Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.

Introduction to Lectio Divina - via Zoom
2023-02-11 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Internet – Online
Lectio Divina, a Latin term for “divine reading,” is an ancient monastic practice of praying the Scriptures. The monks would gather in prayer and hear the scripture proclaimed. They would take a word or phrase that spoke to them into the activity of their day. Pondering this thought, ruminating through it throughout their work, they were aware of God’s presence.
Many of you are quite familiar with Centering Prayer, and have experienced how it has deepened your relationship with God. In this workshop, you will learn the basics of Lectio Divina, experience it in a guided setting, and be able to ask questions and share experiences with the presenter and your fellow participants.
During Lectio Divina, the practitioner listens to the text of the Bible with the “ear of the heart,” as if one is in conversation with God. Lectio Divina includes moments of reading (lectio), reflecting on (meditatio), responding to (oratio) and resting in (contemplatio) the Word of God with the aim of nourishing and deepening one’s relationship with the Divine.
Lectio Divina will bring you into a more intimate sense of the presence of God in the word of Scripture, and you will experience that grace this word has to influence, and indeed transform your life.
Please register using the link below.

Centering Prayer Silent Weekend Retreat
2023-02-10 17:00 - 2023-02-12 13:00 UTC | 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). This weekend offers a supportive community which fosters a quiet space where God is known more intimately. There will be regularly scheduled prayer sits with contemplative walks in between 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; $175 commuter (includes all meals)
Register online at hsrcenter.com by February 3rd
A non-refundable deposit of $50 is required when registering.
Contact: Marilyn Nobori at cpcoordinator@hsrcenter.com

Centering Prayer Retreat
2023-02-07 14:00 - 2023-02-10 14:00 (America/New_York) | Holy Cross Monastery – New York, 1615 Route 9W, West Park, NY, 12493, United States
This four-day retreat at Holy Cross Monastery in the Hudson Valley 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 pm Tuesday. Vespers begins at 5:00. Dinner then follows. Orientation begins at 6:45 pm. The retreat concludes with noon meal on Friday. (Daily Holy Eucharist is available at 9:00 a.m.). The suggested donation for the retreat is $430. The retreat fee includes a single room and all meals. Shared single occupancy bathrooms in the hallways.
Retreat Leader: Leslee Anne Terpay is a Contemplative Outreach commissioned presenter for Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina. She is part of the service team who defines Lectio Divina workshop teachings and retreat experiences. Leslee is a spiritual director in Lone Tree, Colorado and a graduate of The Centering for Action and Contemplation Living School.
Reservations may be made by e-mail or phone.
We accept payments via all major credit cards, PayPal, or personal check. We offer hospitality assistance if you’d like to visit but find the cost too burdensome. To register, please contact our Guesthouse Office by phone (845-384-6660, ext. 3002) or email (guesthouse@hcmnet.org). If you have questions on the content of the retreat please contact Leslee at co-leslee@comcast.net

Online Half Day Centering Prayer/Welcoming Prayer mini-retreat via Hawaiʻi (1st Saturday of every month)
2023-02-04 09:00 - 11:30 (Pacific/Honolulu) | Internet – Online
First Saturdays
9-11:30am Hawaiʻi time (UTC-10)
Half day online retreats
First Saturdays online retreats are a special time where we explore our centering prayer practice. We are looking forward to sharing Physio-Divina (Moving) practices, Visio-Divina (visual-Art) practices. Lectio-Divina (Sacred Text) practices in addition to the Centering Prayer and Welcoming prayer practice that are our foundation. Pulelehua, Liedeke, and Margie have stepped into leadership and welcome others if you are called to join us.
Here is a preview of the first part of 2023: January 7th celebrated Epiphany, February 4 we will be embracing Love, March 4th we will be entering into the Lenten Season, and April 4 we will be reflecting on Holy week.
Let the Light grow in us,
Visio Divina,
Centering Prayer and Welcoming Prayer
February 4, 2023, 9:11:30 am Hawai’i time (UTC-10)
We hope you will join us from wherever & whenever you are!
Schedule in Hawai’i Time (UTC -10)
8:45am Room open to for early connections
9:00 Welcome and introductions
9:15 Centering prayer
9:45 Welcoming prayer
10:00 Centering prayer
10:20 Break
10:30 Visio Divina
10:45 Reflections
11:00 Body Prayer with Lectio Divina
11:15-11:30 Closing Prayer
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/92185854158?pwd=[REDACTED]
Zoom Meeting ID: 921 8585 4158
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Dates 2023 ( the zoom link is the same for all these dates)
February 4
March 4
April 1
May 6
June 3
July 1
August 5
September 2
October 7
November 4
December 2

The Contemplative Spirituality of Icons and Iconography
2023-01-28 09:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Contemplative Enrichment Day with Marek Czarnecki
Icons in the Orthodox Christian tradition have been used as visual theology and as windows into the spiritual world. Through sacred imagery, the Holy Spirit speaks to the believer, revealing deep truths that may not be evident in other ways, leading the believer into the depths of prayer and contemplation. During this day, we will share the spiritual foundations of icons, reveal the contemplative practice of writing icons, and experience the contemplative practice of praying with icons.
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.
Marek Czarnecki is a gifted iconographer and artist, teaching and writing icons out of his liturgical arts studio, Seraphic Restorations, in Meriden, Connecticut. He is a student of Russian Orthodox iconographer Ksenia Pokrovsky. Marek is a popular icon workshop and retreat leader. His icons have been featured in numerous exhibits, videos and articles, including The New York Times and St. Anthony Messenger.

Introduction to Centering Prayer
2023-01-27 - 2023-01-29 | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
Join us for the Introduction to Centering Prayer retreat to deepen your personal relationship with God, and to prepare to receive the gift of contemplation. Introduction to Centering Prayer will allow you to be still and know God through this method of Christian silent prayer.
This retreat consists of four conferences of contemplative practice, study, and support.
Session one is a deeper look into prayer, specifically Centering Prayer, as a relationship with God.
Session two provides initial instruction into the practice of Centering Prayer itself, with the introduction to the choice and purpose of your personal sacred word.
Session three provides a deeper level of understanding of the Centering Prayer Practice that includes both the sacred word and silence as prayer, and insight into your various processes of thought. All of these combine to open you to giving consent to God’s presence and action.
Session four provides a connection between the method and practice of Centering Prayer and being fully present in everyday life by removing the obstacles to the state of union with God.
Additional retreats are scheduled throughout the year to enable you to enhance your regular practice of Centering Prayer.

Personal Days of Renewal with optional Centering Prayer Group Sessions
2023-01-27 - 2023-01-29 | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
Do you find yourself stressed? Overwhelmed? In personal spiritual crisis? Exhausted from caring for others? Do you just need to “unplug” from the daily grind? How are you taking care of yourself spiritually, physically, and emotionally? You can’t pour from an empty cup. You are invited to take some time for yourself on a personal retreat to focus on caring for yourself and fill up your cup.
Bethany Retreat Center is offering personal days of renewal for those who want to come for a day, overnight, or a few days to rest, relax, rejuvenate, reconnect, and rejoice. Take time to walk the grounds or the labyrinth, visit the Mary grotto, enjoy the scenery on a hike to the cross on the hill, sit and contemplate, pray in peace, or do whatever fills your personal cup.
We offer a comfortable place to rest and home cooked meals to nourish your body, mind, and soul. Schedule a session of soul friending while you are here for a spiritual uplift. If you are a Centering Prayer practitioner, you are also invited to attend the Centering Prayer group prayers offered throughout the weekend.

Global Conversation for Contemplative Outreach Community - via Zoom
2023-01-27 00:00 - 2023-01-28 17:00 UTC | Internet – Online
“Sharing the Vision,” offered via Zoom
All are welcome to join in a gathering for volunteers, hosted by the Chapter Support Team of Contemplative Outreach Ltd. This is an opportunity for Contemplative Outreach volunteers to connect and converse in a Zoom meeting with breakout rooms. You are welcome to propose conversation topics in advance to Marie Howard at mrhfamlife@aol.com.
Two opportunities to participate:

Friday, January 27: GMT midnight; 7pm Eastern; 6pm Central; 4pm Pacific; 2pm Hawaii (UTC-10)

OR

Saturday January 28: GMT 4pm; 11am Eastern; 10am Central; 8am Pacific; 6am Hawaii.

Click here to REGISTER

Simple Presence - A Contemplative Prayer Experience with the Vision of Contemplative Outreach - via Zoom
2023-01-21 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Internet – Online
In Simple Presence, the divine Presence becomes an invitation for our community to listen deeply to the Spirit’s movement and action within. The event will offer a communal prayer experience dedicated to contemplation of the Vision Statement of Contemplative Outreach: “We embrace transformation in Christ, both in ourselves and in others through the practice of Centering Prayer.”
Each participant enters into inner awareness individually and then opens to the source of the Presence, which is shared by other members of the group. The underlying commonality of the intention held is sacred. Simple Presence is being offered to those who are engaged with Contemplative Outreach on any level or simply have an interest in this community. It will be assumed that participants have a regular Centering Prayer practice and are familiar with Lectio Divina and the Welcoming Prayer.
Alan Krema will lead this workshop and it will include embodied prayer, chant, reflective readings, Centering Prayer, Welcoming Prayer, and wisdom sharing. Come prepared to sit in Simple Presence with the sacred words of the Vision. This prayerful event will be approximately two hours in length and will be presented online as Zoom gathering.
Please use the link below to register

Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop
2023-01-21 09:00 - 12:30 UTC | Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road, Encino, CA, 91436, United States
Contemplative prayer is God’s personal and unique gift to each of us. If we are open to this gift, it will profoundly affect our lives and relationship with God, others, and 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.
For more information, please contact Marilyn Nobori at 818-815-4480 or cpcoordinator@hsrcenter.com
Register at hsrcenter.com by January 18th with a non-refundable deposit of $10.00

Centering Prayer Summit - via Zoom
2023-01-21 - 2023-01-22 | Internet – Online
Join the two-day Centering Prayer Summit: a teachings & practice event.
Hear from these teachers:
– Cynthia Bourgeault
– Fr. Carl Arico
– Carl McColman
– Colleen Thomas
– Phileena Nikole
– Mary Dwyer
– Adam Bucko
– Nhien Vuong
Presentation Titles:
– The Mystical Roots of Centering Prayer
– From Prayer to Protest: On Being an Engaged Contemplative in the World
– The Enneagram of Soul: From Vice to Virtue
– What the heck is Divine Therapy and why should we want it?
– Obstacles to Grace in Centering Prayer
– & more.
Visit https://www.centeringprayersummit.com/ for details and to register!
Hosted by Closer Than Breath

New Year Silent Saturday
2023-01-14 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road, Encino, CA, 91436, United States
Start the new year off with a deeper sense of peace.
Join us for a quiet morning of Centering Prayer and silence. The day provides time for communal prayer, a contemplative walk, private journaling, and reflection
and ends with a period of Lectio Divina. All are welcome. A brief introduction to Centering Prayer will be offered to those new to the practice.
For more information, please contact Marilyn Nobori at +1-818-815-4480 or cpcoordinator@hsrcenter.com
Register online at hsrcenter.com by January 10th . A free will offering is gratefully appreciated.

Back to Basics: Exploring the Why, What and How of Centering Prayer - via Zoom
2023-01-07 10:00 - 11:30 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Start or Deepen a Centering Prayer practice. A free, 90-minute offering.
​Back to Basics: Exploring the Why, What, & How of Centering Prayer​
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
This event is perfect for two kinds of people:
1. Those who are unfamiliar and want to explore this unique contemplative practice (how about a new meditation practice for 2023 ?)
2. And seasoned practitioners that want to return to the basics, take “beginners mind” into your practice, or reset your and clarify the why and intention behind your practice.
Led by Keith Kristich, commissioned presenter of Centering Prayer, Founder of Closer Than Breath
We hope you join us!

Online Half Day Centering Prayer/Welcoming Prayer mini-retreat via Hawaiʻi (1st Saturday of every month)
2023-01-07 09:00 - 11:30 (Pacific/Honolulu) | Internet – Online
First Saturdays
9-11:30am Hawaiʻi time (UTC-10)
Half day online retreats
First Saturdays online retreats are a special time where we explore our centering prayer practice. We are looking forward to sharing Physio-Divina (Moving) practices, Visio-Divina (visual-Art) practices. Lectio-Divina (Sacred Text) practices in addition to the Centering Prayer and Welcoming prayer practice that are our foundation. Pulelehua, Liedeke, and Margie have stepped into leadership and welcome others if you are called to join us.
Here is a preview of the first part of 2023: January 7th we will be celebrating Epiphany, February 4 we will be embracing Love, March 4th we will be entering into the Lenten Season, and April 4 we will be reflecting on Holy week.
Let the Light grow in us,
Visio Divina,
Centering Prayer and Welcoming Prayer
January 7, 2023, 9:11:30 am Hawai’i time (UTC-10)
EPIPHANY, the Light shining forth,
The 12th and last day of the Christmas season.
We hope you will join us from wherever & whenever you are!
Schedule in Hawai’i Time (UTC -10)
8:45am Room open to for early connections
9:00 Welcome and introductions
9:15 Centering prayer
9:45 Welcoming prayer
10:00 Centering prayer
10:20 Break
10:30 Visio Divina
10:45 Reflections
11:00 Body Prayer with Lectio Divina
11:15-11:30 Closing Prayer
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/92185854158?pwd=[REDACTED]
Zoom Meeting ID: 921 8585 4158
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Dates 2023 ( the zoom link is the same for all these dates)
January 7
February 4
March 4
April 1
May 6
June 3
July 1
August 5
September 2
October 7
November 4
December 2

Eight-Day Centering Prayer Retreat
2023-01-06 17:00 - 2023-01-13 11:00 (America/Chicago) | St. Mary’s Sewanee: The Ayres Center for Spiritual Development, 770 St. Mary's Lane, TN, 37375, United States
This retreat is an opportunity for practitioners of Centering Prayer to deepen their contemplative journey in the contemporary world. It is a week-long experience of integrating contemplation and action through silence, solitude, and community.
The retreat offers two tracks. The intensive track is recommended for people who have completed the introductory workshop and who have a regular practice of Centering Prayer. The post-intensive track is for those people who have previously made an eight-day intensive retreat. The post-intensive offers increased silence and additional periods of Centering Prayer. Both the intensive and post-intensive Centering Prayer retreat provide daily experiences of silence, solitude, walking, hiking, yoga, and spiritual companionship to foster an ever-deepening level of interior silence and awareness of the presence of God in everyday life.
Scholarship Assistance is available for those with financial need. Please contact Reservations for application, Reservations@stmaryssewanee.org, 931-598-5342.

Transformation Through Everyday Epiphany
2023-01-05 - 2023-01-08 | Omega Retreat Center, 216 West Highland, Boerne, TX, 78006, United States
A Silent Centering Prayer Retreat
Thursday, January 5 – Sunday, January 8, 2023
Omega Retreat Center, Boerne, Texas
Presented by Pamela Begeman
As the new year begins, join in community to explore and listen for the movement of the Spirit in our routines and ordinary lives. Each day we will experience several periods of Centering Prayer, brief reflections on the topic, lectio and visio divina, and spacious time for solitude and rest. May we each leave renewed in our intention to attend to the epiphanies in our everyday lives.
Pamela Begeman is a daily practitioner and commissioned presenter of both Centering Prayer and the Welcoming Prayer. She co-creates and facilitates many of the Contemplative Outreach worldwide online retreats, programs and publications. She is also one of the creators and editors of The Contemplative Life Program, a series of 40-day booklets on contemplative practices and dispositions. Her daily spiritual practices root her in the present and Presence while being an active wife, mother, grandmother and professional. Pamela serves as communications and program coordinator for the international office of Contemplative Outreach and lives in Austin, Texas. She also serves on the executive committee of The Meditation Chapel, a Zoom-enabled worldwide prayer chapel for people of all contemplative practices and spiritual traditions. She loves hiking, cooking, hugging trees, dogs, bubbles and art-making as spiritual practice.
January 5 (4:00-6:00 pm registration) and end by 11:00 am on Sunday, January 8, 2023.
Registration fee covers all meals and lodging for the retreat.
Retreatants must bring their own pillow, bed linens (twin), towels and toiletries.
Confirmation of your registration and additional details will be emailed to you upon receipt of your registration.
Registration $300 if paid before Dec. 1; after Dec 1, $325
Registration Closes December 20, 2022
All meals and lodging included
Please see the link below to register.

Lectio Divina Advent Experience
2022-12-10 09:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Bring the experience of contemplative prayer into your Advent season! Review and practice the method of Lectio Divina for praying sacred Scripture. Through reading, reflecting, responding and resting in the Word of God, we nourish and deepen our relationship with God. In addition to using Scripture, we’ll apply Lectio-inspired methods to images (Visio Divina), music, body senses and to noticing God’s action in our daily lives. This workshop provides participants with many avenues leading to contemplation during Advent, Christmas, and the year ahead.
This program will be offered both in-person and online via Zoom. Information on how to access the program on Zoom will be sent to participants in advance.
Please see the link below to register.

Advent Silent Saturday
2022-12-10 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road, Encino, CA, 91436, United States
As the season of Advent approaches, join us for a quiet morning of Centering Prayer and silence. The day is open to beginners as well as those experienced in contemplative prayer or silent meditation. The day provides time for communal prayer, a contemplative walk, private journaling and reflection, and ends with a period of Lectio Divina.
All are welcome.
A brief introduction to Centering Prayer will be offered for those new to the practice.
(Arrive at 8:45am)
For more information, please contact Marilyn Nobori at 818-815-4480 or cpcoordinator@hsrcenter.com
Register online at hsrcenter.com by December 7th.
A free will offering is gratefully appreciated.

What Are You Waiting For? A Virtual Advent Silent Saturday via Zoom
2022-12-10 08:30 - 14:30 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Contemplative Outreach of Columbus is offering a Silent Saturday. 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 Advent.
Advent is a time of waiting and hope. It needs our attention. Sr. Carol Ann will lead us in reflecting on the manner and amount of space we allow for Christ in our lives. Let us take time to become more aware of the power of Emmanuel’s presence within each of us and our ability to warm the lives of others because of God’s gift.
WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR THIS ADVENT SEASON?
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
Sr. Carol Ann Spencer O.P. is a member of the Dominican Sisters of Peace. She has led countless workshops and retreats. She is also the founding director of WELLSTREAMS, a program for becoming a spiritual director, and the Spirituality Network.
The day will begin at 8:30am and last until 2:30pm. Eastern Standard Time (New York)
Register by sending an email to Bob Gorman at rbrtgorman@gmail.com.
and a zoom link and handouts will be sent to you a few days in advance.
The event is free. Nondeductible donations to Contemplative Outreach of Columbus to cover costs are welcome. They can be sent to the care of Tom Davis at 844 Franklin Ave, Columbus, OH 43205.

Advent Centering Prayer Retreat
2022-12-09 17:00 - 2022-12-11 12:00 (America/Chicago) | St. Mary’s Sewanee: The Ayres Center for Spiritual Development, 770 St. Mary's Lane, TN, 37375, United States
This weekend retreat will focus on how Centering Prayer can heighten one’s understanding and appreciation for the season of Advent.
Centering Prayer is a form of Christian silent meditation where one lets go of thoughts during periods of prayer typically lasting 20 minutes. It is rooted in the self-emptying love that forms the heart of Jesus’ teaching and life. The effect on those who practice it is an every-increasing awareness of the God’s action and presence in the course of ordinary life.
Scholarship assistance is available. Please contact Reservations for application, Reservations@stmaryssewanee.org, 931-598-5342.

Advent Centering Prayer Weekend Retreat Onsite
2022-12-09 15:00 - 2022-12-11 15:00 UTC | St. Mary’s Sewanee, 770 St. Mary's Lane, TN, 37375, United States
Advent Centering Prayer Weekend Retreat onsite at St. Mary’s Sewanee Retreat Center in Sewanee, TN.
Please see the link below for more information and to register.

Entering the Mystical Mandala: Centering Oneself in the Sacred Circle
2022-12-08 17:30 - 2022-12-11 13:00 (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!
Presenter: The Rev. Dr. Shawn Kafader is an ordained non-denominational clergyperson, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, certified Expressive Arts Therapist, certified Art4Healing® Facilitator, trained SoulCollage® Facilitator, and Artist. He is a commissioned workshop presenter with Contemplative Outreach having offered workshops and retreats both in-person and on-line. Mandala art has been Shawn’s main art-making form for over thirty years. You can learn more about Shawn and his mandala art by visiting www.shawnkafaderhealingarts.com
Contact: Ann Koerner, CSA, akoerner45@gmail.com; 262-282-8622
To register by check, download retreat flyer: https://www.contemplativewisconsin.org/retreat

Centering Prayer: Lectio Divina and the Four Senses of Scripture
2022-12-06 14:00 - 2022-12-09 14:00 (America/New_York) | Holy Cross Monastery – New York, 1615 Route 9W, West Park, NY, 12493, United States
This Praying Holy Scripture retreat offers Centering Prayer periods plus presentations based upon Fr. Thomas Keating’s teachings on the deepening levels of faith: the Four Senses of Scripture – literal, allegorical, behavioral/moral, and unitive senses. The presentations teach a contemplative way of listening to and reading Scripture known as the ancient monastic practice of Lectio Divina. During the retreat, one will experience the interplay of the silence of Centering Prayer and Praying Holy Scripture combined with the rhythm of this Episcopal Benedictine monastic community’s worship and prayer life including Holy Eucharist. This contemplative retreat welcomes those comfortable with silence and yearning to learn this ancient way of praying rather than studying Holy Scripture.
Tuesday Check-in is from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. Vespers begins at 5:00. Dinner then follows. Orientation begins at 6:45. The retreat concludes with noon meal Friday. Suggested donation for the retreat is $385. The retreat fee includes a single room and all meals. Shared single occupancy bathrooms in the hallways. The Guest House requires all guests to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
Register with our Guesthouse Manager, Donna Mallory at 845-384-6660 ext 1 or at guesthouse@hcmnet.org. If you have questions about the content of the retreat please contact the retreat leader: Leslee Terpay at co-leslee@comcast.net.
To find out more about Holy Cross Monastery, visit their website at: www.holycrossmonastery.com

Embodying Centering Prayer - via Zoom
2022-12-03 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Internet – Online
In this retreat, Ildiko Viczian, an experienced Centering Prayer presenter, will offer her decades-long integration of the practices of somatic awareness, contemplative movement, and Centering Prayer for the first time to the larger contemplative community.
Ildiko will begin with a brief practice of opening to and being present in body and consciousness to God. She will lead us to experience the support of the earth and alignment of the body with gravity, which allows a letting go of muscular holding, preparing for letting go of thoughts during prayer. She will guide us in becoming aware of our external and internal respiration and in this, recognizing the presence of the Holy Spirit. She will then invite us to participate, according to individual capacity, in contemplative movement and prayer, in body-mind-spirit, expressing reverence for and praise to God.
About Ildiko Viczian
Ildiko began her career in visual art and design. She then studied with Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, founder of the School for Body-Mind Centering® and anatomy and kinesiology at New York University to become certified as a teacher of BMC® in 1992. She continued her studies with Dr. John Upledger, founder of CranioSacral Therapy and SomatoEmotional Release, Dr. Jean Pierre Barral, founder of Visceral Manipulation, and Elaine Summers, founder of Kinetic Awareness. She has taught these educational and therapeutic modalities in the US and throughout Europe.
Ildiko comes from a lifetime of spiritual practices in various traditions. She started attending retreats with Thomas Keating in 2002 and visited him often at St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado, USA. She became a commissioned presenter of Centering Prayer in 2005, and joined the international team as liaison to France and Hungary. She currently facilitates Centering Prayer groups in the US and Europe in person and via Zoom. She is member of the Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. Translation Working Group.
Read Ildiko’s article ”Going Deeper”, published last April. You can find it here.
Please register using the link below.

“Mary: Awareness and Anticipation” Advent Retreat
2022-12-02 16:30 - 2022-12-04 12:00 UTC | New Melleray Abbey, 6632 Melleray Circle, Peosta, IA, 52068, United States
Join us for “Mary: Awareness and Anticipation” Contemplative Outreach retreat opportunity December 2-4 to welcome Advent in person at the grounds of the beautiful, contemplative New Melleray Guest House nestled quietly among the trees in Peosta, Iowa.
You will have the opportunity to ponder the Mystery of Christ’s coming, to go deep in the Silence and prayer opening your whole begin to God’s Word and Presence. Spacious opportunities will be available to walk in quiet wooded areas, enjoy silence in ample Centering Prayer periods alone or in group settings, ponder Scripture deeply through Lectio Divina, experience yoga prayer movements, and relax in your own solitude. Enjoy nutritious, lovingly made delicious meals and comfortable, spacious rooms for the event. Sponsored by Contemplative Outreach of Northeast Iowa.
Tickets are available for all three days or you can choose to attend one day (24 hour period) of your choice. Upon registering for a One Day Ticket, Contemplative Outreach of Northeast Iowa will contact you to see when you want to attend.
Image: JESUS MAFA. The Annunciation – Gabriel and Mary, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.

Leaning Into Blessing: An Advent Online Retreat
2022-12-02 16:00 - 2022-12-04 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Mercy Center Burlingame, 2300 Adeline Drive, Burlingame, CA, 94010, United States
“The season of Advent means there is something on the horizon the likes of which we have never seen before … So stay. Sit. Linger. Tarry. Ponder. Wait. Behold. Wonder. There will be time enough for running. For rushing. For worrying. For pushing. For now, stay. Wait. Something is on the horizon.” ―Jan L. Richardson
Advent is a season rich with anticipation as we prepare to honor the incarnation of the person of Jesus: he revealed to the world a life rooted in the heart, at the intersection of time and timelessness. Alongside Mary, pregnant with the Christ, we enter the dark and soft stillness of winter; ripening with the blessing of generating the Christ in our own embodied lives. As we lean into the blessing, cultivating our own deep “yes” parallel to Mary’s, we have the opportunity to carry forth tending to the horizontal demands of the season from a profound fullness. Slowing and staying awake to the true meaning of this season, we break the habitual excess of commercial consumerism, instead offering the fruits of our awakened hearts.
This retreat will include the practices of silence, Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina, Visio Divina, Audio Divina, reflective writing, sacred chanting, and body prayers. Join us as we lean into the blessing, sitting and lingering in the quiet, readying our hearts to enter Christmas with humility, compassion, and great love; that we may offer what is needed.
Optional Reading: Night Visions, by Jan Richardson. We will be incorporating some material from this book and you are welcome to purchase it if you like, but it is not necessary. Just come and sink into the season with us!
Retreat Leaders:
Heather Ruce, M.A. is a wisdom spiritual director with a background as a therapist and training in a neurophysiology based approach to trauma resolution. She loves working with individuals as well as facilitating groups and retreats focused on learning and practicing the 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.
Please register at www.mercy-center.org or telephone 650-340-7474
How will the virtual retreat work?
You are invited to join us from your own home as we practice integrating prayer with our daily lives, in our homes, and in our circumstances as they are. Check out the schedule (subject to change) below to get a sense of what our retreat will be like together. We hope that you will choose as much or as little of it as fits in your life, on any given day. Let the rest go. Be met, exactly where you are, trusting that God’s love surrounds all of it, all of us, exactly as we are.
Times in Pacific (California) time.
Friday, December 2nd
4:00 Welcome & Introductions
5:00 Silent Break
5:15 Contemplative Reflection One
6:00 Silent Dinner
7:30 Centering Prayer & Practices, followed by Great Silence
Saturday, December 3rd
8:30 Centering Prayer & Practices
9:30 Silent Break
9:45 Contemplative Reflection Two
10:30 Silent Break
10:45 Contemplative Reflection Three
11:30 Centering Prayer & Practices
12:00 Silent Lunch followed by Silent Contemplative Free Time
4:00 Centering Prayer & Practices
5:00 Silent Break
5:15 Contemplative Reflection Four
6:00 Silent Dinner
7:30 Centering Prayer & Practices, followed by Great Silence
Sunday, December 4th
8:30 Centering Prayer & Practices
9:30 Silent Break
9:45 Contemplative Reflection Five
10:30 Silent Break
10:45 Closing Reflections & Circle

Advent Centering Prayer Weekend
2022-12-02 - 2022-12-04 | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
“Bridges to Contemplative Living” leads participants on a journey toward personal spiritual transformation and a more contemplative and peace-filled life. This retreat is designed for those with an established daily practice of Centering Prayer who wish to deepen the transforming love of God in the midst of silence and solitude. The weekend will include Centering Prayer, conferences with contemplative dialogue, personal time, meals and Sunday liturgy.
See the link below for more information and to register.

Advent Intensive Retreat in Western Colorado
2022-11-28 17:00 - 2022-12-01 17:00 UTC | Dragonfly Oasis Retreats, 3310 C Road, Palisade, Colorado 81526, CO, United States
A four-day Centering Prayer Intensive Retreat
November 28-December 1, Monday through Thursday,
in Grand Junction, Colorado,the heart of the Colorado Wine Country,
at Dragonfly Oasis Retreat Center.
Six Centering Prayer sessions each day plus opportunity for 1-on-1 guided meditation and spiritual direction by appointment. Limit 8 persons. Registration $250 includes all meals and snacks. Room reservations are separate, starting at $60 per person per night for double occupancy. A wait list for day registration is available.
Two Facilitators: Dee Jaquet, Spiritual Director, and Clinical Director, Rocky Mountain Center for Spiritual Caregivers (www.rockymountaincpe.org), a pastoral psychotherapist for 35 years, practicing Centering Prayer for fifteen years and facilitating classes for five years, and on the Steering Committee of Contemplative Outreach of the Western Slope; and Lauretta Martin Neff, Spiritual Facilitator and Life Coach, certified facilitator in alchemical hypnotherapy and radical forgiveness, and director of Dragonfly Oasis Retreats.
To register contact Lauretta by phone/text at 970-903-7592.
Sponsored by Contemplative Outreach of the Western Slope and Dragonfly Oasis Retreats.

Heart Speaks to Heart: Correspondence as Spiritual Practice
2022-11-19 09:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Contemplative Enrichment Day with Judith Valente and Brother Paul Quenon, O.C.S.O.
Through the ages, correspondence has been an important contemplative practice to recognize and share the presence of God in our lives. Thomas Merton considered his nearly 20,000 letters as an “apostolate of friendship.” We’ll look at how Merton’s most engaging letters inspired a years-long contemplative exchange between Brother Paul and Judith and how it might do the same for you. Brother Paul will also take us on a virtual tour of Gethsemani, share his contemplative photographs and poetry, and engage in dialogue about contemplative living.
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.
Judith Valente is the author of several spirituality books, including two co-authored with Brother Paul Quenon. The most recent is How to Be: A Monk and a Journalist Reflect on Living & Dying, Purpose & Prayer, Forgiveness & Friendship. She is an award-winning journalist and poet and a lay Benedictine Oblate who guides frequent contemplative retreats. Judith has written a contemporary guide on The Rule of St. Benedict, titled How to Live.
Brother Paul Quenon, O.C.S.O., has been a monk at the Abbey of Gethsemani for 60 years, the first years of which were spent under the guidance of his novice master, Thomas Merton. He has written nine collections of poetry and an award-winning memoir, In Praise of the Useless Life. He is a talented photographer, and a compilation of his poems with photographs, See the Moment, Feel the Moment, will be published in 2023.

Thomas Keating and the Snowmass Dialogue - via Zoom
2022-11-19 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Contemplative Outreach of Maryland and Washington invites you to join us Saturday, Nov. 19 for half-day retreat (via Zoom) focusing on “Thomas Keating and the Snowmass Dialogue” led by Netanel Miles-Yepez, who will report on the historical interfaith discussions among world religious leaders that took place at Snowmass, as described at length in his book, The Common Heart, An Experience of Interreligious Dialogue.
Please see the link below to register.
