Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.

Back to Basics: Exploring the Why, What & How of Centering Prayer - via Zoom
2024-01-13 10:00 - 11:30 (Asia/Karachi) | Internet – Online
Free contemplative prayer workshop
Join to return to the sacred basic tenants of Centering Prayer.
“Silence is God’s first language. All others are just poor translations.”
— Thomas Keating
We’ll explore
• Opening to God and peace within
• Silence as the universal language of God
• How to practice Centering Prayer meditation
• Mystical union with God and why it matters
Presented by Keith Kristich, founder of Closer Than Breath. Certified teacher of meditation & contemplative prayer. Commissioned presenter of Centering Prayer through Contemplative Outreach.
Please register using the link below.

In Silence with Thomas Merton
2024-01-19 14:00 - 2024-01-21 13:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Cross Monastery – New York, 1615 Route 9W, West Park, NY, 12493, United States
Introducing a new retreat series with Br. Ephrem Arcement, OHC at Holy Cross Monastery: called “In Silence…”
THIS RETREAT IS CURRENTLY FILLED.
The hope for each of these retreats is to explore the life and spirituality of a given mystic of the Christian tradition and to begin learning how to put their wisdom into practice. Components to the retreat will be conferences on a given mystic, group sharing and Q&A, and contemplative prayer, along with opportunities for prayer and Eucharist with the monastic community.
The inaugural In Silence… retreat will explore the life and spirituality of the Cistercian monk Thomas Merton. Thomas Merton is widely regarded as one of the foremost spiritual writers of the twentieth century whose influence extends well beyond the Cistercian monasticism or the Roman Catholicism which he called home. Join Br. Ephrem Arcement, OHC in encountering this profound figure who did so much to shape the contours of the contemplative and prophetic traditions in the church today.
Suggested reading for retreat: New Seeds of Contemplation
Register by e-mail or phone with our Guesthouse Manager, Donna Mallory at 845-384-6660 ext 1 or at guesthouse@hcmnet.org.

An Introduction to a Wisdom Way of Knowing: A Wisdom Practice Series via Zoom
2024-01-20 09:30 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Internet – Online
An Introduction to a Wisdom Way of Knowing: Wisdom Practices Series
January 20th
This Sacred Path: Three Centered Knowing
This Sacred Surrender: Centering Prayer
January 27th
This Sacred Voice: Chanting
This Sacred Body: Gesture & Movement
February 3rd
This Sacred Self: Witnessing & Welcoming
This Sacred Heart: The Way of the Heart
This is a series introducing some key elements of the Christian Wisdom tradition, particularly as synthesized by Cynthia Bourgeault. Wisdom has ancient roots and tends to re-emerge in our awareness in times of great individual and collective transition and turmoil. Wisdom is about seeing through the eyes of wholeness and is anchored beyond the changing circumstances of life.
During this Wisdom Practice Series we will introduce teachings and practices that support us in the Wisdom Way of Knowing. These practices will include three-centered awareness, self-observation, Centering Prayer, sacred chanting, body movement, lectio divina, sharing and discussion. These are all in service of consenting to the presence and action of God in our hearts, the organ of spiritual seeing, and in our lives. The more we are able to put these into practice, the better our ability to respond to what is needed in the world.
Facilitators:
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 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. Joy regularly offers retreats on Centering Prayer, often emphasizing the incarnational nature of the Christian path. She recently published The Cosmic Web: Hope for Our World Through Science and Spirituality. You can find more about her at joyfulfillment.com.
Catherine Regan, Ph.D. is a spiritual director, retired psychologist, and adjunct staff member at Mercy Center, primarily serving on the Centering Prayer team. She has a special interest in participating in the reclamation of the Christian Wisdom tradition and fostering the contemplative practices so urgently needed at this time in our world.
CONTACT
For further assistance, contact us at (650) 340-7474 or mcweb@sistersofmercy.org
These are unprecedented times. If finances are an issue, please fill out a learning grant form here for a grant. We want to make sure our offerings are available to everyone.

Practices for Contemplative Living: Logging
2024-01-21 09:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | St. Walburga Monastery, 851 N. Broad Street, NJ, 7649, United States
Join a group of Centering Prayer practitioners to support each other on the contemplative path. Modeled after what was formerly known as the 9-month course, the program will be based on Julie Saad’s book, “Contemplative Life: Discovering Our Path to the Heart of God“. All are welcome. We meet the 3rd Saturdays of October 2023 through April 2024. Overnight accommodations are available. The January session will introduce the practice of logging.
Explore a different contemplative practice each month:
• October 22 – Fundamentals of Centering Prayer and Holy Listening
• November 18 – Guided Meditation (Stepping Stones)
• December 16 – Advent Day of Prayer with Fr. Carl Arico
• January 20 – Logging
• February 17 – Spiritual Reading
• March 16 – Going Deeper in Daily Life
• April 20 – Lectio Divina
Further information and registration are available at: https://centeringprayernj.com/events/, or email Eileen McCaffrey Schuman at coordinator@centeringprayernj.com.

Contemplative Outreach Volunteer Connections – via Zoom
2024-01-26 21:00 - 2024-01-27 11:00 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
The Chapter Support Team is hosting a Zoom gathering for volunteers serving chapters and local communities. All are welcome.
This gathering will take place twice to offer a choice of time for our global community of volunteers.

Friday, Jan 26 at 9 PM Eastern Time (UTC-5)
OR
Saturday, Jan 27 at 11 AM Eastern Time (UTC-5)

Once again, the Chapter Support Team invites all who serve their chapters or local groups to come together to listen to one another, to share with one another, and to encourage one another with how the Holy Spirit is furthering the knowledge and experience of God’s love in the consciousness of the human family.
We will begin with a short session of Centering Prayer, followed by a reflection and then words of blessing from Fr. Thomas. Next, we will break into small groups so that every voice may be heard as we share how the Holy Spirit is working in our areas. Finally, we will come back to the full group to bear witness to the love of God in our global community knowing that the good accomplished through Contemplative Outreach is the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Please register here to receive the Zoom link.

BioSpiritual Focusing: Welcoming an Embodied Experience of Grace
2024-01-27 08:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Contemplative Enrichment Day with Donna O’Connor and Mike Smoolca
Deep wisdom and healing are accessible within us waiting for discovery. BioSpiritual Focusing offers access to the causal point for change, our feelings. We see that a loving and curious presence offered to disregarded and hidden feelings allows deeper meanings to emerge and a graced shift in the ways we hold life situations and live our lives.
This day is for beginners as well as those already introduced to Focusing. It includes teaching, participant sharing, and many experiential exercises that can open you to transformation.
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.
Donna O’Connor is the BioSpiritual Focusing Coordinator at Genesis Spiritual Life Center in Westfield, MA, a retreat leader and long-time spiritual director. Donna has a special interest in helping people who struggle with weight, body image, and eating disorders and is experienced in 12-Step Spirituality.
Mike Smoolca is a contemplative group and workshop facilitator and a dedicated teacher and student of contemplative practice and wisdom spirituality. He is a Contemplative Outreach presenter and coordinator for the Christian Contemplative Experience at Holy Family, Contemplative Outreach of CT, and the Northern CT Chapter of the International Thomas Merton Society. Mike is a practicing spiritual director and supervisor as well as a BioSpiritual Focusing companion and teacher.
Please use the link below to register.

Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop
2024-01-27 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 relationships with God, others, and our 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.
Fee: $40
For more information, please contact Marilyn Nobori at 818-815-4480 or centeringprayer@hsrcenter.com
Register at www.hsrcenter.com by January 19 with a non-refundable deposit of $10.00
Please arrive by 8:45am

Introduction to Centering Prayer
2024-02-02 - 2024-02-04 | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
Introduction to Centering Prayer
Fostering Intimacy with God through Silence & Stillness
Presenter: Sr Ruth Ann Madera
Sourced from the depths of Christian contemplative tradition, Centering Prayer has emerged as a life-changing prayer practice for those who embrace it. Centering Prayer is a receptive method of Christian silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer; prayer in which we experience God’s presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself. Its purpose is to foster a deeper intimacy with Christ through the silence and stillness of contemplative prayer.
Join us to learn the method or to renew your practice of this ancient form of silent prayer.
Please register using the link below.

Lectio Divina Introductory Workshop
2024-02-03 08:30 - 12:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
This workshop introduces the method of Lectio Divina, to pray sacred scripture. Through reading, reflecting, responding, and resting in the Word of God, one’s relationship with God is nourished and deepened. Both individual and group experiences will be offered.
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 register using the link below.

Rev. Dr. Barbara Holmes – Crisis Contemplation: Healing the Wounds of the Village - via Zoom
2024-02-03 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Denver) | Internet – Online
In Crisis Contemplation, the Rev. Dr. Barbara Holmes will address two entry points into contemplation which have seldom been addressed: contemplation during crisis, and how we contemplate as community.
Engaging deeply with both history and current events, Holmes will address the emergence of crisis contemplation, especially through the lenses of BIPOC peoples. Dr Barbara will be exploring existing communal contemplative experiences. As she looks into types of crises (pandemics, earthquakes, and systemic abuses), she examines the resulting traumatic wounds which manifest across generations.
In the second half of the presentation, she will shift toward a village response to crises, addressing communal formation, belonging, resistance, and resilience. A deeper look at healing through memory and story, culture and ritual, will lead to a final chapter on envisioning different futures through liminality and bio-spiritual resurrection.
This event will include 20 minutes of Centering Prayer
Recording note: This event will be recorded. All registrants will receive a copy of the Zoom recording within 2 weeks of the event.
About Rev. Dr. Barbara A. Holmes
Dr. Holmes is a spiritual teacher and writer focused on African American spirituality, mysticism, cosmology and culture. She is President Emerita of United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities (2012-2016). She also served as Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of Memphis Theological Seminary (2005-2010). She holds the title of Professor Emerita of Ethics and African American Religious Studies at that seminary. Currently, she is a core faculty member at the Center for Action and Contemplation founded by Fr. Richard Rohr.
Time listed is Mountain Time (Denver, Colorado)
Click the website link below to register
Scholarships are available.

An Introduction to Centering Prayer
2024-02-03 09:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | St. Mary Magdalen Mission of St. Margaret Church, 1716 Churchville Road, Bel Air, MD, 21015, United States
MEET GOD IN A NEW WAY
Attend our daylong retreat …
Presented by Benedicte Vibe Christensen and Marjorie Centofanti
Let praying without words, in deep silence and openness, draw you closer to God. Come to realize the beauty of holiness in using what modern contemplative Thomas Keating called “God’s first language.” This retreat follows the international Contemplative Outreach Ltd. community approach, combining short presentations, two Centering Prayer practice sessions and ample time for questions and discussion. This retreat is open to anyone, whether you have a longtime Centering Prayer practice or have never tried this form of prayer. There’s enrichment and insight for both.

An Introduction to Centering Prayer
2024-02-03 09:00 - 15:00 UTC | St. Mary Magdalen Mission of St. Margaret Church, 1716 Churchville Road, Bel Air, MD, 21015, United States
Let praying without words, in deep silence and openness, draw you closer to God. Come to realize the beauty of holiness in using what modern contemplative Thomas Keating called “God’s first language.” This retreat follows the international Contemplative Outreach Ltd. approach, combining short presentations, two Centering Prayer practice sessions and ample time for questions and discussion.
Hosted by Contemplative Outreach of Maryland and Washington (COMW), this retreat is open to anyone, whether you have a longtime Centering Prayer practice or have never tried this form of prayer. There’s enrichment and insight for both.
Please see the link below to register.

Centering Prayer Retreat
2024-02-06 14:00 - 2024-02-10 13:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Cross Monastery – New York, 1615 Route 9W, West Park, NY, 12493, United States
This retreat, offered from Tuesday, February 6 till Friday, February 9, 2024, at Holy Cross Monastery on the Hudson River in NY state, offers opportunities for both those new to the Centering Prayer and those who have an established practice. During the retreat, one will experience integrating contemplation and action through silence, solitude, community and the rhythm of this Episcopal Benedictine monastic community’s worship and prayer life. The retreat offers two tracks. For those new to Centering Prayer, the basic essentials of the method and conceptual background of Centering Prayer will be presented. To those who have an established prayer practice, more time will be available to foster an ever-deepening level of interior silence and awareness of the presence of God in everyday life. This contemplative retreat welcomes both those new to and those comfortable with silence that have a yearning to rediscover this ancient prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplation.
Check-in is from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday. Vespers begin at 5:00. Dinner then follows. Orientation begins at 6:45. The retreat concludes with lunch on Friday. (Daily Holy Eucharist is available at 9:00 a.m.).
Cost for the retreat is $470. The retreat fee includes a single room and all meals. Shared single occupancy bathrooms in the hallways. Register by e-mail or phone with our Guesthouse Manager, Donna Mallory at 845-384-6660 ext 1 or at guesthouse@hcmnet.org.
If you have questions about the retreat content 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

Centering Prayer Lenten Series - via Zoom
2024-02-07 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Join Rev. Hampton Deck, D.Min, a representative from Contemplative Outreach to learn about the roots of Centering Prayer and how this practice can sustain you and be used in prison ministry.
See the link below to register.

Introduction to Centering Prayer Workshop and Series
2024-02-10 10:00 - 15:00 UTC | St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, High Point, NC, 108 W. Farriss Ave., High Point, NC, 27262, United States
“Centering Prayer is a discipline to foster interior transformation, initiated by God and leading, if we consent, to divine union. One’s way of seeing reality changes, which empowers one to perceive and respond to everyday life with sensitivity to the divine presence in, through and beyond everything.”
– Thomas Keating, Open Mind, Open Heart
About the Series: This seven session series is designed to learn and establish a Centering Prayer practice.
Session 1: Saturday, February 10 – Introduction to Centering Prayer – 10 am to 3 pm
Sessions 2 – 7: Thursday evenings, February 15 through March 21, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Location: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 108 W. Farriss Ave., High Point , NC 27262
Presenter: Diane Popalis, Commissioned Centering Prayer Presenter for Contemplative Outreach.
Contact Diane Popalis at dianep@stmaryshighpoint.org to answer any questions.
Registration is $30.00 and includes a boxed lunch for session 1 and a copy of Thomas Keating’s, Open Mind, Open Heart.
Send this information below and make checks payable to St. Mary’s Episcopal Church
attn Centering Prayer, and mail to : St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 108 W. Farris Ave., High Point, NC. 27262
Name_________________________________________________________________   Phone__________________________Email__________________________________   Address_______________________________________________________________   City, State, Zip code______________________________________________________

Centering Prayer 7-Day Retreat
2024-02-12 16:00 - 2024-02-18 13:00 (America/New_York) | Knobs Haven Retreat Center, 515 Nerinx Road, Nerinx, KY, 40049, United States
A Centering Prayer 7-Day Intensive/Post Intensive Retreat
An opportunity to deepen the practice of Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina in an atmosphere of silence, within community, and with an experience of solitude.
Two tracts: The Intensive retreat is for anyone who hasn’t been on a Centering Prayer Intensive Retreat and includes video presentations by Fr. Thomas Keating. The Post Intensive retreat is for anyone who has previously been on a Centering Prayer Intensive Retreat and offers an opportunity for a deeper silence.
Please click on the link below. You will find a brochure to download with more information and registration details.

Centering Prayer Lenten Series - via Zoom
2024-02-14 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition is offering a weekly Centering Prayer opportunity during Lent to introduce to the volunteer community how Centering Prayer can support ones’ ministry and about the profound effect of Centering Prayer on those living ‘Inside.’ Each week a formerly incarcerated person with a CP practice will co-present with Rev. Hampton Deck a member of Contemplative Outreach Prison Outreach Service Team and facilitator of Centering Prayer groups in prison.
Please see the link below to register.

Introduction to Centering Prayer In-Person Workshop
2024-02-14 16:00 - 17:15, 2024-02-21 16:00 - 17:15 UTC | Grace Lutheran Church – PA, 205 South Garner Street, State College, PA, 16801, United States
Centering Prayer Introductory Program
Do you seek the still, quiet voice of God? The Centering Prayer Introductory Program will help us to understand the Indwelling Presence of God within each of us, and offer prayer periods to experience this Presence. We will explore our intimate relationship with God through Christian contemplative prayer, which has been a part of our Christian heritage for centuries. We will explore the benefits of Centering Prayer in ordinary life. Time will be
allowed for practice of the prayer and discussion of the practice each Wednesday afternoon from 4-5:15 p.m. throughout Lent 2024.
The program will be presented starting on Ash Wednesday at 4 p.m., February 14, 2024 for the seven weeks of Lent at Grace Lutheran Church 205 South Garner St, State College, PA 16801. A donation of $20 per person is requested, which includes a book. Please note that no one seeking to experience this form of prayer is ever turned away due to any financial constraints.
The program will be presented through the local chapter of Contemplative Outreach by Mary Kay and Doug Laplante, experienced practitioners of Centering Prayer. For more information email Mary Kay at mklaplante11@gmail.com or to sign up, please call or e-mail Sherri Rider at (814) 238-2478 or srider@glcpa.org.

5-day Centering Prayer Retreat
2024-02-16 19:00 - 2024-02-22 13:00 (America/New_York) | Dominican Retreat and Conference Center, 1945 Union Street (Route 7), Niskayuna, NY, 12309, United States
The Ground of Our Being led by Fr. Bill Sheehan, OMI
For many of us, our contemplative practices are the root and foundation of our spiritual life. Grounded in these practices, we then engage with the world around us. During this retreat, Father Bill will explore the convergences that are present between the spiritual exercises and Centering Prayer as a basis for such grounding. May we take these days of silence, presentation and Centering Prayer as an opportunity to stretch our roots more deeply into rich soil.
Please see the link below to register.

Contemplative Living II - ONLINE
2024-02-17 08:00 - 2024-05-11 17:00 UTC | Internet – Online
I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.
– Ezekiel 36:26
“Contemplative life begins when when take the first step into the silence of our heart. It’s a pilgrimage—a journey that takes us first to the inner reaches of who we really are, and from there, into the life we were meant to live.” — Julie Saad, Contemplative Life: Discovering Our Path into the Heart of God
This four-month long online course is the second part of the Contemplative Living concentration for the Certificate in Spiritual Formation. This study is an experiential course that guides participants to deepen their experience of the abiding presence of God by cultivating their contemplative capacities. Participants will discover their daily life as prayer as they deepen their contemplative spiritual practices within a community of seekers. Contemplative practices are the doorway into the gift of contemplative prayer where the journey that begins in the silence of our hearts leads us into the heart of God. As we cultivate contemplative practices amid ordinary life, we begin to experience oneness with God and all creation.
The Design of Contemplative Living II: Daily Life as Prayer
Gaining contemplative attitudes and dispositions through:

Contemplative Discernment – a method for making decisions based on our interior spiritual life, relying on God.
Contemplative Awareness related to Addictions, Attachments and Aversion – using the discernment process to surface habit patterns that have become compulsions we no longer freely choose.
The Forgiveness Prayer – a prayer that guides us 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 has worked for you that you will continue to be committed 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 form at the end of the course.

Objectives

To establish a daily practice of Centering Prayer;
To integrate contemplative practices into daily life;
To cultivate contemplative attitudes and disposition.

Location: Online
With: Julie Saad.
Julie Saad is a spiritual director, author, teacher, and retreat leader. Since 1994 she has been a student of Thomas Keating (1923-2018), a Trappist monk who was a founding member and spiritual guide for Contemplative Outreach. Julie has also served Contemplative Outreach as a coordinator of the Denver Chapter, facilitator of spiritual journey courses and retreats, member of the Governing Board, and coordinator of the Contemplative Living Experience Program. She has been practicing and teaching Centering Prayer and other contemplative practices for over 25 years. She recently published the book Contemplative Life: Discovering Our Path into the Heart of God, a guidebook to spiritual formation in the Christian contemplative tradition, based on the teaching of Thomas Keating.
Schedule: Contemplative Living II consists of four monthly, synchronous teachings and practices with individual study and devotion between the monthly sessions:
6 hour monthly synchronous sessions
1 hour weekly virtual prayer chapel
The synchronous monthly session meets from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM Eastern Time on the following Saturdays in 2024: February 17, March 16, April 13, May 11, 2024.
Program Fee: $700
Contact: lifelonglearning@ctsnet.edu

Practices for Contemplative Living: Spiritual Reading
2024-02-17 09:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | St. Walburga Monastery, 851 N. Broad Street, NJ, 7649, United States
Join a group of Centering Prayer practitioners to support each other on the contemplative path. Modeled after what was formerly known as the 9-month course, the program will be based on Julie Saad’s book, “Contemplative Life: Discovering Our Path to the Heart of God”. All are welcome. We meet the 3rd Saturdays of October 2023 through April 2024. Overnight accommodations are available. The February session will introduce the practice of spiritual reading.
Explore a different contemplative practice each month:
• October 22 – Fundamentals of Centering Prayer and Holy Listening
• November 18 – Guided Meditation (Stepping Stones)
• December 16 – Advent Day of Prayer with Fr. Carl Arico
• January 20 – Logging
• February 17 – Spiritual Reading
• March 16 – Going Deeper in Daily Life
• April 20 – Lectio Divina
Further information and registration are available at: https://centeringprayernj.com/events/, or contact Eileen McCaffrey Schuman at coordinator@centeringprayernj.com.

Welcoming Prayer Part 1 – via Zoom
2024-02-19 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | Internet – Online
“God doesn’t take away our difficulties…God joins us in our difficulties.” Thomas Keating
In the Welcoming Prayer we invite the Holy Spirit’s healing presence into the pain, the anxiety, and fear we experience in our everyday lives. The Welcoming Prayer helps to dismantle acquired emotional programs that underly what we are experiencing. It addresses them where they are stored – in the body. Gradually, over time, with prayer repeatedly bringing them into the light, the perfect love of the Most Holy, they are healed, removing the obstacles that keep God’s all-powerful grace from flowing in and through us and out into a world in desperate need..
Please see the link below to register.

Centering Prayer Lenten Series - via Zoom
2024-02-21 11:00 - 12:00, 2024-02-28 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition is offering a weekly Centering Prayer opportunity during Lent to introduce how Centering Prayer can support ones’ ministry and about the profound effect of Centering Prayer on those living ‘Inside.’ Each week a formerly incarcerated person with a CP practice will co-present with Rev. Hampton Deck a member of Contemplative Outreach Prison Outreach Service Team and facilitator of Centering Prayer groups in prison.
Please see the link below to register.

CENTERING PRAYER SILENT WEEKEND
2024-02-23 16:30 - 2024-02-25 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road, Encino, CA, 91436, United States
This silent/contemplative retreat is designed to deepen the practice of Centering Prayer. Come and enter the inner room where “interior silence strengthens and affirms the human experience” (Thomas Keating, Open Mind, Open Heart). This weekend offers a supportive community that fosters a quiet space where God is known more intimately. There will be regularly scheduled prayer sits with contemplative walks as well as unscheduled time for personal reflection, journaling, and walking the Center’s beautiful grounds.
Prerequisite: A regular practice of Centering Prayer or silent meditation
Fee: $300 private room
$200 commuter (includes all meals)
Register online at www.hsrcenter.com with a $50 non-refundable deposit by February 9th. For more information, please contact Marilyn Nobori at centeringprayer@hsrcenter.com or 818-815-4480.

Centering Prayer and Three-Centered Knowing: A Silent Centering Prayer Wisdom Retreat
2024-02-23 17:30 - 2024-02-25 17:30 (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, 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, California, 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, A Life Surrendered to Love video
*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.
Retreat Leaders:
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 Science and Spirituality. You can find out more about her at joyfulfillment.com.
Heather Ruce, M.A. 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 in service of waking up and putting on the Mind of Christ. Find out more at heatherruce.com.
Catherine Regan, Ph.D. is a spiritual director, retired psychologist, and adjunct staff member at Mercy Center, primarily serving on the Centering Prayer team. She has a special interest in participating in the reclamation of the Christian Wisdom tradition and fostering the contemplative practices so urgently needed at this time in our world.
Link to COVID Protocol: https://mercy-center.org/guest-protocol/
CONTACT
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Merton and Me: A Living Trinity
2024-02-24 08:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Contemplative Enrichment Day with Douglas Hertler
In the context of a Contemplative Day of Community, Experience, and Sharing, Doug presents an act of storytelling that explores the dynamics of the false self as seen through the eyes of an actor whose very vocation called him to become someone other than himself. Written and presented by Douglas Hertler (known professionally as Doug Lory), this one-man show depicts his unexpected and life-changing encounter with the writings of Thomas Merton, most notably Merton’s classic, No Man Is an Island.
This program will include a morning and an afternoon session of Centering Prayer.
Douglas Hertler (aka Doug Lory) is an actor, playwright, retreat leader, and NYC tour guide. His career has included roles in television, film, and theater. Doug is also an actor/educator at Fordham University School of Law. He is a member of the International Thomas Merton Society and the American Teilhard Association. He lives in Queens, NY, with his wife Alex.
Please use the link below to register.

Welcoming Prayer
2024-02-24 09:30 - 14:30 (America/Chicago) | First Fruits, Elm Grove, WI, 890 Elm Grove Rd, Building 2, Lower Level, Elm Grove, WI, 53122, United States

Welcoming Prayer Part 2 – via Zoom
2024-02-26 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | Internet – Online
