer, a silent meditation form of letting go. Let the silence carry you and let the music move you in your vitality.
Centering Prayer is an ancient, simple and silent form of meditation. What makes it special is the welcome of the inexorable flow of thoughts and feelings. Centering prayer is not something we do; it’s something we stop doing; we do let go and return to our innermost being. Our conditioning lies like a veil over our inner being and allows us happiness and the meaning of our lives in things, feelings, relationships, activities, substances search – ultimately in vain. Through the recurring letting go in Centering Prayer over time some of our conditioning may dissolve.
Music-driven movement and our creativity are two other avenues to get through sheaths of our conditioning to come to our core. The weekend is nourished by these three roots: Centering Prayer, Movement of vitality and creativity.
When: Fri. 11 November dinner at 6pm – Sun 13 November approx. 2.30pm
Where: Wohlgemutsheim Castle, Baumkirchen, Tyrol
Course costs: € 170 in cash on site, as well as accommodation and meals (see registration form)
Contact and information: mayr.georg@gmail.com
George Mayr: Authorized Presenter for Centering Prayer and member of Global teams from Contemplative Outreach; Coach for Power of live dance.
Marianne Steinberg: graduate holistic art therapist and dance and gestalt therapist.

flyer_GermanIntroWorkshop_11-13Nov2022-1

Download the flyer for this event here.
Registration form
Surname
e-mail
Phone optional)
Room request, full board, price for the whole weekend. All eligible please
Tick ​​options and highlight preferred ones if applicable:
[ ] Single with shower: € 146 or 142
[ ] Single with shared shower: € 134
[ ] Double room with shared shower: € 124
If you are coming with someone you want to share the double room with, please name
register: _____________________________
There is no need to reserve a room separately at Schloss Wohlgemutsheim.
I confirm that I am in mentally stable condition.
I register for the introductory weekend.
If I cancel at short notice, I will cover the accommodation’s cancellation fees.
Date and signature: _____________________________________________
Please fill out and sign, scan or photograph and send to mayr.georg@gmail.com
You will receive more detailed information on the course schedule by e-mail up to 10 days before the start of the course.

Becoming Ordinary and the Practice of Centering Prayer
2022-11-11 09:00 - 2022-11-13 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | ALL SAINTS’ EPISCOPAL CHURCH, CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, 9TH & DOLORES ST., Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Mt. 11.28-30)
When we step on the spiritual path we bring our motivations and intentions with us. Our intentions often include the desire to draw closer to God and to become a better person. We may struggle with something we want to overcome thus inspiring us to work on ourselves. Once we have adopted a spiritual practice and have been on the path for a while we discover that the motivations that brought us to the journey can become impediments to our spiritual and emotional growth. Seeing ourselves more clearly allows us to surrender to God’s extraordinary love while being ordinary people. We understand that we are not trying to get anywhere or to become better. We are simply learning how to be and to rest in God’s love each moment.
NOVEMBER 11-13, 2022 | BEGINS 9:00AM ON FRI & ENDS 12 NOON ON SUN*
ALL SAINTS’ EPISCOPAL CHURCH, CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
$275 COMMUTER WITH MEALS/ RESIDENTIAL PRICES WILL FOLLOW**
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. Joy has been practicing contemplative practices for 31 years, Centering Prayer for 18 years, and has been leading Centering Prayer /wisdom school retreats, workshops, and days of prayer since 2008. She was coordinator of the Centering Prayer program at Mercy Center in Burlingame 2018-2022, and continues there as adjunct staff.
Rev. Amber Sturgess is an Episcopal Priest, spiritual director, retreat leader, and a seeker on the contemplative path. She enjoys teaching contemplative practices that deepen our spiritual awareness. Amber currently serves as Rector at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Carmel.
Please register by emailing the registration form to Larissa Lavering at centeringprayer@allsaintscarmel.org or call 831-624-3883.
Registration closes October 27, 2022
*The retreat will begin at 9:00am on Friday and end at 12noon on Sunday. Breakfast foods, snacks and lunch will be provided Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be breakfast only. Each day the retreat will conclude at around 6pm. Retreatants are on their own for dinner. An evening meditation will be provided for you to do in your home or lodging. This is a silent retreat with several periods of Centering Prayer during the day, conferences, personal reflection time, and some group discussion in the afternoon.
**We are currently consulting with local hotels for inexpensive accommodations for out-of-town retreatants. If you need lodging please contact us as soon as you receive this invitation so that we can find accommodations for you. Thank you!

5-Day Centering Prayer Retreat
2022-11-07 16:00 - 2022-11-11 13:00 UTC | Subiaco Monastery, 405 N. Subiaco Ave., Subiaco, AR, 72865, United States
Subiaco Monastery
Subiaco, Arkansas, USA
November 7- 11, 2022
Consider giving yourself the GIFT of a Centering Prayer Retreat at Subiaco Monastery, November 7- 11, 2022. The monastery/retreat center location is in a peaceful, pastoral setting in the Arkansas River Valley.
The retreat will have ample periods of SILENCE, three prayer/meditation periods per day, and some teaching on the TRANSFORMATION of the false (or lower) self. A recommended book to read before the retreat is The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer. This is not a requirement but Nick will be sharing ideas from Michael’s material.
COST: private room- $350.00; shared room- $250.00; a $50.00 NON-refundable deposit is required at time of registration.
REGISTRATION: call Susan or Donna at the Coury House Retreat Center, (479)934-1290 to reserve your place.
ARRIVAL: Between 3- 5pm on Monday, November 7, 2022. Supper at 6pm. Opening circle at 7pm.
DEPAR TURE: After lunch on Friday, November 11, 2022.
LEADER: Nicholas Cole M.D. has staffed retreats in Colorado and Arkansas since 1993. He has been mentored by Thomas Keating, Cynthia Bourgeault, Richard Rohr and all the retreatants he has served during these almost thirty years. If you have questions for Nick, he may be reached at (970) 275-1170 and/or ngcole42@gmail.com
A retreat is a wonderful way to strengthen a meditation practice and thus bring more of the spiritual practice into our lives. Retreatants will be best served by having a daily practice of Centering Prayer/meditation prior to attending (please discuss with Nick if you have questions in this regard). Retreatants will be asked to commit to attending the entire retreat. You’ve thought about giving yourself this kind of GIFT; if not NOW, when?

Physio Divina - Online Embodied Centering Prayer Half Day Retreat
2022-11-05 09:00 - 2022-11-08 23:30 (Pacific/Honolulu) | Internet – Online
Physio Divina – November 5th , 2022 9am-11:30am Hawaiʻi time (UTC -10)
Online Embodied Centering Prayer /Welcoming Prayer Half Day Retreat
Presented by Contemplative Outreach Hawaiʻi – Pulelehua Facilitator
http://www.cohwaii.org
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/92185854158?pwd=[REDACTED]
Zoom Meeting Id: 921-8585-4185 Password: [REDACTED]
An Online (Zoom) 2 ½ hour Centering Prayer retreat are offered on the first Hawaiʻi Saturday morning of each month. These events focus on Centering Prayer practices, Lectio Divina, Visio Divina, Physio Divina. We provide sacred time and space for us to to connect from our homes. All are invited to this mini Centering Prayer Retreat where-ever and when-ever you are. In-person morning of prayer is on the third Saturday in Honolulu on the island of ʻOahu.
Schedule
8:45 Getting settled/set up with Zoom
9:00 Welcome and introductions
9:15 Centering Prayer Embodied Physio-Divina
9:45 Break
9:55 Guided Welcoming Prayer Embodied
10:25 Break
10:35 Moving meditation- Centering Prayer
11:10 Closing community prayer
2022 DATES: NOV 5, DEC 3
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
– Ecclesiastes 3:4

For God’s Grace and Peace: A Special Call to Centering Prayer - via Zoom
2022-11-03 20:00 - 21:00 UTC | Internet – Online
In this universal time of civic discord, disease, fear for our environment and dire poverty, feeling powerless is especially hard to bear. But Thomas Keating often said: Silent prayer in community holds transformative power. And as people on a contemplative path, we know that meeting God in silence does more than refresh us. It is our salvation, our strength.
Contemplative Outreach of Maryland and Washington invites you to join in a group Centering Prayer on Thursday, November 3rd at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Our format is simple — an opening prayer, Centering Prayer for a half-hour, then the Lord’s Prayer.
Join Zoom Mtg: tinyurl.com/COMWCall2Prayer
Meeting ID: 653 204 0951 Passcode: [REDACTED]
Program questions? Email Marjorie Centofanti mcentofanti43@gmail.com

9-Day Intensive II and Post-Intensive Retreat
2022-11-03 15:00 - 2022-11-11 11:00 UTC | Mercy Center Auburn, 535 Sacramento Street, Auburn, CA, 95603, United States
This retreat offers two tracks simultaneously: Intensive II and Post Intensive. You choose the track that works best for you. For everyone, there will be 3 sets of two 30 minute periods of Centering Prayer daily. Intensive II will watch video talks from Fr. Thomas Keating’s Spiritual Journey, focusing on “Divine Love: The Heart of the Christian Spiritual Journey”. The Post Intensive has no videos and an additional hour of Centering Prayer each day.
Lectio Divina and a contemplative Eucharist will be offered daily, as well as optional soul-friending with the staff. Throughout the retreat, we will be in silence.
Pre-requisite: Prior attendance at an 8-10 day Intensive I Retreat (offered in March) OR read the following three books by Thomas Keating: Open Mind, Open Heart, The Human Condition, and Invitation to Love.
The retreat will be facilitated by Susan Turpin, Marty Badgett, and Fr. Bill Sheehan, OMI.
Retreat begins Thursday, November 3rd with registration from 3:00 to 5:00, an opening session at 5:00pm, and dinner at 6:00pm. We end on Friday, November 11th at 11:00am (lunch optional).
For more information, contact Susan Turpin at 541-324-1207 or slturpin@me.com

Centering Prayer and the Mystical Imagination - via Zoom
2022-10-29 10:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Contemplative Outreach Chicago’s 2022 One-Day Fall Workshop
presented by Carl McColman
“Be still and know that I am God” is a promise from the Psalms: a promise that God may be known through stillness, silence, and contemplation. But how do we truly know God — and how does stillness truly invite us into this deeper way of knowing?
By weaving the wisdom of Centering Prayer with insights from Christian mystics like Julian of Norwich, Ignatius of Loyola and Thomas Merton, we can discover how silent prayer is more than just a way to consent to the Spirit’s presence in our lives: it is a tool for interior transformation and deep intuitive insight. When we learn to rest in the silence of Centering Prayer, we learn how to be more truly human — a Christlike presence for healing and hope in our troubled world.
Think of this day as a mini-retreat in your own home. When we gather on Zoom, we will have time for Centering Prayer, for spiritual exercises in the tradition of Ignatian spirituality, along with conversation about how to integrate these practices into our daily life, in response to the call of divine love.
About Carl McColman:
Our facilitator is the author of many books, including Eternal Heart and The Big Book of Christian Mysticism. Based in Atlanta, he is a popular retreat leader, teacher, and spiritual director. Carl is a lay Cistercian, a commissioned presenter of Centering Prayer Introductory Workshops, and a popular blogger, podcaster and retreat leader. Visit Carl online at www.anamchara.com

Key Contemplative Women Ancestors
2022-10-29 08:30 - 15:30 (America/New_York) | Canterbury Retreat & Conference Center, 1601 Alafaya Trail, Oviedo, FL, 32765, United States
Join us in person at Canterbury’s beautiful settings:
$50 (includes lunch) or attend remotely via zoom for $25
A room at Canterbury for Friday night before the conference
is available for an additional $116 (includes breakfast)
From Mary, the mother of Jesus, the desert mothers of the early church, Amma Sarah, Amma Syncletica and Amma Theodora, the 13th century Beguines, Hadewijch, Mechthild and Porete to more contemporary contemplatives, Rickey will explore the inspiring lives and teachings of these heroic women, helping us reclaim our Christian mystical roots and become aware of this rich contemplative heritage which is a vital resource for today’s contemplative life.
As the presentation concludes, we will be invited to a dramatic presentation in costume of the twentieth century mystic Evelyn Underhill portrayed by Anna Cotton.
The retreat will provide time for several periods of Centering Prayer, silent reflection, rest between conferences, and an opportunity to enjoy the peaceful settings of Canterbury Retreat Center.
Facilitated by Rickey Cotton
Rickey Cotton, Ed.D., is a spiritual director and presenter of Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina and on faculty for the Living Flame program of Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. As a leader of workshops and retreats, he presents around the country on such topics as John of the Cross, The Desert Mothers and Fathers, Divine Therapy, and Meister Eckhart. Now Professor Emeritus, for over 30 years Rickey taught English and Religion at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida.
Please see the link below to register.

Welcoming Prayer Introductory Workshop
2022-10-29 08:30 - 12:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
According to Fr. Thomas Keating, “Welcoming Prayer is the practice that actively lets go of thoughts and feelings that support the false-self system. It embraces painful emotions experienced in the body rather than avoiding them or trying to suppress them.” This workshop introduces participants to the actual method of the Welcoming Prayer and provides an opportunity to practice. We’ll establish Welcoming Prayer’s place in Body Awareness Practice and include discussions of the human condition and the false-self system as conceptual background to Welcoming Prayer.
This program will be offered both in-person and online via Zoom. Information on how to access the program on Zoom will be sent to participants in advance.

Father Sheehan 6-Day October Centering Prayer Retreat at Holy Cross Abbey
2022-10-24 - 2022-10-30 | Holy Cross Abbey, 901 Cool Spring Ln, VA, 22611, United States
Silence and Solitude
S U R R E N D E R
Centering Prayer Retreat with Father Bill Sheehan
PLEASE NOTE: Retreat is now full. Waiting list only. Contact martha@marthajohnston.com. Posted 8/12/2022.
October 24 – 30, 2022
Holy Cross Abbey
www.virginiatrappists.org
Berryville, Virginia, USA
For details and registration form, go to the link below.

Centering Prayer Group Facilitator Enrichment
2022-10-22 09:30 - 11:30 (America/Denver) | Internet – Online
Enrichment Gathering for Centering Prayer Group Facilitators
Live via Zoom
Saturday October 22, 2022, 8:30-10:30 am PT
(9:30 to 11:30 am MT, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm CT, 11:30-1:30 pm ET)
Our two hours together will be a time of community, spiritual enrichment and sharing. It will include:
• Centering Prayer
• Guidelines for sharing in groups and handling challenging interactions
• Sharing our experience as facilitators in small group discussions
• Practical information on resources for facilitating prayer groups
• A short video clip of Father Thomas Keating speaking about servant leadership

Click Here To Register

Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop - via Zoom
2022-10-22 09:00 - 12:30 (America/Chicago) | Internet – Online
“Reach out, reach out for me
I’ll be there, with a love that will shelter you
I’ll be there, with a love that will see you through.”
These words from an old 4 Tops Motown song, articulate the promise God has given us through the ages, demonstrated throughout Jesus’ ministry and brought to each of us every moment by the Spirit.
Centering Prayer is a powerful way to open ourselves, to “reach out,” and invite the Spirit’s healing, support, inspiration and guidance into our everyday lives. It is a Christian form of meditation that serves as a method of movement into contemplative prayer. It leads us to live a contemplative life, resting more and more in God, being moved by the Spirit toward what Thomas Keating, the founder of Contemplative Outreach, called “pure faith,” becoming better able to love, work with and serve others.
Please see the link below to register.

Centering Prayer Weekend Retreat
2022-10-21 17:00 - 2022-10-23 13:00 UTC | Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road, Encino, CA, 91436, United States
This retreat offers practitioners and anyone new to Centering Prayer an opportunity to practice silence in a communal setting and expand our understanding of the conceptual background of the practice.
The weekend is structured around six short DVD presentations from Contemplative Outreach (known as the Continuing Sessions) with discussions on the prayer and practice following each DVD. Otherwise we will maintain silence throughout our time together, especially through our meals, sits and contemplative walks.
Prerequisite: Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop or a regular practice of Centering Prayer
Fee: $300 per person/single room; $200 per person/commuter
Click on the link below, then on Featured Events, then on Extended Retreats. Then scroll down to register for the correct retreat. Or you may email the organizer.

Weekend Intensive Centering Prayer Retreat
2022-10-21 17:00 - 2022-10-23 13:00 (America/Indiana/Indianapolis) | Benedict Inn – Beech Grove, IN, 1402 Southern Avenue, Beech Grove, IN, 46107-1160, United States
This intensive weekend Centering Prayer retreat will be an opportunity to deepen the practice of Centering Prayer in an atmosphere of profound silence with community, and in solitude. The retreat will be held on the peaceful and beautiful grounds of the Sisters of St. Benedict of Our Lady of Grace Monastery, Beech Grove, Indiana, USA.

Praying with Sacred Images - via Zoom
2022-10-16 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
– Matthew 5:8
Contemplative Outreach of Maryland and Washington invites you to join us Saturday, Oct. 16 for half-day retreat (via Zoom) focusing on “Praying with Sacred Images” led by Rev. Carole Crumley.
Jesus tells his followers that there is a graced way of seeing that draws us toward God. Praying with holy icons, an ancient-yet-ever-new spiritual practice, is a vital way of training the contemplative eye for this graced way of seeing. It is a precious means of teaching, prayer and opening to divine presence. Praying with sacred images is a way of schooling the spiritual eye, inviting us deeper into the wholeness/oneness of God and sensitizing us to letting everything we see become a potential icon of God.
Our time will include some sharing of our own experiences of praying with sacred images as well as time to be together in prayer with a holy icon.
Rev. Carole Crumley is the retired senior program director of Shalem Institute and former canon educator and founder of the Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage at Washington National Cathedral. A sought-after retreat and conference leader, Carole continues to teach and lead pilgrimages to sacred sites in Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S. Carole is a lover of storytelling, moveable feasts, and country music.
Please see the link below to register.

Waking Up with the Enneagram: A Guide for your Contemplative Journey
2022-10-15 09:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Contemplative Enrichment Day with Rev. Nhien Vuong, J.D., M.Div.
The Enneagram is an extraordinary framework for transformational development. A multi-dimensional model of consciousness, the Enneagram equips each of us with a highly precise roadmap for embodying our divine potential. In this introductory Enneagram workshop, you’ll gain insights into how the Enneagram maps our personality-based obstacles to Presence and provides a path from egoic to unitive consciousness. A focus is to explore the relationship between the Enneagram and Centering Prayer, Welcoming Prayer, Fr. Keating’s “emotional programs for happiness,” and contemplative silence, solitude, and stillness.
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.
Reverend Nhien Vuong, J.D., M.Div., is a contemplative Enneagram counselor, consultant, global community builder and founder of Evolving Enneagram. An ordained Unity minister and Accredited Enneagram Professional, Nhien presents on an international stage, offering a compassionate, interspiritual path of transformation without dogma using the Enneagram as a guide for our individual and collective awakening. For the past several years, Nhien has had the honor of presenting at some of the largest Enneagram events worldwide.

Harvesting Grace: An Eco-Spirituality Contemplative Retreat
2022-10-14 16:00 - 2022-10-16 16:00 UTC | Mercy by the Sea Retreat and Conference Center, 167 Neck Road, Madison, CT, 06443-0191, United States
“When (Jesus) asked his disciples to ‘look at the lilies of the field,’
I think he was asking them to read the book of nature as the book of God. …
The lilies do not simply reflect God; rather God is being God in the lilies.”
– Ilia Delio, Making All Things New
This contemplative retreat invites you to engage with the Sacred in nature and encounter God as the Creating and Sustaining Spirit of all. It will be a time to rest in body and “rest in the grace of the world.” Anchored in Centering Prayer (CP), the weekend will offer scheduled options including terra divina (sacred earth) exercises, a labyrinth walk (weather permitting) and a communal prayer service on Saturday evening. However, there will also be plenty of open time to explore the grounds, read, journal, or simply enjoy the beauty of the land and waters of Long Island Sound.
No Centering Prayer experience is required. This weekend is for both beginners and long-time practitioners.
Claire Rusowicz is a certified spiritual and retreat director and a spiritual director supervisor. She co-facilitates weekly online Centering Prayer groups.
Anne Simpkinson has been practicing Centering Prayer since 1996. An Introductory CP workshop leader, she has led retreats and Quiet Days in New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. While living in New York, she served as co-coordinator of Contemplative Outreach for three years. She co-facilitates the weekly online Centering Prayer groups with Claire.
See the link below to register.

Praying With Jesus
2022-10-13 16:00 - 2022-10-16 12:00 UTC | Mercy Center Burlingame, 2300 Adeline Drive, Burlingame, CA, 94010, United States
The prayer that is commonly known as The Lord’s Prayer is one that many memorized as young children. And even though we may recite it often, there is more to this prayer than our English translations have to offer.
When approached from its Aramaic roots, the Prayer of Jesus reveals a vision and path of following in the way of Jesus that is both inspiring and imminently practical.
Drawing upon the work of Neil Douglas-Klotz and using a balance of teaching, chanting, sacred movement, guided meditation and Centering Prayer, this time set apart will allow retreatants to enter into a deeper relationship — both with the Prayer of Jesus and following in the way of Jesus.
We are planning a spacious schedule so that you will have time to walk the beautiful Mercy grounds, and to do other deeply relaxing practices that we’ll talk about. Bring a journal and pen if you like. There is a lovely craft room at Mercy Center but bring additional art supplies if you prefer.
Retreat Leaders:
Henry Schoenfield, M.Div., PCC is a spiritual director, professional certified coach and UCC pastor. He loves working with individuals as well as facilitating groups and retreats based in the contemplative Christian path.
Carol Squire After 35 years creating and leading non-profit organizations in Africa and the Indian sub-continent, Carol now devotes her passion and energy to sharing the 4th Way Work, an ancient spiritual path periodically revived by Sufis and 4th Way Teachers, in particular G.I. Gurdjieff. She works with the Gurdjieff Movements and Ideas, somatic and emotional literacy, sound and energy healing,
Please register at www.mercy-center.org or telephone 650-340-7474
These are unprecedented times. If finances are an issue, please email us at registration@mercywmw.org for a learning grant discount code. We want to make sure our offerings are available to everyone.

Father Vincent Pizzuto - Holy Transgression: Discipleship and the Incarnation - a hybrid event
2022-10-08 09:00 - 15:00 (America/Denver) | Internet – Online
This is a hybrid presentation being conducted both in person at The Center for Contemplative Living in Denver, CO and Online via Zoom videoconference. Breakfast snacks and a light lunch will be provided for in-person participants. This event will include two sessions of Centering Prayer in additional to Father Pizzuto’s talk.
Father Vincent Pizzuto will be joining us for a full-day event titled “Holy Transgression: Discipleship and the Incarnation.” In this presentation, Father Pizzuto will be speaking to us about Jesus’ coming as a manifestation of a whole new world view: the Kingdom of God.
The gospel narratives are replete with the theme of transgression. Routinely, Jesus drew his teachings and parables from the natural world, familiar to those around him, and used the most mundane images to shock his listeners into seeing the new world that was breaking upon them. In this new world—the kingdom of God, as he called it—the very idea of holiness and what it meant to be holy was radically challenged and transformed. No longer was holiness to be identified with something “set apart,” as the original Semitic root (qdš) implies. Rather, the in-breaking of the kingdom was just that, the realm of God breaking into the realm of humanity. This is why Jesus’ actions and teachings consistently emphasized the spirit of the law over the letter. He insisted that no religious observance was of greater importance than the practice of compassion and indiscriminate love for all.
Thus, not only does Jesus transgress social and religious boundaries in his teaching and actions, but so too as the “Incarnate One” does he transgress the very boundaries between heaven and earth. Throughout our Retreat, Fr. Vincent will examine this theme of “transgression” in the gospels as a lens through which to understand and embody an authentic contemplative Christian discipleship in the modern world. We will gradually unfold contemplative discipleship as a call, a vocation, that begins as an encounter with Christ that is as communal as it is personal. It begins with the end of my world and the in-breaking of the kingdom. It begins with a death to myself, and the rising of Christ within. And thus, we will come to see that contemplative discipleship is thoroughly cruciform, patterned on the paschal mystery of Christ’s dying and rising. It begins and ends in paradox. In order to live fully in Christ, I must lose my life for the sake of the Gospel.
About Father Vincent
Father Vincent Pizzuto, Ph.D. is Professor of New Testament Studies and Christian Mysticism in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the (Jesuit) University of San Francisco. He received his Ph.D. in New Testament Exegesis from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium (2003). He has since published and presented internationally in the areas of New Testament Christology, ecological discipleship, marriage equality, inter-religious dialogue, Christian mysticism and contemplative Christian spirituality. In 2018 he published his second book, Contemplating Christ: The Gospels and the Interior Life, with Liturgical Press, to be released in Spanish, Contemplar a Cristo: Los Evangelios y la vida interior, in January 2022 by Desclée de Brouwer. As an Episcopal priest Fr. Vincent serves as Vicar of St. Columba’s Episcopal Church and Retreat House in Inverness, California. Working for the advancement of contemplative Christianity, he has reinvigorated the mission and ministry of St. Columba’s through the introduction of contemplative eucharistic liturgies, public lectures, online courses, directed retreats, thought provoking sermons, an online blog and a weekly online study of his book through the Meditation Chapel.
Time listed are Mountain Time
Register using the link below

Fall Day of Prayer with Fr. Carl Arico - via Zoom
2022-10-08 09:00 - 12:15 (America/Chicago) | Internet – Online
“Dying to New Life: Journey Through Aging”
I am telling you the truth a grain of wheat remains no more than a single grain unless it is dropped into the ground and dies. If it does die then it produces many grains. ~ John 12:24
Let us explore the practical implications of the wisdom contained in these two passages. What are the elements in our life and the practical rhythms that we can enter into each day to live out the implications found in these Scriptures?
Fr. Carl: “I remember an interviewer asking Fr Thomas Keating, ‘You seem to be implying that our life is a life of diminishment. That’s not going to attract too many people.’ There was a long pause and he answered as I remember it, ‘Well it’s not my idea’ with a twinkle in his eye and a wonderful smile.”
Let us look at that through the lens of healing, forgiveness but above all the celebration of life.

Fr. Carl Arico | Dying to New Life: Journey through Aging - via Zoom
2022-10-08 09:00 - 12:15 UTC | Internet – Online
Free
Saturday, Oct 8 | 9:00 AM – 12:15 PM Central Time | FREE ONLINE EVENT VIA ZOOM
Offered by Contemplative Outreach of San Antonio, Texas, USA
For whoever wants to save his own life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
~ Matthew 16:25
I am telling you the truth a grain of wheat remains no more than a single grain unless it is dropped into the ground and dies. If it does die then it produces many grains. ~ John 12:24
Let us explore the practical implications of the wisdom contained in these two passages. What are the elements in our life and the practical rhythms that we can enter into each day to live out the implications found in these Scriptures?
I remember an interviewer asking Fr Thomas Keating, “you seem to be implying that our life is a life of diminishment. That’s not going to attract too many people.” There was a long pause and he answered as I remember it, “well it’s not my idea” with a twinkle in his eye and a wonderful smile.
Let us look at that through the lens of healing, forgiveness but above all the celebration of life.
Facilitator
Fr. Carl J. Arico is a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey. He is a founding member of Contemplative Outreach, an international organization dedicated to sharing the contemplative path through the practice of Centering Prayer. Fr Carl is a workshop and retreat leader, the presenter of parish missions, and the author of a book entitled, A Taste of Silence. He is 87 years old, living in the present moment and open to whatever needs to be healed, forgiven and celebrated in the time he has left.
Please see the link below to register.

The Welcoming Prayer Retreat led by Mary Dwyer
2022-10-07 18:00 - 2022-10-09 12:00 UTC | St. Francis Springs Prayer Center, 477 Grogan Road, Stoneville, NC, 27048, United States
Mary Dwyer has been involved with Centering Prayer and the Welcoming Prayer since the mid 1980’s. She lived with Mary Mrozowski, the founder of the Welcoming Prayer practice, and others in the Chrysalis House in Warwick, New York where the Welcoming Prayer was first taught. Mary is a former chairperson of the Contemplative Outreach Governing Board and served on its faculty. She also previously served as coordinator for the Living Flame program and on the Welcoming Prayer Service Team.
For full details and to register, go to Nexus Journey at http://www.nexusjourney.org/retreat01.html

The Welcoming Prayer Workshop with Mary Dwyer
2022-10-07 10:00 - 15:00 UTC | Christ United Methodist Church, 410 N. Holden Rd., Greensboro, NC, 27410, United States
The Welcoming Prayer is a method of consenting to God’s presence and action in the midst of the ordinary routines of our daily lives. To practice Welcoming allows us to make choices free of the domination of the false-self system. We begin to respond rather than automatically react to life on life’s terms. As the originator of Welcoming Prayer, Mary Mrozowski stated: “To welcome and to let go is one of the most radically loving, faith-filled gestures we can make in each moment of each day. It is an open-hearted embrace of all that is in ourselves and in the world.”
The purpose of the Welcoming Prayer is to deepen one’s relationship with God through consenting to God’s presence and action in the ordinary activities of daily life. In this way, the Welcoming Prayer supports all forms of prayer, like Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina, which share the purpose of growing in relationship with God.
Mary Dwyer has been involved with Centering Prayer and the Welcoming Prayer since the mid 1980’s. She lived with Mary Mrozowski, the founder of the Welcoming Prayer practice, and others in the Chrysalis House in Warwick, New York where the Welcoming Prayer was first taught. Mary is a former Chairperson of The Contemplative Outreach Governing Board and served on its faculty. She also previously served as Coordinator for the Living Flame program and on the Welcoming Prayer Service Team.
Lunch (a sandwich, cookie and drink) will be served.
Registration may be made online at www.nexusjourney.org or by calling 336-323-8957

Workshop with Carmen Acevedo Butcher: The Cloud, The Presence and Centering Prayer - via Zoom, Oct 1, 12-2pm ET
2022-10-01 12:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Hosted by Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.
Carmen Acevedo Butcher will help inspire us to reflect and understand more deeply the books, The Cloud of Unknowing and The Practice of Presence, and their relationship to Centering Prayer. The workshop will include reflections from Carmen, questions from participants and a period of Centering Prayer. The workshop will be offered live online (Zoom).
Carmen is an internationally acclaimed speaker, author, educator, and poet. Carmen’s translation of Cloud of Unknowing (Shambhala Pocket Library, 2018) won an Author of the Year award from the Georgia Writers Association in 2010. Her tenth book, Practice of the Presence, is a revolutionary translation of the wisdom of Brother Lawrence, releasing in 2022 from Broadleaf Books.
This workshop will be recorded.

Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop
2022-10-01 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 open to this gift, it will profoundly affect our lives and relationship to God, others, and the world. Centering Prayer is a form of contemplative prayer. It is a method of prayer that opens us to interior transformation and deeper intimacy to God and others. The workshop includes four presentations and the practice of Centering Prayer.
Arrive at 8:45am.
Register online at www.hsrcenter.com by September 28th with a non-refundable deposit of $10.00
For more information, please contact Marilyn Nobori at 818-815-4480 or cpcoordinator@hsrcenter.com
