Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.

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

Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop
2022-10-01 08:30 - 12:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
In this introductory workshop, you will learn the ancient method and principles of Centering Prayer practice in a quiet, reflective atmosphere. We will cover the history, psychology, and theology of the practice. Two prayer sessions and a question and answer session are included.
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.

A Creation Spirituality Primer – Explore this Alternative Way of Living the Spiritual Life – via zoom
2022-09-29 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | Internet – Online
Creation Spirituality is a way of being spiritual with roots in Jewish, dialectical, blessing-based thinking in contrast to the Greek platonic, dualistic, original sin-based spirituality that has dominated western Christianity for centuries. The presentation will explore this alternative way of living the spiritual life.
A period of Centering Prayer will begin the workshop

Centering Prayer Information Meeting
2022-09-28 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, 885 Shore Road, Cape Elizabeth, 04107, United States
Join the St. Alban’s Centering Prayer Group on Wednesday, September 28, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (New York) to learn about this ancient form of spirituality.

Listening with the Heart – a Centering Prayer & Lectio Divina Retreat
2022-09-26 15:00 - 2022-09-30 10:00 (America/Denver) | Mt. Angel, Oregon
DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO SEPTEMBER 10. PLEASE CONTACT BENNETH HUSTED TO REGISTER: bhusted@easystreet.net
Listening with the Heart will be a unique opportunity to experience Lectio Divina (the ancient practice of holy reading) from eclectic sources followed by contemplative sharing on a background of grand silence and intensive Centering Prayer practice.
Expansive views of the Willamette Valley, opportunities to pray with the monks, walk the beautiful grounds, or simply soak in the peaceful atmosphere, will enhance your experience. All guestrooms are private with private baths.
A covid safety plan is in place with everyone fully vaccinated, silent meals, social distancing, and masks-on inside buildings. We request covid testing within 24 hours prior to arrival.
Deposit of $100 due at time of registration. Full fee is $650, with deadline for final payment extended to August 31. Payments may be made online via PayPal.
Reserve your place today!
Contact Benneth with questions or to register manually: bhusted@easystreet.net
Contact Patricia to request a partial scholarship: patricia.a.lacy@gmail.com

7-day Silent Centering Prayer Retreat
2022-09-24 11:30 - 2022-09-30 13:30 UTC | Saint Benedict Center, 1123 Road I, Schuyler, NE, 68661, United States
The natural progression of the contemplative is deeper into the heart of God where the Presence of God can be experienced in the freedom of silence and solitude. No distractions, no hurrying, no ‘to-do’ lists. We can engage in ‘the discipline of slow.’ Being present. Noticing what is.
“Every time you listen with great attentiveness to the voice that calls you beloved, you will discover within yourself a desire to hear that voice longer and more deeply.” ~Henri Nouwen
Nebraska Contemplative Outreach and South Dakota Contemplative Outreach are co-hosting this years’ 7-day retreat offered at Saint Benedict Center in Schuyler Nebraska.
St. Benedict Center is a beautiful place to relax and listen with a supportive community. A silent retreat allows space to hear more intimately the words of Jesus …
“Come away with me to a quiet place and rest awhile.” ~Mark 6:31
Our retreat begins Saturday, Sept. 24th at noon for lunch. We will conclude Friday, Sept. 30th after the noon meal. Central Time zone.
Prerequisite: Attendance at a weekend silent retreat is recommended as well as having a daily Centering Prayer practice.
Single room, all meals and programming will be provided for $650.
Register here.
Space is limited to 20 participants.
After payment is made, please email Cathy.c@cox.net with the following information:
Name, address, phone, email, arrival time, departure time, and previous silent retreat experience.
Deadline is Sept. 9, 2022

Introduction to Centering Prayer (In-Person)
2022-09-23 17:30 - 2022-09-25 11:30 UTC | Benedictine Sisters Retreat Center, 916 Convent Road, AL, 35055, United States
September 23-25, 2022
Benedictine Sisters Retreat Center
Cullman, AL
Presenter: Sister Mary McGehee
In an Introductory Workshop one learns this way of prayer by means of lectures, discussion, and practicing the method of prayer. The day has a beautiful atmosphere of silent listening from the heart. There are four talks during this daylong workshop: Prayer as Relationship, the Method of Centering Prayer, “Thoughts” and the Use of the Sacred Word, Deepening our Relationship with God and Integrating Prayer into Daily Life.

Virtual Silent Saturday with Fr. Vinny McKiernan CSP - via Zoom
2022-09-17 08:30 - 14:30 (Asia/Shanghai) | Internet – Online
A Silent Saturday provides a few hours that are set aside for Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina, spiritual teaching and reflection.
Fr. Vinny will discuss “The Humanity of Jesus” as well as Karl Rahner’s quote: “The Incarnation is the ineffable outrageousness of the absolute Godhead in person falling stark naked into our narrow creaturehood.”
Fr Vinny is a Paulist priest. He was introduced to Centering Prayer at the Cistercian Monastery in Spencer, Massachusetts in the mid-70’s through the monks Basil Pennington and William Menninger. He has led countless Centering Prayer workshops and retreats.
Register by sending an email to rbrtgorman@gmail.com and you will receive a link to the event.

The Word of God, in Silence and Sound: Centering Prayer in the Context of the Divine Office
2022-09-16 15:00 - 2022-09-18 13:00 (America/New_York) | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Contemplative Immersion Retreat with Fr. Justin Lanier
This contemplative immersion retreat will flow through periods of Centering Prayer, walking meditation, teaching, and the simple chant of the Divine Office. The seasons of the night and day will be marked with the corresponding praying the Offices of Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers, and Compline as an expression and support of our intensive Centering Prayer weekend. There will be a basic instruction in chant at the start of our retreat, and no prior musical training or experience is required.
Fr. Justin Lanier serves as Priest and Curate of Saint Clement’s Church, Philadelphia. He is a retreat leader with a devotion to intensive contemplative immersion practice. He conducts Centering Prayer workshops and classes in contemplative practice and theology. Fr. Justin’s early training includes monastic formation at Saint Benedict’s Trappist Monastery, Snowmass, Colorado, under Dom. Joseph Boyle, O.C.S.O., and Fr. Thomas Keating, O.C.S.O., as well as at Tofukuji Rinzai Zen Training Monastery, Kyoto, Japan, under Keido Fukushima Roshi.

Eight-Day Centering Prayer Post-Intensive Retreat at Holy Cross Monastery
2022-09-13 14:00 - 2022-09-20 14:00 (America/New_York) | Holy Cross Monastery – New York, 1615 Route 9W, West Park, NY, 12493, United States
The Eight-Day Centering Prayer Post-Intensive Retreat offered from Tuesday, September 13 to Tuesday, September 20, 2022, provides an opportunity to deepen the practice of Centering Prayer in an atmosphere of profound silence and community support. This retreat follows the Contemplative Outreach guidelines for the Post-Intensive Retreat including eight 30-minute Centering Prayer periods daily. Most days are spent in grand silence, when all are asked not to speak or make eye contact.
Retreat leaders: Leslee Anne Terpay and Br. Bernard Delcourt are available for soul-friending. 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 including daily Holy Eucharist. An established practice of Centering Prayer of at least a year or more and past attendance at a Contemplative Outreach Intensive Retreat is highly recommended.
Tuesday check-in is from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Vespers begins at 5:00. Dinner then follows. Orientation begins at 7:15. The retreat concludes with lunch on the following Tuesday. (Daily Holy Eucharist is available at 9:00 a.m.). Cost for the retreat is $850. 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, Ms. Donna Mallory at 845-384-6660 ext 1 or at guesthouse@hcmnet.org. A nonrefundable and non-transferable deposit is required. We accept deposits and payments via all major credit cards, PayPal or personal check. We offer hospitality assistance for some programs, if you’d like to visit but find the cost too burdensome. The Guest House requires all guests to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
If you have questions about the content of the retreat 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

Body Presence and Contemplative Awareness – BioSpiritual Focusing Day of Presence - via Zoom
2022-09-10 09:30 - 12:30 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Discover a deeper awareness of healing and wisdom accessible to each of us through our bodies. During this day we’ll establish BioSpiritual Focusing’s place in Body Awareness Practice and then progressively and experimentally introduce participants to the focusing concepts which will conclude with a demonstration and discussion of Focusing. Participants will be invited to welcome and hold their feelings with curiosity and loving care in order to achieve integration into greater wholeness. The day provides the necessary foundations to pursue further practice and study of BioSpiritual Focusing.
This event is offered via Zoom. Please register using the link below to receive connection details.

Introduction to Centering Prayer Workshop
2022-09-10 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
In this workshop participants will learn the method of this way of praying as well as some of the conceptual background that underlies it. They will also have an opportunity to experience this prayer. Suggestions will be offered to enable participants to continue this practice on a daily basis.
This is a one day workshop and lunch is included.
Scholarships are available for those with financial needs. Contact the Reservations Office to request an application. 931-598-5342 or Reservations@stmaryssewanee.org

Autumn Silent Saturday
2022-09-10 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road, Encino, CA, 91436, United States
This Fall morning provides for a communal practice of Centering Prayer, a contemplative walk, private journaling and reflection, and ends with a period of Lectio Divina. Open to beginners as well as those experienced in contemplative prayer or silent meditation, All are welcome. A brief introduction to Centering Prayer will be offered for those new to the practice.
For more information, please contact Marilyn Nobori at 818-815-4480 or cpcoordinator@hsrcenter.com
Please register online at www.hsrcenter.com by September 7th. A free will offering is gratefully appreciated.

Centering Prayer: An 11th-Step Practice - Introductory Workshop via Zoom
2022-09-10 08:00 - 12:30 UTC | Internet – Online
We have found Centering Prayer to be a meaningful method for our daily 11th-step meditation practice. To share this method with others in 12-step recovery, we are offering this workshop to teach participants about the practice of Centering Prayer. We will also have a talk about the human condition, which will help explain why we need a daily 11th-step practice. Times noted are in Central Time (Chicago).
In addition to the workshop on September 10th, registration includes continuing sessions on the four Saturday mornings following the workshop. These optional sessions will each last for about an hour and will allow workshop participants to join us to: 1) practice Centering Prayer together, 2) learn more about the prayer practice and 3) ask questions. These continuing session will be held September 17 and 24 and October 1 and 8 at 9AM Central Time.

12-Step Introductory Workshop on Centering Prayer as 11th-Step Practice - via Zoom
2022-09-10 08:00 - 12:30 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Centering Prayer as an 11th Step Practice Introductory Workshop and a presentation on The Human Condition
We have discovered that even when we live with great resolve, determination, and effort, we cannot heal ourselves. Yes, there are things we can do, but we came to believe that healing is the work of our higher power. As we consent to God’s presence and action within us through the Centering Prayer practice, we open ourselves to the exact healing we most need.
Four continuing sessions also by Zoom Saturdays 9:00-10:00 am Central Time
September 17th, 24th, and October 1st, and 8th

How Contemplation Can Heal A Violent World
2022-09-10 | Christ Episcopal Church, Columbia MD, 6800 Oakland Mills Road, Columbia, MD, 21045, United States
In the 25th Anniversary celebration of Contemplative Outreach of Maryland and Washington DC (COMW), the Right Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, Bishop of Maryland, COMW co-founder, will lead a full-day program on how contemplation is as relevant as ever in today’s world of violence at all levels of our lives, both domestically and globally. Indeed, Centering Prayer, as one form of contemplation, is a method for stilling our mind, and in silence opening our hearts to peace and understanding, thereby creating a foundation for a nonviolent response to any event that occurs in our lives.

Praying with the Ear of our Heart-A Lectio Divina Retreat
2022-09-07 15:00 - 2022-09-10 12:00 UTC | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
The focus of the retreat will be a Lectio Divina Introductory Workshop based on Fr. Thomas Keating’s teachings of the Four Senses of Scripture. The experience of praying with Holy Scripture will be supported by Centering Prayer periods with ample time for personal reflection and/or exploring the many trails on the partially wooded 140 acres in the hills of Pennsylvania.
Lectio Divina reveals the four senses of Scripture-the literal, the allegorical, the moral/behavioral and the unitive in a Spirit-led, transformative experience of relationship with the Divine. Come and let the Spirit speak to your heart as you “hear” scripture revealed through this ancient monastic prayer form.
Led by: Elizabeth Graboski-a longtime contemplative prayer practitioner and a commissioned presenter of Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina for Contemplative Outreach. Currently serves with Contemplative Outreach Central Pennsylvania local chapter for the Spiritual Enrichment and Formation for Facilitators of Centering Prayer Groups.
Bethany Retreat Center
1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA 16836
Offering: $397.00 (Cost includes accommodations, all meals & retreat)
Deposit: $75.00
Arrival: 3:00-5:00 on Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Departure: 12:00 pm on Saturday, September 10, 2022
*Commuter option available. Call to inquire.

Entering the Mystical Mandala: Centering Oneself in the Sacred Circle
2022-09-07 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Siena Retreat Center, Racine WI, 5637 Erie St, Racine, WI 53402, Racine, WI, 53402, United States
This retreat will explore the universal symbol of the sacred circle known as the “mandala” and why we are naturally drawn to this sacred shape. Together we will experience how and why entering the process of creating and working with mandalas fosters physical, psychological and spiritual grounding in our lives. Attendees will be invited to create four mandalas as part of the retreat. The retreat will include opportunities for art sharing where participants can process their experience in creating their mandala art. No previous art ability is needed to participate in this retreat. Everyone, experienced artist or not, will benefit from attending and creating. Basic art supplies will be offered to each participant, but you are free to bring your own favorite art-making supplies as well.
Mandala creating and conferences will be surrounded by the gift of silence as well as regularly scheduled group Centering Prayer sessions. Do not be afraid to meet your spiritual inner artist. All are welcome!

Physio Divina – Embodied Centering Prayer Half-Day Retreat - via Zoom
2022-09-03 09:00 - 11:30 (Pacific/Honolulu) | Internet – Online
Physio Divina – Sept 3, 2022
Online Embodied Centering Prayer Half Day Retreat
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/92185854158?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting Id: 921-8585-4185 Password: [REDACTED]
An Online (Zoom) 2 ½ hour Centering Prayer retreat will be offered on the first Saturday of each month. These Saturdays will 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 whereever and whenever you are. In-person Oahu morning of prayer is on the third Saturday.
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: OCT 1, 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

Wisdom School: Three-Centered Presence & Transformation of Consciousness
2022-08-25 18:00 - 2022-08-30 12:00 UTC | Mercy Center Burlingame, 2300 Adeline Drive, Burlingame, CA, 94010, United States
“From time immemorial Wisdom Schools have emerged in times of global crisis or on the cusp of great leaps in human consciousness in order to help shepherd our planet through the transition. While there is academic teaching that goes on here, that is not the primary business of a Wisdom school; the primary business is to help anchor human wholeness and to work with the core practices that sustain the transformation of consciousness.”
— Wisdom Waypoints
We are indeed in a time of global crisis and amidst a shift in our current structures of consciousness. Drawing on the work of Cynthia Bourgeault, G.I. Gurdjieff, Gebser, and others, this Wisdom School will focus on deepening presence in our three centers – intellectual, emotional, body – and how awakening in them can support us in the transformation of consciousness. We will also explore the practices of self-observation, self-remembering, conscious labor, and intentional suffering as a way of participating in what is needed for the whole right now.
Join us in person at the Mercy Center in Burlingame. There will be an invitation to a ‘wisdom way of knowing’ through a daily rhythm with periods of silence, centering prayer, teaching, conscious conversation, Gurdjieff Exercises and Movements, chanting, mindful work, lectio divina, and contemplative free time.
Recommended Reading:
‘Wisdom Way of Knowing’ by Cynthia Bourgeault
‘Seeing Through the World’ by Jeremy Johnson
Retreat Leaders:
Heather Ruce, M.A. is a wisdom spiritual director with training in a neurophysiology based approach to understanding the nervous system. She loves working with individuals as well as facilitating groups and retreats focused on learning and practicing the Christian Wisdom Tradition.
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.
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.
For more information visit: www.mercy-center.org
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.

6-Day Centering Prayer Intensive/Post-Intensive Retreat hosted by Contemplative Outreach St. Louis
2022-08-21 16:00 - 2022-08-26 13:00 (America/New_York) | Kings House Retreat and Renewal Center, 700 N. 66th St., Belleville, IL, 62223, United States
This retreat is an opportunity for practitioners of Centering Prayer to deepen their contemplative journey in the contemporary world. It is a six-day experience of integrating contemplation and action through silence, solitude and community.
Both tracks of the retreat provide daily experiences of Centering Prayer, silence, solitude, walking and spiritual companionship to foster an ever-deepening level of interior silence and awareness of the presence of God in everyday life.
The Intensive Retreat is for people who have completed an Introductory Workshop and have a regular practice of Centering Prayer. You will view a video each day from the Spiritual Journey Video Series by Fr. Thomas Keating with small group discussion.
The Post-Intensive Retreat is for people who have previously attended an Intensive Retreat. The Post Intensive will include additional periods of Centering Prayer.
Please follow the link below to register. Or download the retreat flyer to mail-in registration.
Download Retreat Flyer

Eight-day Centering Prayer Post-Intensive Retreat: God Is Love
2022-08-19 17:30 - 2022-08-27 13:00 UTC | Benet House Retreat Center, 2208 88th Avenue W, Rock Island, IL, 61201, United States
God is Love: The Heart of All Creation builds on the works of Fr. Thomas Keating and is possibly his last major published series. As Fr. Thomas notes in the series:
“Everything in the universe – everything our senses observe and technology uncovers at the highest level of infinitude is prophetic witness of the Divine. The Divine Presence is happening in, through, and amidst every detail of life… penetrates all that exists … is in relationship to every part of creation … is trying to move humanity to the next stage of consciousness.”
During this Intensive Retreat, viewing of the God Is Love video series will be in silence. The retreat experience offers several periods of Centering Prayer in community each day with time for rest, reflection and enjoying the exquisite nature which envelopes the campus of St. Mary Monastery grounds. Meals are silent, with the exception of conversation at the evening meal on opening night and at the last meal on the final day of the retreat.
Susan Komis is the facilitator of the retreat and will be available for private walks and talks throughout the duration of the retreat.
See link below for more information and to register.

6-Day Centering Prayer Retreat with Sr. Ruth Ann Madera
2022-08-18 17:30 - 2022-08-23 12:00 UTC | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
This 6-day retreat will be an in-depth retreat for those experienced in Centering Prayer. The retreat will facilitate entrance into a more profound level of spiritual practice in an atmosphere of silence, solitude, and community with an opportunity to spend extended time in deep silence in community to encourage a more intimate union with God. Spiritual enrichment will be gleaned from God is Love: The Heart of All Creation.
An existing Centering Prayer practice is a prerequisite for attending this retreat.
Sr. Ruth Ann Madera, CA has been a presenter for the Introduction to Centering Prayer, as well as for Formation Training with Contemplative Outreach over the last twenty years. She continues to lead a variety of Centering Prayer Retreats at Bethany Retreat Center. Sr. Ruth Ann is a spiritual director as well retreat director. She provides spiritual direction on an ongoing basis as well as spiritual companioning/direction during retreats at Bethany Retreat Center. Sr. Ruth Ann has her degree in Religious Studies from St. Francis University. She is also a graduate of Shalem’s Spiritual Guidance Program.
Please see the link below for more information and to register.

Intro to Centering Prayer Weekend Retreat
2022-08-12 18:00 - 2022-08-14 12:00 UTC | St. Clare’s Retreat House in Soquel, California, 2381 Laurel Glen Rd, Soquel, CA, Soquel, CA, 95073, United States
Whether your interest is deepening your relationship with God, relief from the stress of daily life, or learning about contemplative prayer, why not take some time this summer to learn and practice Centering Prayer? There will be plenty of time to rest and enjoy the beautiful contemplative oasis of St. Clare’s Retreat House in the Santa Cruz mountains. The intention for this weekend retreat is to refresh the spirit and deepen our commitment to a regular practice of Centering Prayer. Beginner and experienced Centering Prayer practitioners are welcome.
Centering Prayer is a time-honored prayer practice in the Christian contemplative tradition that has helped men and women to prepare for, receive, and deepen the gift of contemplative prayer. People have been practicing Centering Prayer throughout the centuries, but it is different from what we may think of as prayer. It is not the type of prayer we are used to, like praying out loud or asking for something, or even giving thanks. It is moving deep within ourselves, in silence, saying nothing, asking nothing, just intending to be in the Presence of God, and allowing God to be with us. An introductory retreat offers instruction and practice on the method of Centering Prayer and discussion about its conceptual background. We will learn from experienced teaching, DVD’s and group discussion. We will also enjoy Eucharist, as well as pray the Liturgy of the Hours (Morning and Evening Prayer).
You may register using the link below.
