Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.

Mystic Series - Praying with Icons
2022-02-17 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | Center for Contemplative Living in Elm Grove WI, 890 Elm Grove Road, The Village Court, WI, 53122, United States
Feb 17, 2022
$20
By Zoom or In-Person at the Center for Contemplative Living, Elm Grove, WI.
Religious Icons have been a part of Christianity from its earliest days, creating environments for worship and as objects of personal devotion and prayer. Through a prayer process know as Icon Gazing, we will learn more about them and how they can be meaningful for our personal faith journeys. 6 participants minimum.
This workshop will begin with a time of Centering Prayer.
The instructor, Jim Gill, holds a master’s degree from the Institute in Creation Centered Spirituality (Mundelein College-Chicago) and trained as a spiritual guide through Siena Retreat Center’s Spiritual Guidance Training Program. He ministered in Milwaukee area parishes for over three decades in Adult, Family and Child formation. Most recently he was a staff member at Siena Retreat Center, and began a free-lance ministry in retirement from full-time work in July of 2020. Jim is an Associate of the School Sisters of Notre Dame.

“God is Love, the Heart of All Creation” via Zoom
2022-02-19 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Internet – Online
Thomas Keating with Carl J. Arico
Video and Discussion hosted by Benedicte Vibe Christensen
The video series God is Love, The Heart of All Creation was filmed in Snowmass, CO, in 2013. Carl Arico interviewed Thomas Keating about a variety of topics from cosmology, divine/human evolution, and unity consciousness, to silence and centering prayer. Thomas Keating considered this video series as Part 8 in his foundational Spiritual Journey series.
This half-day retreat—the first in a series of two retreats—will focus on two segments: Prologue on cosmology and the human evolution. Thomas Keating explains how scientific discoveries have led us to a new cosmology based on our evolving understanding of God and how the Universe was created.
This half-day retreat includes periods of Centering Prayer.

The Astounding Bernadette Roberts: Insights and Experiences of a Modern Christian Mystic
2022-02-19 09:00 - 16:30 UTC | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Fr. Thomas Keating considered Bernadette’s book, The Experience of No-Self, to be “one of the best … since St. John of the Cross. An amazing book, it clarifies the higher regions of the spiritual path.” Combining prodigious intelligence and psychological acumen with her own astonishing mystical journey, she boldly plunges into territory usually left unexplored. Hers is buried treasure indeed: daunting, liberating and exhilarating! Come and discover.
The event includes periods of Centering Prayer in the morning and the afternoon.
Please register below using the link.

David Frenette Workshop - via Zoom
2022-02-20 11:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Internet – Online
Hosted by Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.
Silence Speaking, Stillness Acting: Centering Prayer, Contemplative Petition and Unity
Sunday February 20, 2022 via Zoom
11am – 1pm Pacific Time (noon Mountain; 1pm Central; 2pm Eastern; London (BST) 7pm; UTC 19:00)
Free; suggested donation $35 USD
Help! Our world, our loved ones and we ourselves are in need of help. Always, and it seems especially, now. How can we use our Centering Prayer practice to connect with the needs around us and to pray for help in a way that is aligned with our contemplative journey?
This workshop will explore the practice of contemplative petition: prayers of intercession flowing from the dynamic silence and stillness of Centering Prayer. Contemplative petition can help embody our Centering Prayer practice with intention, connecting it with our human needs and the needs of the world. This is not just “praying for what we want” in a materialistic or magical-thinking way. This practice is about surrendering into God in trust, as ultimately, contemplative petition is God in us, praying for God in others.
We will learn how Centering Prayer’s greatest relevance for our contemporary world is in the way it can flow into contemplative petition and contemplative service, into what happens off the prayer seat, in the integration of silence and speech, stillness and action.
Join us as we experientially learn three basic guidelines for a practice of contemplative petition. We will have two short periods of Centering Prayer, the first flowing into a group petition for a common need, the second expressing itself in personalized petitions for a need of your own. We will have small breakout groups for sharing and you will also receive a worksheet that will guide you in continuing your personal contemplative petition practice on your own.
You may also be interested in the 2021 November session, The Dynamic Center of Being.
This event will be recorded for those that cannot attend the live version.
About David Frenette:
David Frenette, author of The Path of Centering Prayer: Deepening Your Experience of God (Sounds True 2012), is a contemplative spiritual director, mentor for other spiritual directors, and spiritual writer. He co-created and co-led a contemplative retreat community where he lived as a monk for 10 years. He has an MA in transpersonal counseling psychology, has been a trustee of Contemplative Outreach (the international Centering Prayer organization), an adjunct faculty member at Naropa University, a founding member of Integral Spirituality, and a teacher at leading retreat centers across the country. From 1983 until his death in 2018, David’s spiritual father was the Trappist monk and founder of Centering Prayer, Father Thomas Keating. Learn more about David here.
Register for the event here:

7-Day Silent Intensive & Post-Intensive Retreats
2022-02-21 15:00 - 2022-02-27 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Mt. Angel, Oregon
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.
TO BE ADDED TO THE WAITING LIST, CONTACT REGISTRAR, BENNETH HUSTED, bhusted@easystreet.net
Come, rest in the stillness with contemplative companions, away from the busyness of daily life.
Expansive views of the Willamette Valley, walking the stations of the cross on the park-like grounds, opportunities to pray with the monks, or simply soaking in the silence, will enhance your Centering Prayer practice whether you are coming for the first time (Intensive Retreat) or returning (Post-Intensive). Intensive retreatants will watch Fr. Keating’s Spiritual Journey videos, while those on the Post-Intensive track have an extra prayer period and no videos.
The retreat is designed to deepen your established practice. Grand Silence (no eye contact) will be observed throughout, including at meals, except for opening and closing programs. Discussion after videos for the Intensive track is optional.
Registration fee includes 6 nights in a private room with private bath and delicious meals by Bon Appetit, who will attempt to honor special diets. Elevators and one ADA room available.
Pre-requisites: daily Centering Prayer practice for six months; fully vaccinated for Covid with booster at least 2 wks prior. The guesthouse is in compliance with State of Oregon Covid-19 prevention recommendations regarding face masks, social distancing, and air filtration.
Deposit of $100 due at the time of registration ($50 is non-refundable)
Balance due by January 15, 2022
TRANSPORTATION TO THE ABBEY FROM PDX OR PORTLAND AMTRAK TRAIN STATION IS INCLUDED
Partial scholarships available! To apply, email Patricia Lacy, patricia.a.lacy@gmail.com
Other questions? Email Benneth Husted, bhusted@easystreet.net

​ Introduction to Centering Prayer (via Zoom)
2022-02-23 10:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Centering Prayer is a form of Christian prayer rooted in the ancient Christian contemplative tradition. Its purpose is to foster a deeper intimacy with Christ through the silence and stillness of contemplative prayer. This time of pandemic has led many to seek to deepen their relationship with God through this wordless prayer of contemplation.
This workshop/retreat is designed for those new to Centering Prayer and will be held over Zoom. A reliable internet connection with the capability for audio and video is required. There will be opportunities for questions and discussion.
Retreat Director: Sister Mary McGehee

Lenten Centering Prayer Weekend Retreat - Onsite
2022-02-25 15:00 - 2022-02-27 12:00 UTC | St. Mary’s Sewanee, 770 St. Mary's Lane, TN, 37375, United States
Lenten Centering Prayer Weekend Retreat at the St. Mary’s Sewanee Retreat Center in Sewanee, TN, USA.
COVID protection policies include full vaccination, negative COVID test, signed Medical Waiver and Symptom Checklist.
Please register using the link below.

Introduction to Centering Prayer via Zoom
2022-02-26 09:00 - 13:00 UTC | Internet – Online
Have you been longing for a deeper, more intimate relationship with God? The method of Centering Prayer, a traditional form of Christian contemplative prayer, gives you a way to say “yes” to God’s presence and action in your life. Come to learn the method or to renew your practice and go deeper. Our half-day format offers a relaxed way to hear the basics, practice, and ask questions. Following the workshop, we will offer a weekly series of 1.5 hour evening sessions, which will go deeper into the method and include 20 minute practice sessions as well as time for questions and discussion.
For more information and to register, see the link below.
Saturday, February 26, 2022, from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM U.S. Pacific Time Zone.

Somewhat Silent Saturday
2022-02-26 09:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | st johns lutheran church, Saint John Lutheran Church Lutheran Church 715 College St, , Cedar Falls, IA · (319) 268-0165, IA, 50613, United States
You are invited to a “Somewhat Silent Saturday” on Saturday, February 26. This day will include opportunities for ~
– multiple periods of Centering Prayer;
– an introduction to and guided experience of Prayer of the Breath, an attentive discipline that may become a prelude to Centering Prayer for you;
– a session of traditional Lectio Divina (“Sacred Reading” of scripture);
– personal reflection, walking and/or journaling;
– a brief opening and closing devotional/worship time; and
– refreshments and a light lunch.
The only cost for this event is a donation for the meal. Please join us at St John Lutheran Church, 715 College St, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613. The event itself will be led by local members of Contemplative Outreach of Northeast Iowa. If interested in attending or if you have questions, contact Bonnie Smith-Davis , Coordinator of CONI at 319-230-2165 or email CONEiowa@gmail.com and include your contact information of name, email, or phone number.

Lenten Silent Saturday – In Person
2022-03-05 08:00 - 12:00 UTC | Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road, Encino, CA, 91436, United States
The season of Lent invites us to deeper prayer and reflection.
Join us for a quiet morning of Centering Prayer and silence.
The morning provides time for communal prayer, a contemplative walk, private journaling and reflection, and ends with a period of Lectio Divina.
For those new to Centering Prayer or wanting a review of the method,
a brief introduction will be given at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time
We’re sorry, we are not accepting walk-ins at this time
Please be prepared to show current proof of Covid-19 vaccination or
Proof of Negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of May 7th
REGISTER ONLINE AT www.hsrcenter.com under 1 Day Retreats
For more information, email pbcurreysd@gmail.com
All donations gratefully received

The Seven Mansion of the Interior Castle: Teresa of Avila – via Zoom
2022-03-11 16:00 - 2022-03-13 11:15 (America/Chicago) | Internet – Online
The Seven Mansions of the Interior Castle — Teresa of Avila
Presented by Susan Komis
Virtual Centering Prayer Retreat via Zoom
Co-sponsored by Contemplative Outreach of New Orleans
and the School for Contemplative Living
Join us in exploring the Seven Mansions of Teresa of Avila’s Interior Castle.
Teresa is one of Christianity’s great mystics and teachers. The Seven Mansions of the Interior Castle is her final work
and one of the most profound literary works on contemplation and experiential mysticism. Teresa wrote The Interior
Castle to describe seven mansions of the inner life with God. Prayer stood at the center of Teresa’s teaching. Her fidelity
to prayer was a means of deepening her intimate relationship with God. She considered a life of prayer in terms of love.
Together we will reflect on the light of Teresa’s timeless insights into the human soul, its journey towards intimate
relationship with God, and how Teresa’s teaching is relevant to our personal contemporary spiritual journey today.
There will be Centering Prayer sessions, the presentations, Q & A opportunities, and small group gatherings via
breakout rooms.

Becoming Prayer: Incarnation Makes Mystics of Us All
2022-03-12 | St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 3775 Crosshaven Dr., Birmingham,, AL, 35223, United States
Contemplative Outreach Birmingham in partnership with The Commission on Spirituality of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama and Metagem Institute present
“Becoming Prayer: Incarnation Makes Mystics of Us All”
The Rev. Dr. Vincent Pizzuto, Presenter
Saturday, March 12, 2022
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church
Birmingham, AL
9:00 am – 3:00 pm CST
Includes two periods of Centering Prayer
Concludes with a Celtic Contemplative Eucharist
Pre-Registration $60. At the Door (cash or check) $75
Registration Link:

“A Lenten Journey From Uncertainty to Joy” with Father Bill Sheehan via Zoom
2022-03-12 09:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Internet – Online
Join us for this Zoom Lenten Silent Saturday. We hope you will join us as Father Bill shares his heart of Centering Prayer.
Registration will open on February 10, 2022. Lenten Silent Saturday with Fr. Bill Sheehan
If you have any issues with the link, please contact Jill Yamada at jyamada@sothumc.org . Thank you.
Time is Pacific Standard Time.
Psalm 31
You are my hiding place, O Lord;
You save me from distress.
You surround me with the cries of deliverance.
– The Psalms, A New Translation, arranged by Joseph Gelineau

The Welcoming Prayer via Zoom - For Those Who Practice Centering Prayer
2022-03-16 08:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
In this time of pandemic with so much to deal with, the practice of The Welcoming Prayer can be most helpful. 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.”
A reliable internet connection with the capability for audio and video is required. There will be opportunities for questions and discussion. Prerequisite: Introduction to Centering Prayer or an established Centering Prayer practice.
Retreat Director: Sister Mary McGehee, OSB

9-Day Intensive and Post-Intensive Retreat
2022-03-17 15:00 - 2022-03-25 11:00 UTC | Mercy Center Auburn, 535 Sacramento Street, Auburn, CA, 95603, United States
This retreat offers two tracks simultaneously: Intensive I 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. The Intensive I retreat will watch video talks from Fr. Thomas Keating’s Spiritual Journey, focusing on “The Human Condition and the Spiritual Journey”. The Post Intensive retreat 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.
The retreat will be facilitated by Susan Turpin, Joy Hayter and Fr. Bill Sheehan, OMI
The Retreat begins Thursday, March 17 with registration from 3:00 to 5:00, an opening session at 5:00pm, and dinner at 6:00pm. We end on Friday, March 25 at 11:00am (lunch optional).
For more information, contact Susan Turpin at 541-324-1207 or slturpin@me.com

Centered in Silence, Rooted in Love: A Contemplative Lenten Retreat
2022-03-18 18:00 - 2022-03-20 12:00, 2022-03-18 18:00 - 2022-03-20 18:00 UTC | Eastern Point Retreat House, 37 Niles Pond Road, Gloucester, MA, 1930, United States
This weekend, anchored in silence and the practice of Centering Prayer, provides an opportunity to reflect on the Lenten invitation to return, to “be still and know” God within the secret room of your heart and among spring’s emerging life on the Gloucester shore.
There will be scheduled periods for communal Centering Prayer, lectio divina, contemplative walks and evening prayer. The remaining time is unstructured for private reflection, prayer and rest. A Catholic liturgy will be offered on Saturday afternoon. No previous experience with centering prayer is necessary; an overview of the practice will be provided. The fee of $425 includes overnight accommodations, program and all meals, from dinner at 6:00 p.m. Friday night through lunch on Sunday. (All meals on Saturday through Sunday breakfast will be silent.) Guests may arrive anytime from 3 p.m. on Friday. The retreat program ends at noon on Sunday; lunch will follow. To register, visit easternpoint.org and go to “Retreats,” and then to “2022 Weekend Retreats.”

“God is Love, the Heart of All Creation” Part 2 - via zoom
2022-03-19 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Thomas Keating with Carl J. Arico
Video and Discussion hosted by Kathleen Blank Riether
The video series God is Love, The Heart of All Creation was filmed in Snowmass, CO, in 2013. Carl Arico interviewed Thomas Keating about a variety of topics from cosmology, divine/human evolution, and unity consciousness, to silence and centering prayer. Thomas Keating considered this video series as Part 8 in his foundational Spiritual Journey series.
In Part 2 of our two part series based on God Is Love, The Heart of All Creation, we will begin with Thomas Keating reflecting on the silence in Centering Prayer as the first step in what Christian theology understands as the path of contemplation taking us into divine union. Centering Prayer reduces the obstacles to our awareness of God’s presence and communications to us. Through the regular practice of Centering Prayer, an attentiveness emerges to the presence of God in all reality and in all the experiences of our daily lives. It releases the positive energies of grace within us that are inaccessible to our conscious minds. As we become increasingly aware of God’s inspirations, we consciously experience and consent to our creaturehood – our nothingness. In time, we even embrace our own nothingness, as we turn our lives over completely to God, confident in God’s total presence and support.
Please register using the link below.

Raimon Panikkar’s Christophany: A Day of Engagement, Reflection, and Contemplation
2022-03-19 09:00 - 16:30 UTC | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Raimon Panikkar was simultaneously philosopher, theologian, mystic, poet, and Catholic priest. A notable influence on Cynthia Bourgeault and Fr. Thomas Keating, he was a major contributor to the modern study of comparative religion and interreligious dialogue. In this program, we’ll engage Christophany, Panikkar’s seminal work, and its call for the relationship with God for which Jesus prayed for us in John 17:21: “…that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us….”
Periods of Centering Prayer will be offered in the morning and afternoon.

4-DAY CONTEMPLATIVE RETREAT at Camp Galilee, Lake Tahoe, Nevada
2022-03-20 16:30 - 2022-03-24 13:00 UTC | Galilee Episcopal Camp and Retreat Center, 1776 Hwy 50, GlenBrook (Lake Tahoe), NV, 89413, United States
Contemplative Outreach of Northern Nevada will hold a four-day, self-directed retreat with God in a praying community, joining with the Alpine beauty of the grounds of Camp Galilee on Lake Tahoe. You are invited to deepen your consent and discover the healing God wants to give us. Our retreat will include silence, several periods of Centering Prayer and walking meditation each day, evening prayer liturgies, contemplative free time for being in nature, reflection with journaling, rest, and creative endeavors in art and nature. Currently, COVID-19 protocols are in place. There are 12 spots available with each spot having your own bathroom and bedroom; meals are individually served. As always, delicious meals are prepared on-site three times a day. The kitchen staff uses mostly local and organic produce. We will be the only group on site at the time.
Average temperatures for this time of the year at Camp Galilee are in the 28 – 50 degree range. Please bring appropriate clothing.
For more information, please contact Dennis and Patty Schreiner, brooksp17@gmail.com
​

Discernment: Deep Listening and the Presence of God - via Zoom
2022-03-26 09:00 - 12:15 (America/Chicago) | Internet – Online
Discernment is more than exploring what I want or what others want of me, rather what does God want of me? Contemplative discernment sorts, questions, senses, intuits movements of grace with a disposition of complete confidence and surrender to God – a dialogue of deep wills, borne of love and choice — so that we are animated in fullness of being and action by the Holy Spirit. We learn to step forth in courage, to take risks in our choices that may lift us from our routines and open to us the door of a new being, a new reality.
Since the day you were born
I have carried you along.
I will still be the same
when you are old and gray
and I will take care of you.
I created you. I will carry you
and always keep you safe.
– Isaiah 46:3-4
Includes:
Introduction and opening time of prayerful centering
Two sessions with sharing and Q&A
A break
A time of Centering Prayer
Please register using the link below.
Presenter:
Mary Anne Best is a member and trustee of The Church of Conscious harmony, a contemplative Christian community in Austin, Texas, where she also serves as Abbess of The Journey School, a school of transformative spiritual psychology and practice. Previously, for many years, she served as development director for Contemplative Outreach, Ltd and worked with Thomas Keating in the last 10 years of his life to edit and produce new books and videos on the spiritual life. She is a mother and grandmother to two beloved grandchildren.

Cynthia Bourgeault on “Thomas Keating: The Last Thirty Years” - Hybrid Event
2022-03-26 09:00 - 15:00 (America/Denver) | Internet – Online
Hosted by The Center for Contemplative Living in Denver Colorado.
This is a hybrid presentation being conducted both in person at The Center and online via Zoom videoconference.
The Contemplative Outreach of Colorado annual conference is March 26, 2022, featuring Cynthia Bourgeault. Cynthia’s talk will be on “Thomas Keating: The Last Thirty Years,” in which she will explore his life as he passed through two significant stages of the journey – The Dark Night of the Spirit and the gradual awakening to the Unitive.
Time listed are Mountain Time
Click the link below for more information and to register.

Contemplative Group Spiritual Direction via Zoom
2022-03-26 14:00 - 15:30 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Contemplative Group Spiritual Direction via Zoom
A conversation with spiritual directors Carol Fryer and Lindsay Boyer
Saturday, March 26th, 2pm to 3:30pm Eastern Time
Group spiritual direction can be a wonderful experience for contemplative practitioners who would like to go deeper into their practice. It can be easily adapted to the Zoom format. Spiritual director Carol Fryer will describe her experience of leading group spiritual direction on Zoom with participants from Zoom Centering Prayer groups. She will present her format and group guidelines and answer questions about how to get started and how spiritual directors can collaborate with Centering Prayer facilitators to set up spiritual direction groups. Our hope is to provide a template that might be helpful for people who are considering doing group spiritual direction online, encourage those who are experienced at group spiritual direction but are hesitant about using Zoom, and provide a forum for others who may already be doing group spiritual direction online and have wisdom to offer the Contemplative community. A representative of the Shalem group spiritual direction program will be on hand to answer questions about their program. We will begin with 10 minutes of Centering Prayer.
Register here: https://form.jotform.com/220324228490146
About Rev. Carol E. A. Fryer
Carol Fryer is a Lutheran pastor ordained in 1985, currently serving Immanuel Lutheran Church on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York, USA. In 2001 she received a Master of Sacred Theology (STM) in Spiritual Direction from the Center for Christian Spirituality at The General Seminary of the Episcopal Church in New York City. She has over 20 years of experience working with people from various faith traditions in both individual and group spiritual direction. She can be reached at ceafryer@gmail.com
About Lindsay Boyer
Lindsay Boyer is the author of Centering Prayer for Everyone. She has been a spiritual director for more than 20 years, specializing in working with people who are uncomfortable with institutional religion. She teaches on spirituality and digital practice at General Theological Seminary, where she has taught students online group spiritual direction for more than eight years. She can be reached through her website Spirituality for Questioning Minds.

A Taste of the Spirituality of Hildegard of Bingen - A Kaleidoscope of Wisdom - via zoom
2022-03-31 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | Internet – Online
As a Benedictine Abbess, preacher, author, healer, composer, counselor to kings, popes, and now Saint and Doctor of the Church, Hildegard offers us a deep spirituality that has stood the test of the ages. From her 11th century abbey in Bingen, Germany, flowed a kaleidoscope of wisdom. We will explore some of its themes in this presentation.
A period of Centering Prayer will be included.

Spring Centering Prayer Silent Retreat
2022-04-01 17:30 - 2022-04-03 13:30 (America/Chicago) | Saint Benedict Center, 1123 Road I, Schuyler, NE, 68661, United States
A retreat for your Soul
Saint Benedict Center
Schuyler Nebraska
This is what the LORD says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is,
and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”
– Jeremiah 6:16 NIV
Have the past two years have been hard on you? Do you feel the need to be in a place that can easily draw you closer to God and bring you much needed rest? Our spring retreat is a great time to be present in the beauty of nature, prayer and solitude. This will be a restorative time in silence. Perhaps just what you need! Registration includes two nights in a private room, all meals, and programming.
Saint Benedict Center is a beautiful location (5 miles north of Schuyler Nebraska) that provides walking paths, Stations of the Cross, a labyrinth, hotel-like accommodations and delicious food service. Everything is provided so all you need to do is relax and enjoy time with God.

11th-Step Springfest via Zoom
2022-04-02 10:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Contemplative Outreach Northwest invites all practitioners of Centering Prayer as an 11th-Step Practice to its 2022 11th-Step Springfest. Come and learn about the Divine Therapy, practice Centering Prayer with others in 12-Step recovery, and enjoy a speaker meeting.
For more information and to register contact adinameyer@gmail.com.

Centering Prayer Intensive Retreat
2022-04-04 - 2022-04-10 | Monestary of St. Gertrude, 465 Keuterville Road, Cottonwood, ID, 83522
With Donna Kreiensieck
April 4 – 10, 2022
Spirit Center at the Monastery of St. Gertrude
Enhance your contemplative prayer life and expand the fundamentals of your Centering Prayer practice through this intensive week-long retreat in a quiet, transformative setting.
Date & Time Details: Monday, April 4 – Sunday, April 10, 2022
Arrive between 1:30 – 5:00 pm.
Supper is served at 5:30 pm.
The first session begins at 7:00 pm.
The final session will conclude before 11:30 am.
Depart at 1:00 pm, following the midday meal.

Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop - via Zoom
2022-04-06 18:00 - 2022-04-07 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Internet – Online
hosted by Contemplative Outreach of Chicago
This workshop will introduce you to the method of Centering Prayer and experience this prayer of silence. Centering Prayer is a form of Christian prayer rooted in the ancient contemplative tradition. Its purpose is to foster a deeper intimacy with Christ through silence and stillness. There will be opportunities for discussion as well as invitation into prayerful presence. This will be offered in two parts on consecutive evenings. To help promote and deepen your experience of the Centering Prayer practice we will offer a 6 week follow-up series as well.
To join us please email Sandra at sandyandkali@sbcglobal.net.

Virtual Silent Saturday with Fr Bill Sheehan "Finding the Place of the Heart"
2022-04-09 08:30 - 14:30 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Contemplative Outreach of Columbus is offering a Silent Saturday. A Silent Saturday provides a few hours that are set aside for Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina, spiritual teaching and reflection. “Come rest awhile with the Lord” in preparation for Holy Week. Fr Bill Sheehan will discuss “Finding the Place of the Heart…Encouragement to go Deeper.”
Fr. Bill is a priest and member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He was present at the Lama retreat convened by Fr. Thomas Keating OCSO which gave birth to Contemplative Outreach. He has led countless Centering Prayer workshops and retreats. He also admits to being a follower of the Red Sox and Patriots, but he is first all a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Expect that the day will begin at 8:30am and last until 2:30pm.
Register by sending an email to Teri Leitwein at tmleitwein@gmail.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 Bill Sparks at 450 Shale Ridge Ct., Powell, Ohio 43065.

The Welcoming Prayer - via Zoom
2022-04-09 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Led by Mary Dwyer

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, 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.”
During this Zoom Workshop we will learn the conceptual background, The Welcoming Prayer practice, and have time to practice in community. Please register using the link below.
About Mary Dwyer

Mary Dwyer is a longtime student of Fr. Thomas Keating and has been practicing Centering Prayer since the 1980s. In the early 1990’s, she lived at Chrysalis House, a contemplative live-in community experiment blessed by Fr. Thomas. Her housemates included Mary Mrozowski, David Frenette and Cathy McCarthy. The community lived according to a rule of life, and became an incubator of practice and programs in the early years of Contemplative Outreach’s growth. It was her experience at Chyrsalis House – what she refers to as her “inpatient” or “residential treatment time” – that proved to her that a life of prayer, consent and practice is real, stable and deeply rewarding. Mary Mrozowski taught her that a devoted life of prayer was the real work of life; what we did the rest of the time was just how we made a living.
Mary is currently in private practice as an LCSW in the Erie, PA area. She also serves as a member of the Gift Committee and the Welcoming Prayer Service Team of Contemplative Outreach. Mary now devotes her time between private practice and giving retreats and workshops on behalf of Contemplative Outreach throughout the US and internationally.
