Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.

Special Event
2020-03-29 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | Church of the Assumption, 29 Jefferson Ave, Emerson, NJ, 07630-1229, United States
MERTON AND ME WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY DOUGLAS HERTLER AKA DOUG LORY
Church of the Assumption
March 29, 2020 ‚àô 3:00pm,
Church of the Assumption – 29 Jefferson Ave Emerson, NJ
Free Will Offering
Call 201-262-1122 for more information
Join us for a very special afternoon of storytelling and witness one young man's life changing encounter with the writings of Thomas Merton.
Performance runs 80min with no intermission, a Q&A with Doug will follow.
For more information, please see the flyer below by clicking on "Additional Information."
Douglas Hertler, aka Doug Lory, is a professional actor, tour guide, & retreat leader. He is also a member of the International Thomas Merton Society (ITMS)
“A powerful inter play between the true self (who I am), the false self (who I project myself to be or the only self I know myself to be) and the voice of Thomas Merton (a voice of wisdom) challenging me to be the self I am called to be – the transformed self. Superbly acted, mirroring the
complexity of the human person, celebrating the role of the wisdom person who we need to meet in our lives. Doug challenges us to find that person.” – Father Carl Arico

“Doug’s ability to weave Merton’s brilliance into his own life experience is profound, moving,
and insightful.” – Teresa Scott

“Doug has created a contemporary Seven Story Mountain in theatrical form.” – Carol A. Joyce, Phd
VISIT MERTONANDME.COM TO LEARN MORE!

Introduction to Centering Prayer Workshop
2020-03-28 08:00 - 17:00 | Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 1121 228th Avenue SE, Sammamish, WA, 98075, United States
In this Centering Prayer Introductory workshop you’ll learn the method and principles of this prayer practice and have the opportunity to gain both experience and comfort with this ancient method in a quiet, supportive and reflective atmosphere. The workshop covers the history, psychology, and theology of Centering Prayer, and includes prayer sessions along with questions and answers. It will begin at 10am and conclude at 2pm in the John XXIII room. Four conferences and two periods of Centering Prayer experiences will be provided with reference handouts, along with coffee, tea, water and some snacks. Participants are encouraged to bring a sack lunch. Advance registration is requested.

Conference
2020-03-28 08:00 - 17:00 | Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., CO, 80003, United States
Contemplative Outreach of Colorado Annual Conference
Ilia Delio: The Role of Contemplation in a Posthuman Age
Cost is $110.00 and includes continental breakfast, lunch and parking.
Register on-line at www.contemplativeoutreach-co.org or call 303-698-7729

Centering Prayer Weekend Retreat
2020-03-27 08:00 - 2020-03-30 17:00 | Benet Hill Monastery, 3190 Benet Lane, Colorado Springs, CO, 80921, United States
Anyone with an established Centering Prayer practice is invited to participate in a Centering Prayer Weekend retreat. The retreat serves as a way to go deeper in your prayer practice plus spend time in silence and solitude while in community. Several periods of Centering Prayer each day allows time for rest and walking in the Benet Hill Monastery forest in the Black Forest of Colorado Springs, CO. The retreat begins with arrival at 3pm Friday, March 27 continuing with dinner at 5pm and orientation at 7pm. The methods of Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina will be reviewed. The retreat concludes with a video teaching from Fr. Thomas Keating. Departure on Sunday, March 29 is at 3pm.
Cost: $250 with a non-refundable deposit of $50 due with registration.
Benet Hill Retreat Center in the Black Forest of Colorado Springs
Retreat Details: All bedrooms are private with shared bathrooms. Space is limited to 9 retreatants plus the team. Meals will be shared with the Sisters of Benet Hill.
Retreat team: Sr. Mary Glenn, OSB and Sr. Ann Madeleine Brost, OSB
Please click on the flyer below under "additional information" for more details and registration information.

Centering Prayer, Introductory Program
2020-03-21 08:00 - 17:00 | Sts. Simon and Jude Catholic Church, CA, United States
The members of the Contemplative Prayer Ministry at Sts. Simon and Jude Catholic Church invite you to deepen your relationship with our God through the practice of Centering Prayer. Please join us on March 21 from 8:30AM – 1:00 PM to pray togther and learn more about this powerful prayer practice.
Welcome to Saints Simon and Jude Catholic Church

Introduction to Centering Prayer Workshop
2020-03-21 08:00 - 17:00 | Schwarzwald Lutheran Church, 250 Church Lane Road, Reading, PA, 19606, United States
This one-day workshop will begin with 9am registration and end by 3:30pm, covering the essential elements of the practice of Centering Prayer. There is no fee, but participants are asked to bring their own lunch. Beverages will be provided.
The presenter will be Steve Shussett, a Presbyterian serving as pastor of Schwarzwald Lutheran Church. He has been practicing Centering Prayer for over 25 years, and presenting the practice for over 20. His Doctor of Ministry project focused on a Protestant perspective on Centering Prayer.

Centering Prayer as the 11th Step Retreat
2020-03-20 08:00 - 2020-03-23 17:00 | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
11th Step Retreat
March 20 – 22, 2020
Presenters: Nancy Cord-Baran, Carolyn Yankovitz & Michael Gidlewski
11th Step – “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understand Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.”
This retreat is for people who participate in any 12-Step Recovery program to introduce or expand and deepen the experience of contemplative prayer as part of a daily 11th-Step practice.
Centering Prayer is a simple method of prayer rooted in ancient Christian practice that opens us to God’s presence and divine healing. It is simply moving deep within ourselves, in silence, saying nothing, asking for nothing, just being and allowing our Higher Power to be with us.
The retreat will offer an environment of solitude and silence in community with time for reflection, fellowship, and a 12-Step Meeting. For those new to contemplative prayer, the retreat is an Introductory Workshop on Centering Prayer in the context of 12-Step recovery. For participants who have been with us before, there is an optional Track II program and an extra retreat day and night, beginning Thursday.
Please let us know of your interest in Track II and/or the extra day when you register.
Retreat staff have been active in 12-Step programs for many years. They have completed the Formation for Contemplative Service process of Contemplative Outreach as well as the Formation Training for Presenting and Leading Retreats for Contemplative Prayer and the 12-Steps. Brochures available.
For program information, please contact:
Nancy Cord-Baran: 814-237-1002
ncb612@gmail.com
Offering: $200 per person
Deposit: $75 nonrefundable
Arrival: Friday 4:30pm registration
Departure: After lunch on Sunday

Day of Enrichment
2020-03-14 08:00 - 17:00 | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
A Contemplative Reformation: Parish Life – Let‚Äôs imagine the living experience of Christian community through the lens of a contemplative posture rather than simply a program maintenance model.

A Contemplative Reformation: Parish Life
Saturday, March 14, 2020
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Rev. Stuart Higginbotham
When encountering a "decline" in typical congregations, there can be much anxiety and fear. Rather than a time for despair, what if this is a season of deconstruction and reconstruction? Let’s imagine the living experience of Christian community through the lens of a contemplative posture rather than simply a program maintenance model.
Click here for more information and to register for this workshop.
Rev. Stuart Higginbotham
Rev. Stuart Higginbotham is an Episcopal priest and rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Gainesville, GA. He has studied and worked with the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation for over a decade, and he draws on the richness of the Christian contemplative tradition in his ministry to a community of a thousand souls in North Georgia. He is a co-editor and contributor to the forthcoming book, Contemplation and Community: A Gathering of Fresh Voices for a Living Tradition.

Introduction to Centering Prayer Workshop
2020-03-14 08:00 - 17:00 | Matthews United Methodist Church, 801 South Trade Street, NC, United States
Introductory Centering Prayer Class
10 AM – 3 PM
Centering Prayer is a method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer, prayer in which we experience God’s presence within us. This method of prayer is both a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship.
This class comes during the season of Lent and provides an opportunity to learn about Centering Prayer or to renew and deepen your practice – to be with God beyond concepts, words and images; listening with “the ear of the heart”. In addition to this Class, at no additional cost, continuing sessions are offered to help you establish and deepen a daily practice. More information will be provided after you register.
The class will be presented by Deborah Conner and Peggy Geiger. Dr. Conner is the Coordinator of Contemplative Outreach of Piedmont NC and the Pastor for Congregational Care at Myers Park Presbyterian Church. Mrs. Geiger is a retired educator.
For more information: https://copnc.org/event/matthews-united-methodist-centering-prayer-class/

Centering Prayer Weekend Retreat
2020-03-13 08:00 - 2020-03-16 17:00 | Eastern Point Retreat House, 37 Niles Pond Road, Gloucester, MA, 1930, United States
Be Still and Know: A Contemplative, Centering Prayer Weekend facilitated by Anne Simpkinson and Claire Rusowicz
This weekend, anchored in silence and the practice of Centering Prayer, offers opportunities to rest in body and in God while enjoying the emerging spring beauty of Eastern Point Retreat House on the shore of Gloucester, Massachusetts. The schedule includes three Centering Prayer gatherings, an overview of the practice, evening prayer, lectio divina and (weather permitting) a labyrinth and other outdoor contemplative walks. Remaining hours are unscheduled for private prayer and reflection. A Catholic liturgy will be offered Saturday before dinner. No previous experience with Centering Prayer is necessary.
The fee of $382 includes overnight accommodations, program and all meals, beginning with dinner at 6:00 p.m. Friday night through lunch on Sunday. (All meals on Saturday through Sunday breakfast will be silent.). Guests may arrive anytime from 3 p.m. on Friday. The retreat program ends at noon on Sunday; lunch will follow.
Please see the flyer below under "additional information."
To register: visit www.easternpoint.org. Go to “Retreats,” and then to “2020 Registration” in the drop down.
Anne A. Simpkinson has been practicing Centering Prayer (CP) since 1996. A certified Introductory CP Workshop leader, she has led workshops and Quiet Days in New York City and Connecticut. While living in New York, she served as co-coordinator of Contemplative Outreach for three years and as a CP facilitator at St. Bartholomew's and St. Ignatius Loyola churches. She is co-facilitator of Mercy by the Sea Retreat and Conference Center’s (Madison, Connecticut) weekly and monthly Centering Prayer circles, and contemplative weekend retreats.
Claire Rusowicz, is a certified spiritual and retreat director, and spiritual director supervisor, with more than 20 years working with groups and individuals in Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts. She is co-facilitator of Mercy by the Sea’s weekly and monthly Centering Prayer circles and contemplative weekend retreats.

Special Event
2020-03-10 08:00 - 2020-03-13 17:00 | St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 4512 College Ave, College Park, Maryland, 20740, United States
The Center at St. Andrew’s and Contemplative Outreach Northwest Present: LIVING A SURRENDERED LIFE ®
Shattering the Illusion of Control and Yielding to the Redemptive Power of Grace
With Rabbi Rami Shapiro
March 10-12, 2020, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 111 NE 80th, Seattle WA 98115
Based on Rabbi Rami’s book, Surrendered, the sacred art, and drawing upon the
Perennial Wisdom and contemplative practices of a number of religious, spiritual, and philosophical
traditions including The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, Living a Surrendered Life® instructs you
in the Twelve Steps of Surrendered Living® and the wisdom, serenity and joy they contain.
Tuesday, March 10, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM – Open Lecture, Reception and Book Signing in the Nave.
Wednesday, March 11, 8:30 AM-4:30 PM with lunch, and Thursday, March 12, 8:30 AM-12:00 noon –
Workshop in the Parish Hall.
Further information below when you click on "Additional Information."
To register on-line, go to
https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4494992
For more information contact:
Cherry Haisten at 206-523-7476, ext. 304,
or thecenter@saintandrewsseattle.org

Day of Contemplative Prayer
2020-03-08 08:00 - 17:00 | Mercy Center, 2300 Adeline Dr., Burlingame, CA, 94010, United States
Centering Prayer: Our Practice, Our World
Sunday, March 8, 2020 1-4:30 p.m.
$20
“The Christian is one who is connected through the heart to the whole of life, attuned to the deeper intelligence of Nature and called forth irresistibly by the Spirit to creatively express one’s gifts in the evolution of self and world.”
– Ilia Delio
Please join us for an afternoon of Centering Prayer and Community.
Centering Prayer is sometimes spoken of as the Divine Therapy. We usually reflect on this aspect of our practice in reference to our own spiritual journey. Today we continue our exploration of a wider vision of God’s healing action, and consider how our daily practice may actually be a channel for the Divine Presence to bring healing to our world.
This is an afternoon for those familiar with Centering Prayer – beginners and long-time practitioners. We gather to deepen our consent to God’s presence and action in our world. (Instruction in Centering Prayer will not be offered.)
Our time together will include 2 periods of Centering Prayer, a short talk, a video, and conversation.
Marty Badgett is an Oblate of the Camaldoli Benedictine Community. He has co-led extended Centering Prayer retreats for many years, and hosted many one-day Contemplative Prayer days at Incarnation Monastery in Berkeley.
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 fostering contemplative practices so urgently needed at this time in our world.
Joy Andrews Hayter, Ph.D. is a spiritual director, scientist, and Centering Prayer coordinator at Mercy Center. She is dedicated to fostering Centering Prayer and other contemplative practices that help us become aware of God's ever-present love.
To register for this program, please go to www.mercy-center.org or call 650-340-7474.

Day of Enrichment
2020-03-07 08:00 - 17:00 | St. Walburga Monastery, 851 N. Broad Street, NJ, 7649, United States
Contemplative Outreach of New Jersey is pleased to announce the offering of the
Contemplative Enrichment Program
You are invited to participate in the Contemplative Enrichment Program for those practicing Centering Prayer. Each day’s program includes periods of Centering Prayer, conferences on the subject matter, and time for small group discussion.
Prerequisite A Daily Practice of Centering Prayer
When Saturdays 9:30 am – 3:00 pm
Gathering, Coffee & Registration – 9:00 am
Please bring a brown bag lunch
March 7, 2020 Contemporary Contemplatives and Paul's Philippians Fr. Anthony Randazzo
April 4, 2020 Being a Presence for Peace: Benedictine Hospitality and Community Rev. Dr. Jane Tomaino
Additional Date: December 21, 2019 Advent Day of Prayer Fr. Carl Arico
Where Benedictine Center at St. Walburga Monastery
851 N. Broad Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07208
The Monastery is accessible by bus from NYC
Fee $150 for all 6 sessions
includes registration fee for Advent Day of Prayer (normally $30)
$115 for all 6 sessions (seniors)
includes registration fee for Advent Day of Prayer (normally $20)
$30 – registration fee for a single session
$20 – registration fee for a single session – seniors
Payment Options
A. Pay in full ($150; $115 – Seniors ) by October 5th with completed registration form to hold your space
B. $75- deposit ($50 deposit for Senior Citizens) due by October 5th with completed registration form to hold your space. Remainder due January 4th.
For further information, contact Therese Saulnier, 201-436-8256 (Evenings and Weekends) or see the flyer below under "additional information."

Centering Prayer Retreat
2020-03-07 08:00 - 17:00 | Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road, Encino, CA, 91436, United States
Half-day Silent Saturday.
Gathering 8:30am – 9:00am.
Prayer from 9:00am to 12:00 noon
Free will offering

Centering Prayer Retreat
2020-03-06 08:00 - 2020-03-16 17:00 | Cedar Brake Retreat Center, 5602 Texas 317, Belton, TX, 76513, United States
Centering Prayer 10-Day Lenten Retreat Mar 6th – Mar 15th
Cedarbrake Renewal Center, Belton, TX.
Led by Fr. Carl Arico
This spacious retreat will include daily periods of Centering Prayer, liturgy and Eucharist, and time for solitude, and exploration of the grounds each day. Attendees arrive between 4-6pm on Friday and leave before noon on the following Sunday.
The cost of the retreat is $895 and a deposit is required to reserve your space. Please register by contacting CCH at 512-347-9673.

Centering Prayer Weekend Retreat
2020-03-06 08:00 - 2020-03-09 17:00 | Zephyr Point Presbyterian Conference Center, 660 Hwy. 50, Zephyr Cove, NV, 89448, United States
”Lenten Centering Prayer Retreat”
March 6 – 8, 2020
Friday 4:00pm Registration to Sunday 11:00am
Location: Zephyr Point Presbyterian Conference Center on Beautiful Lake Tahoe
$227 Double Occupancy with bathroom in room, $335 for private room with bathroom.
Includes two nights & 5 meals. Most rooms with lake view.
$75 non-refundable Deposit, total due by February 1, 2020.
Retreat Theme: We hold a weekend away from the business and activity of everyday life. In this retreat we create a contemplative community grounded in silence through several periods of Centering Prayer. There is time for rest, reflection, and getting in touch with the beauty of the pines and Lake Tahoe.
Facilitators: Deacon Dennis and Patty Schreiner are trained and commissioned Centering Prayer Presenters. They have been involved with Contemplative Outreach, founded by Fr. Thomas Keating, OCSO, since 1992, practicing Centering Prayer and guiding others in the way of prayer. Deacon Dennis has been an ordained deacon for 26 years for the Diocese of Reno, Nevada. Patty attended the deacon training with her husband for four years, is a master catechist, and has completed her training to be a spiritual director.

Centering Prayer Dual-Track Intensive Post-Intensive Retreat
2020-03-01 08:00 - 2020-03-07 17:00 | St. Andrew’s Retreat House, WA, 98592, United States
6-DAY (5-NIGHT) SILENT CENTERING PRAYER RETREAT
Sunday, March 1, 2020 (4:00 PM) to Friday, March 6, 2020 (1:00 PM)
St. Andrew's Retreat House, Union, WA
This retreat provides an opportunity to deepen your established Centering Prayer practice in an atmosphere of silence and community, away from the busyness of daily life, and to allow your mind, body and spirit to surrender to God’s presence and action within. Except for opening and closing times, silence will be observed throughout the retreat, including at meals. Before attending the retreat, you should have an established daily practice of Centering Prayer for at least six months to one year.This retreat offers Intensive and Post-Intensive tracks. The Intensive Retreat is considered a prerequisite for the Post-Intensive Retreat. If you have not attended an Intensive retreat of 5-10 days, we suggest you sign up for the Intensive Retreat, considering your own needs and experience level. The Post-Intensive track features about 4-1/2 hours of Centering Prayer each day. The Intensive has up to 4 hours daily, and these retreatants will also view videos from the Thomas Keating “Spiritual Journey” video series each day.
St. Andrew’s Retreat House on Hood Canal (SAH)
Within two hours of Seattle and about halfway between Belfair and Hoodsport, SAH is a beautiful log cabin-style lodge with panoramic views of Hood Canal and the Olympic Mountains.
For more information contact: Mary Ettel, retreat coordinator, mylesjl@msn.com
Registration Information
Cost of the retreat includes accommodations, meals and materials.
$730 for single occupancy room
$650 per person for double occupancy room (up to 2 double occupancy rooms are available). As of January 21, 2020, the full retreat fee is due. Refunds (minus the $50) are issued only if your place can be filled.
Partial scholarships are available.
To register and reserve a space, please send a check for the full fee payable to CONW. Send your check with the registration form below to the Retreat registrar:
Pam Wilder, 316 W. 9th St., Port Angeles, WA 98362
Registrations will be made in order of postmark dates.

———————————————————————————————————
REGISTRATION FORM
CONTEMPLATIVE OUTREACH NORTHWEST
6-DAY (5-NIGHT) SILENT CENTERING PRAYER RETREAT, Saint Andrew’s House, Union, WA
Sunday, March 1, 2020 (4:00 PM), to Friday, March 6, 2020 (1:00 PM)

Name _______________________________________________________ Address______________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________
City/State/Zip _________________________________________________
E-mail ________________________________________________________
Phone ________________________________________________________
________ Intensive Retreat ________ Post-Intensive Retreat
Previous Centering Prayer retreat experience:
Years of Centering Prayer practice:
Major dietary restrictions:
Single Room __________________ Double Room _________________
Amount enclosed: $_______________(Make checks payable to CONW)
To register, return this form with your check to: Pam Wilder, 316 W. 9th St., Port Angeles, WA 98362

Introduction to Centering Prayer Workshop
2020-02-29 08:00 - 17:00 | Our Lady of the Visitation Church, 3172 South Road, Cincinnati, OH, 45248, United States
Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop (six hour) presented by Contemplative Outreach of Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky with Our Lady of the Visitation Church. Everyone is welcome.
Please see the attached flyer for details (found below under "Additional Information").
Advance registration requested because lunch is included, but not required
Registration: John Orr — 513-417-7126 or orrjp@outlook.com. More details: Bill Tonnis – 513-347-2218.

Centering Prayer Retreat
2020-02-29 08:00 - 17:00 | Church of Conscious Harmony, 7406 Newhall Lane, Austin, TX, 78746, United States
Half-day Lenten Centering Prayer Retreat at The Church of Conscious Harmony in Austin, TX.
Registration begins at 8:30 pm and the program begins at 9 am. The morning includes two 30-minute prayer periods, Lectio Divina, several periods of silence and solitude, and faith sharing.
There is a suggested love offering of $10. Please pre-register.

Forgiveness Prayer Workshop
2020-02-29 08:00 - 17:00 | Christ Church Cathedral, 166 Market Street, Lexington, KY, 40507, United States
Forgiveness Prayer Workshop
Led by Therese Saulnier, Contemplative Outreach Limited
Saturday, February 29, 2020
Registration and Coffee: 9:00 A.M.
Workshop: 9:30 A.M. – 3:30 P.M
Please bring lunch; coffee and tea provided
Christ Church Cathedral
166 Market Street
Lexington, Kentucky
Come to the Forgiveness Prayer Workshop and explore the need for forgiveness and the nature of forgiveness. Come to learn the Forgiveness Prayer, a way to open to God’s healing presence and action when you are hurt, wounded or offended. The Forgiveness Prayer is a prayer in which we open to God’s grace to learn to forgive.
When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, he taught them the Lord’s Prayer. In this prayer Jesus teaches us that forgiveness is one of the essential conditions out of which all of our prayer must proceed if it is to be acceptable to God.
The command is clear: if you are a Christian, you must forgive. But there are two very powerful, often problematic questions involved with this imperative:
How do I forgive?
What if I want to forgive but cannot?
Experience with Centering Prayer is suggested for participants.
This workshop is for those who are new to the Forgiveness Prayer and for those who want to deepen their experience of the Forgiveness Prayer.
Therese Saulnier is a long standing member of Contemplative Outreach. She has been praying Centering Prayer for over 30 years and praying the Forgiveness Prayer for over 25 years. Therese shares her experience that before she learned the Forgiveness Prayer she really did not know how to forgive. Therese will share the process of forgiveness and share a way to open to God’s healing presence and action in our search for forgiveness – the Forgiveness Prayer. There will also be centering prayer periods during the workshop.

Lenten Retreat
2020-02-28 08:00 - 2020-03-02 17:00 | St. Mary’s Sewanee: The Ayres Center for Spiritual Development, 770 St. Mary's Lane, TN, 37375, United States
Every Lent, we are called to go apart, to enter into silence, and allow grace to flow more freely within us and through us. This year, rather than going to a desert, Mary Anne Best, LeAnn Billups, and Carolyn Goddard invite you to come to the mountaintop and set an intention to allow ourselves to be transfigured by silence, led deeper into the grace that heals.
Join us to have your heart nourished. It is deep in the heart of silence, beauty, and our common intentionality that we can have ears to hear and take-in the gifts of purification, illumination, and union. Join in receiving these gifts. This is a silent retreat that includes:
-Selected excerpts from the videos of Thomas Keating
-More than 2 ½ hours of Centering Prayer daily
-The practice of Lectio Divina and Visio Divina
-Daily prayerful movement/yoga
-Celebration of the Eucharist
-Opportunity to meet individually for spiritual companioning with retreat leaders
-Silence and solitude
Program begins with a Welcome to St. Mary’s Sewanee at 4 p.m., Friday, February 28 and concludes after lunch and a “Sending Forth” at 1 p.m., Sunday, March 1.
Retreat Leaders:
Mary Anne Best serves as development director of Contemplative Outreach, Ltd., stewarding the raising of funds and the production of special projects. Mary Anne is an editor and coordinator for the development of new works by Thomas Keating, organizes and leads Centering Prayer retreats, and is a principle writer for online courses and the Contemplative Life Program (CLP). She is a member and trustee of a contemplative Christian community in Austin, Texas; mother and grandmother of two beloved grandchildren; and enjoys the silence, walking, yoga, nature, and travel with beloveds to faraway places.
LeAnn Billups leads yoga as prayerful movement on Centering Prayer retreats near and far. In 1989, she was drawn to yoga because of chronic back pain. She discovered Iyengar and was intrigued by the mental and physical aspects of the practice, the discipline, precision of alignment, and how studies of yoga lead to self-awareness. The transformative power of the practice inspired her to become a certified Iyengar instructor in 2015. LeAnn is a Centering Prayer facilitator and a member of a contemplative Christian community in Austin, Texas. She enjoys time with her two daughters, the outdoors, gardening, sports, yoga and nature.
Carolyn Goddard has taught high school English and religion classes, served as an associate pastor at Christ the King Church and worked for Thistle Farms, a non-profit social enterprise, both in Nashville, Tennessee. She has also volunteered at Cumberland Heights, Nashville Adult Literacy Council and Room in the Inn. Currently, she facilitates weekly Lectio Divina and Bible study groups and is on the board of Contemplative Outreach of Middle Tennessee. Carolyn is married, has two adult children and a beagle named Beatrice.

Welcoming Prayer Weekend Retreat
2020-02-27 08:00 - 2020-03-02 17:00 | Knobs Haven at Loretto Motherhouse, 515 Nerinx Road, Nerinx, KY, 40049, United States
The Welcoming Prayer is a method of consenting to God’s presence and action in our physical and emotional reactions to events and situations in daily life.
This retreat includes all the elements of a one-day Welcoming Prayer workshop with additional time for focusing,
working with what is happening in our bodies, and practicing the prayer.

Special Event
2020-02-24 08:00 - 2020-02-26 17:00 | Sts. Simon and Jude Catholic Church, CA, United States
Father Bill Sheehan, OMI – February 24 (7-9 PM) and February 25 (9-11 AM)
Our Centering Prayer groups are happy to announce that Father Bill Sheehan, OMI is returning to Sts Simon and Jude. Father Bill, an experienced and beloved retreat director, will share his own experience of many years of practicing this powerful “Prayer of Consent” to the action of God in our lives.
You are invited to join us for one or both sessions. No experience in Centering Prayer is necessary. The only prerequisite is a desire to deepen your relationship with God.
There is no charge for these events. A free will offering with be gratefully accepted.
Welcome to Saints Simon and Jude Catholic Church

Centering Prayer Retreat
2020-02-22 08:00 - 2020-02-24 17:00 | Holiday Inn – Executive Center, 2200 I-70 Drive SW, Columbia, MO, 65203, United States
A Pre-Lenten Urban Winter Retreat
The "Spiritual Journey" is a metaphor for how our beliefs change and develop throughout life. We are all always "on the way," and eveyone travels at a different pace. As seekers many of us find the more intimately we come to know God, the more intense the desire for an even deeper relationship becomes.
Some approach the jouney from an intellectual or educational perspective; others may seek reconciliation or desire to know the existence of God. Some realize they are on the journey when their primary life intention becomes a seekier of a deeper realtionship with God through prayer practice, devotion and service.
Join us as we move through the different seasons of spiritual growth from our awakening moments, through our seeking and a gradual restructuring of consciousness.
For more information, please see the flyer below by clicking on "Additional Information."

Welcoming Prayer Introductory Workshop
2020-02-22 08:00 - 17:00 | St. Mary’s Sewanee: The Ayres Center for Spiritual Development, 770 St. Mary's Lane, TN, 37375, United States
This introductory workshop will explore the practices of the Welcoming Prayer and Centering Prayer.
The Welcoming Prayer is a method of consenting to God’s presence and action in our physical and emotional reactions to events and situations in daily life. The purpose of the Welcoming Prayer is to deepen our relationship with God through consenting in the ordinary activities of our day — “consent-on-the-go.”
Centering Prayer is a form of Christian silent mediation 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 ever-increasing awareness of God’s action and presence in the course of ordinary life.
In this introductory workshop led by the Rev. Tom Ward, participants will learn the method and principles of these prayer practices and have the opportunity to experience them in a quiet, reflective atmosphere. Ward is the retired university chaplain at the University of the South and now spends his days focusing on the contemplative dimension of the gospel, teaching Centering Prayer, and leading retreats.
9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, February 22, 2020
$65 fee includes lunch
Accommodations may be available for guests who would like to spend the night either before or after the workshop. Contact our Reservations Coordinator for more information.
For more information go to www.stmaryssewanee.org

Introduction to Centering Prayer Workshop
2020-02-22 08:00 - 17:00 | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop – In this introductory workshop, you will learn the method and principles of Centering Prayer practice in a quiet, reflective atmosphere.
In Centering Prayer Introductory workshops you’ll learn the method and principles of this prayer practice and have the opportunity to experience this ancient method in a quiet, reflective atmosphere. The workshop covers the history, psychology, and theology and includes prayer sessions along with questions and answers. Four conferences and two periods of Centering Prayer experiences are provided as follows:

Prayer as Relationship: This section focuses on the fact that any form of prayer expresses our desire to be in relationship with God and how Centering Prayer deepens that relationship.
The Method of Centering Prayer: In this section the participants are taught the four guidelines of Centering Prayer. The first period of Centering Prayer occurs after this section.
Thoughts and Use of the Sacred Word: This section focuses on the fact that thoughts will inevitably occur during Centering Prayer and how one can effectively handle them. A second period of Centering Prayer follows this section.
Deepening Our Relationship with God: In this section the focus is on how the method of Centering Prayer deepens our relationship with God and how this ever deepening relationship is manifested in our daily life.

Click here for more information and to register for this workshop.

Centering Prayer Weekend Retreat
2020-02-21 08:00 - 2020-02-24 17:00 | Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road, Encino, CA, 91436, United States
Begins Friday evening with dinner; ends Sunday with lunch.
Fr. Bill Sheehan will be presenting.

Centering Prayer Retreat
2020-02-21 08:00 - 2020-02-24 17:00 | Mercy Center, 2300 Adeline Dr., Burlingame, CA, 94010, United States
Every Moment Just As It Is
A Silent Centering Prayer Retreat
February 21-23 2020
Begins Friday at 6:00 p.m. and Concludes Sunday at 1 p.m.
$300/$260 Commuter
“Every Now is a slice of Divine Being.” Cynthia Bourgeault
"We stop making effort and just take everything as it comes. And then you’re in the present moment. That’s the only place God is. So, if you’re there too, then all you have to do is accept what’s happening, or do what God wants you to do about what’s happening, which will be infused and … guided … regardless of how many faults you have. … So, what’s the point of living? As far as I can see, it’s only a day at a time to give God a chance to take over our very complicated human situation completely … And whatever we do is in the service of that project, so we don’t have to think about it if you’re in the present moment."
– Thomas Keating, "The Present Moment", excerpted from That We May Be One
Join us for a weekend given to the practice of Presence, to surrender to Divine Being ~ in the company of community and the natural beauty of the Mercy Center grounds. Our retreat will include silence, several periods of Centering Prayer, chanting, selected Thomas Keating videos, sharing, contemplative free time, and opportunity for liturgy, gentle yoga, and body work.
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 fostering contemplative practices so urgently needed at this time in our world.
Joy Andrews Hayter, Ph.D. is a spiritual director, scientist, and Centering Prayer coordinator at Mercy Center. She is dedicated to fostering Centering Prayer and other contemplative practices that help us become aware of God's ever-present love.
Please register at www.mercy-center.org or telephone 650-340-7474

Centering Prayer Retreat
2020-02-18 08:00 - 2020-02-22 17:00 | Holy Cross Monastery – New York, 1615 Route 9W, West Park, NY, 12493, United States
This retreat, offered from Tuesday, 18 February till Friday, 21 February 2020, 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 p.m. Tuesday. Vespers begins at 5:00. Dinner then follows. The retreat concludes with lunch on Friday. (Daily Holy Eucharist is available at 9:00 a.m.). Cost for the retreat is $360 (including a $100 deposit). 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. Lori Callaway at 845-384-6660 ext 3012 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.
To find out more about Holy Cross Monastery, visit their website at: www.holycrossmonastery.com
Our retreat leader, Leslee Anne Terpay, is a retired entrepreneur and now shares Fr. Thomas Keating’s teachings on the contemplative dimension of the gospel, the Christian Contemplative Journey, Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina. She is a Contemplative Outreach commissioned presenter and a part of the service teams whom define workshop teachings and retreat experiences for Lectio Divina and Intensive Retreats. Leslee is a spiritual director in Lone Tree, Colorado and is a graduate of The Centering for Action and Contemplation Living School.

Centering Prayer Retreat
2020-02-14 08:00 - 2020-02-19 17:00 | Dominican Retreat and Conference Center, 1945 Union Street (Route 7), Niskayuna, NY, 12309, United States
Feb 14 – 19, 2020
"This Graced Moment"
with Fr. Bill Sheehan
$425 includes meals, private room and program
For more information and to register, please click on "additional information" below to download the retreat flyer.
