Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.

Our Incarnation Online Time of Centering Prayer (1st Saturday of every month)
2025-04-05 09:00 - 11:30 UTC | Internet – Online
Lent is the focus for this Online Half Day Centering Prayer/Welcoming Prayer mini-retreat via Hawaiʻi (1st Saturday of every month)
@ 9:00 am – 11:30 am UTC-10
FREE
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, Terra-Divina (Nature), Lectio-Divina (Sacred Text) practices in addition to the Centering Prayer and Welcoming Prayer practice that are our foundation. Pulelehua, Liedeke, and Margie welcome all who wish to join us.
Dates 2025( the zoom link is the same for all these dates): Feb. 1 March 1, April 5, May 3, June 7 July 5, August 2, September 6, October4, November 1, December 6
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
9:40 Break
9:45 Centering Prayer
10:10 Break
10:20 Practice and Reflections
11:15 Closing prayer
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/92185854158?pwd=[REDACTED]
Zoom Meeting ID: 921 8585 4158 Passcode: [REDACTED]
Website: http://www.cohawaii.org
Phone (628) 400-2644
Email: cohawaii@gmail.com
All session are freely offered, donations are welcome, no registration is needed.

The Wisdom Way of Christian Spirituality - in person and online
2025-04-05 08:30 - 16:30 UTC | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Wisdom is at the contemplative headwaters of every major religious tradition, including Christianity. Wisdom takes many shapes and focuses on human transformation more than on a set of beliefs. The Christian Wisdom path is about learning to listen to the Divine within – attending to our interconnectedness with a larger whole. This kind of listening requires that we know ourselves deeply. This retreat will explore the core tenets of the Christian Wisdom Tradition and Jesus as our Wisdom Teacher through the lineage of Cynthia Bourgeault.
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.
Please see the link below.

Weekend Silent Centering Prayer Retreat
2025-04-04 16:00 - 2025-04-06 13:30 UTC | Saint Benedict Center, 1123 Road I, Schuyler, NE, 68661, United States
Contemplative retreats are one of the most wonderful ways to experience time with God in the present moment. Retreats give you time to spend being aware of God and enjoying his presence.
You are invited to gather with us for our spring retreat giving time to be present in the beauty of nature, prayer and solitude, and to be in a restorative community of silence and stillness.
We begin Friday, April 4th at dinner time and conclude Sunday after the noon meal.
Registration includes: 2 nights in a private room, all meals, and programming.
Cost $340.00. Registration closes March 20th, 2025.
Saint Benedict Center is a beautiful location (5 miles north of Schuyler Nebraska) that provides walking paths, Stations of the Cross, a labyrinth, hotel-like accommodations and delicious food service. Everything is provided so all you need to do is come with the intention to sit with God and our community and let God do the healing work within.
Registration:
~Paying through PayPal: Submit payment and send an email to cathy.c@cox.net with the following information: name, address, phone, and email.
~Paying by check: Send a check to Nebraska Contemplative Outreach. In care of: Cathy Mann Christiansen 8415 North 52nd Ave, Omaha NE 68152. Email Cathy when check is sent, include information listed above. Payment must be received by March 20th, 2025.

Retraite silencieuse - Prière de Consentement - 3 et 6 jours
2025-04-01 17:00 - 2025-04-06 15:00 (Europe/Paris) | Abbaye Ste-Lioba, Simiane-Collongue, Provence, France
Nous vous proposons un temps de retraite de 6 jours pour vivre profondément votre pratique de la Prière de Consentement. Des possibilités de retraite sur 3 jours sont envisageables.
Cette retraite est une retraite silencieuse, rythmée par 3 temps de pratique journalière sous la forme de 3 fois 20’ par temps de prière et, pour celles et ceux qui le souhaitent, la participation aux temps liturgiques des offices avec la communauté.
Cette retraite est organisée selon les pratiques développées par Contemplative Outreach Ltd, organisation fondée par le Père Keating unissant les personnes et groupes pratiquant la Prière de Consentement.
Cette retraite est une démarche spirituelle dans la perspective de Contemplative Outreach Ltd. Il ne s’agit pas d’une thérapie au sens de thérapie psychologique ou de groupe. Le facilitateur, Pierre-Emmanuel Maubert, accompagne au besoin les personnes, mais selon l’approche en lien avec la méthode de la prière de consentement.
Il est recommandé d’avoir une pratique quotidienne de la prière de consentement préalable, d’avoir lu Prier dans le secret du Père Keating (et de l’apporter à la retraite) et une certaine expérience de temps de silence. Un entretien préalable avec le facilitateur sera organisé afin de finaliser votre inscription.
Journée type:
6h30-7h45 : Première session de 3x 20’ de Prière de Consentement
7h45 : petit-déjeuner
8h30 Laudes – Eucharistie
11h-12h15 : Deuxième session de session de 3x 20’ de Prière de Consentement
12h45 Sexte
13h Déjeuner
16h-17h15 : Troisième session de 3x 20’ de Prière de Consentement
18h00 Oraison
18h15 Vêpres
19h Diner
20h15 Complies

Quiet Day with Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina – in German language – via Zoom
2025-03-29 09:00 - 12:30 (Europe/Berlin) | Internet – Online
Centering Prayer Berlin lädt ein:
An diesem Tag gönnen wir uns, einmal für ein paar Stunden scheinbar nichts zu machen, wir lassen einfach geschehen. Wir legen die Handys beiseite (falls wir es nicht zum Teilnehmen am Zoom Meeting benötigen), lassen den Alltag hinter uns und verbringen die Zeit weitgehend schweigend miteinander. Wir habe Zeit für stille Meditation (Centering Prayer oder eine andere Form des stillen Gebets), Meditation mit einem Text (Lectio Divina) und vielleicht auch eine Zeit abseits des Computers in der Natur oder der Umgebung, in der wir leben.
Es sind keine Vorkenntnisse erforderlich, es erfolgt allerdings keine Einführung in die stille Meditation.
Der gemeinsame Tag beginnt um 9:00 Uhr und endet gegen 12:30 Uhr CET.
Registrierung erforderlich bis 12:00 Uhr einen Tag vor dem Event.
All times in CET

CENTERING PRAYER PRESENTER FORMATION RETREAT
2025-03-28 10:00 - 2025-03-30 14:30 (America/Chicago) | Benet House Retreat Center, 2208 88th Avenue W, Rock Island, IL, 61201, United States
Central Illinois Contemplative Outreach provides this retreat to offer participants the opportunity to become commissioned presenters of the Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop. Working with a notebook of materials, each participant will have ample opportunity to learn the content of the Introductory Workshop and to practice presenting the content to others, with supportive feedback and guidance.
All participants must complete an application prior to registration for this event. To receive an application please email Anne Colloton, acolloto@gmail.com.
Those approved applications will receive a link to the Benet House Retreat Center for registration.
Registration is $300.00, which includes lodging, all meals and materials. The retreat is offered from 10am on March 28, 2025 until 2:30pm on March 30.

Holy Breath - Centering Prayer & Ecstacy
2025-03-28 09:00 - 2025-03-30 16:00 (America/Denver) | Internet – Online
“The eye through which I see God is the same eye through which God sees me; my eye and God’s eye are one eye, one seeing, one knowing, one love.”​
― Meister Eckhart
Centering Prayer and meditation are age-old methods to put us in touch with what Jesus called ruha in Aramaic, the holy breath, a living and animating field that gives birth to psyche, to seed, storm and stellar nebulae. But what if there were an entire terrain of spiritual perception, a fluid and liminal continuum mapped by mystics, saints and shamans, inviting us to experience a living world that perceives us, a realm that invites us into our deepest longing?​
Cynthia Bourgeault writes, “The imaginal is that quality of aliveness moving through this realm, interpenetrating, cohering, filling things with the fragrance of implicit meaning whose lines do not converge in this world alone but at a point beyond.” During this three day online intensive we will explore practices and group work that will help us deepen into different Centering Prayer practices inviting us to explore what Islamic scholar Henri Corbin called the Imaginal World. From the perspective of the neurobiology of the human body to wild landscapes and the more than human world, from ancient myths to the archetypal images found in scripture, trance states are common doorways of perception shared across time and place.
This introductory program will meet you wherever you are at in your own practice and hopefully expand and deepen your own journey offering practical seedings and practices you can further develop. Through consciousness-shifting practices and guided invitations we will deeply reconnect with the land and wonder together how deep eco-mysticism can help heal our relationship with Earth and one another.
Centering Prayer & Ecstasy includes:
– A three-day intensive including two guided online days, 9 hours total, with the cohort (Friday and Sunday) and one asynchronous day for solo-wandering on the land and practices on your own)
– Access to pre-recorded & downloadable teaching & practices.
– Recommended readings for further study
– An optional one-on-one follow-up mentoring session with your guide after the intensive.
Practices we will explore:
– Dreamwork in the morning sessions
– Meditation, Centering Prayer
– Imaginal Journeys
– Sacred Art, Poetry & Journaling
– Authentic Movement & Embodiment Practices
– Wanders On the Land
– The art of singing & re-enchantment
– Guided group processes including Council and Mirroring (adapted from Animas Valley Institute).
More info and registration:
https://www.mythicchrist.com/holy-breath

9-Day Intensive, Post Intensive Retreat
2025-03-19 - 2025-03-27 | Mercy Center Auburn, 535 Sacramento Street, Auburn, CA, 95603, United States
This retreat offers three tracks simultaneously: Intensive I, Intensive II and Post Intensive. For everyone, there will be 3 sets of two 30 minute periods of Centering Prayer daily. Intensive I and Intensive II will watch video talks from Fr. Thomas Keating’s Spiritual Journey. Intensive I focuses on “The Human Condition and the Spiritual Journey”. Intensive II focuses on “Divine Love: The Heart of the Christian Spiritual Journey”. The Post Intensive has no videos and an additional hour of Centering Prayer each day. You choose the track that works best for you. Any of the tracks may be repeated multiple times. If this is your first Centering Prayer retreat of this length, we suggest you choose Intensive I. We recommend attending Intensive I before Intensive II.
Lectio Divina and a contemplative Eucharist will be offered daily, as well as optional soul-friending with the staff. Throughout the retreat, we will be in silence.
Pre-requisite: A daily practice of Centering Prayer for 6 months or longer.
The retreat begins Wednesday, March 19 with registration from 3:00 to 5:00, an opening session at 5:00pm, and dinner at 6:00pm. We end on Thursday, March 27 at 11:00am (lunch optional).
The retreat will be facilitated by experienced Contemplative Outreach staff. For more information, contact Marty Badgett at (650) 862-5451 or email him at mbadgettexas@gmail.com.
If you are traveling by air, the Contemplative Outreach staff can arrange transportation to and from the Sacramento airport to the Mercy Center. Please book your arrival on the beginning day for 1:30pm or earlier and your departure on the ending day for 1:30pm or later. Let us know your flight information. A contribution of $25 per ride (cash, check or Venmo) sustains this for us.
Limited scholarship money is available to assist those who would otherwise be unable to attend. All of the scholarship money has been donated by former retreatants.

Grounding to Bloom
2025-03-15 09:00 - 16:00 UTC | Westminster Presbyterian Church (Iowa), 1301 Kimball Ave, Waterloo, IA, 50702, United States
Would you like to “Bloom” –
– In love, joy and peace?
– In patience, kindness and generosity in relationships?
– In gentleness, faithfulness and even self-control?
– In compassion with justice for others?
You Are Invited – to Pause….to Rest…into Stillness…into Quiet
You may deepen your Grounding in Divine Presence in order to Bloom via
* Quiet Stillness;
* Herbs for overall health;
* Walking with a Labyrinth or in the sanctuary;
* Gentle Yoga;
* Conversing with another about your journey;
* Reading of Scripture quietly while Listening to the Spirit;
* Sung Prayer.
Note: Several of the above items are free time options.
Register by email to coneiowa@gmail.com. Include name and phone, on or before Monday, March 10.
A Registration fee of $25 will be received on March 15.
Westminster Presbyterian Church is at 1301 Kimball Ave, Waterloo, IA, USA.
FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Will there be food provided?
A: Yes, there will be light snacks and drinks (coffee and tea) available all day. You may wish to bring any other preferred beverage and/or water bottle. A noon lunch will be served, with the option to accommodate people with special dietary needs.
Q2: Will silence be a part of the day?
A: Yes, part of the day will be embraced by internal and external silence. However, there will also be ample time for conversation with other retreatants.
Q3: Can I attend only part of the day?
A: Yes. We encourage people to attend the whole event; however, if you can only come for the morning or afternoon, you are welcome to do so.
Q4: Will I be expected to share many details of my life?
A: No. There will be time for introductions with other group members, but not extensive sharing. If extended sharing is desired, there will be opportunities to meet one-on-one with one of the leaders.
Q5: Is Westminster handicap accessible?
A: Yes. While there are several levels withing the building, each can be accessed by an elevator in addition to the stairs. However, most of our activities will be on the main level.
Q6: Is there anything else I might want to know about Westminster?
A: Yes. Indoors, stained glass surrounds the sanctuary, and could provide a quiet time of reflection on the beauty of its art. Outdoors, the tree-lined grounds surround a space to commune in nature…weather permitting.
Image by Steffen Wachsmuth from Pixabay

Morning of Prayer Honolulu, Hawaii 3rd Saturdays every Month
2025-03-15 09:00 - 11:30 UTC | Central Union Church, 1660 S. Beretania St., Honolulu, HI, 96826, United States
Morning of Prayer
Third Saturdays In Person
9:00 – 11:30 a.m. Hawai’i time (UTC -10)
Central Union Church • Women’s Building
1660 S. Beretania St. Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Let us join together to pause in the presence of the Divine in the sacred silence. An introduction to the method of Centering Prayer is provided. While Centering Prayer is the basis of our teaching, all meditation paths are welcome. Books on the Spiritual Journey are available for purchase and loan.
No registration required, donations welcome.
Schedule
9:00 Welcome, sign-in, refreshments, book browsing
9:20 Gather in the circle for Introductions
9:30 Two 30-minute periods of Centering Prayer
or An Introduction/review to The Method of Centering Prayer
10:40 Silent break
11:00 One 30-minutes period of Centering Prayer
11:30 Depart in silence or stay and chat a bit
Dates 2025
March 15
April 19
May 17
June 21
July 19
August 16
September 20
October 18
November 15
December 20
CONTEMPLATIVE OUTREACH OF HAWAI’I
(628) 400-2644 | cohawaii@gmail.com | www.cohawaii.org
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

Blessed Are the Clean of Heart: Living With Spiritual Integrity in an Age of Fragmentation - in person and online
2025-03-15 08:30 - 16:30 UTC | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
We will explore Jesus’ invitation to live from an undivided heart and strategies to live in the world with deeper spiritual integrity in an age of fragmentation. We’ll look at the challenge and promise of living fully in God, and the wisdom to be gleaned from countercultural Christian movements, including the early Church, the Desert Fathers and Mothers, the Franciscan movement, and the first Jesuits. Mark will draw from his experience living at Metanoia of Vermont, a lay contemplative homestead in the Benedictine tradition.
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.
Please see the link below to register.

Zoom Silent Saturday with Fr. Bill Sheehan
2025-03-15 08:30 - 14:30 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Virtual Silent Saturday with Fr. Bill Sheehan
Finding the Place of the Heart March 15
Contemplative Outreach of Columbus is offering a Silent Saturday. A Silent Saturday provides a few hours that are set aside for Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina, spiritual teaching and reflection. “Come rest awhile with the Lord” in preparation for Holy Week.
Fr Bill will discuss “Finding the Place of the Heart…Encouragement to go Deeper” so that we may listen to the Spirit praying in us, enlivening, enlightening and guiding us. How can we deepen our awareness that we are all mystics? God has pitched a tent on the fertile soil of our hearts.
Fr. Bill is a priest and member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He was present at the original Lama retreat in 1983 convened by Fr. Thomas Keating OCSO which founded Contemplative Outreach. He has led countless Centering Prayer workshops and retreats. He also admits to being a follower of the Red Sox and Patriots, but he is first all a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Expect that the day will begin at 8:30am and last until 2:30pm. Eastern (New York) Time. Register by sending an email to Bob Gorman at rbrtgorman@protonmail.com and a zoom link will be sent to you a few days in advance.
The event is free. Nondeductible donations to Contemplative Outreach of Columbus to cover costs are welcome. They can be sent to the care of Tom Davis at 844 Franklin Ave, Columbus, OH 43205.

11th-Step Retreat
2025-03-14 17:30 - 2025-03-16 11:00 UTC | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
Nancy Cord Baran and Michael Gidlewski invite you to join us in this weekend retreat. It is for people who participate in any 12-step program of recovery and have the intention to improve their meditation practice and enlarge their spiritual life.
Please see the link below to register.

2025 United in Prayer Day
2025-03-14 - 2025-03-15 | Internet – Online
March 14-15, 2025
33rd Annual United in Prayer Day
A free, globally-hosted 18-hour prayer vigil accessible via Zoom
In the global unity of silence as God’s first language,
we hold vigil for suffering humanity and all creation,
and we honor Thomas Keating’s birthday (March 7),
and the growing presence of Christ among us.
Join in silence and community at any time, as many times as you are able. Each hour will include at least 20 minutes of Centering Prayer and an offering from the hosting group. Some will prayer several or more consecutive hours to create an in-home retreat.
As we participate in this community prayer, let us remember and hold in our hearts all the members of the worldwide Centering Prayer community who do not have access to Zoom/ internet technology including those who live in remote areas and those who are incarcerated.
No registration necessary. The event begins on Friday March 14 at 9pm Eastern Time (UTC-4). Note: US clocks move forward on March 9. European clocks do not move forward until March 30, so during this vigil there is only a four hour time difference between Eastern (New York) Time and GMT.
Click here to enter the vigil.
(Please do not enter until the vigil begins.)
or you may use meeting ID 811 0469 4536
passcode: [REDACTED]
The current schedule is shown below:

UTC -4/ Eastern Time
Hosting Group
Content planned – all groups will include 20-25 minutes (or more) of Centering Prayer.

9 PM Friday March 14
CO of Philippines
CP and TBD

10 PM Friday March 14
Extensión Contemplativa Internacional
CP and TBD

11 PM Friday March 14
Centering Prayer Sydney
TBD

midnight
Contemplative Outreach of Hawaii
Moving Welcoming Prayer & CP@sunset

1:00 AM
CO of Korea (Seoul)
CP and Lectio

2:00 AM
CO of North San Diego
CP & CP and Video TBD

3:00 AM
German-speaking groups
CP and TBD

4:00 AM
CO South Africa
CP and the Aramaic Lord’s Prayer

5:00 AM
Contemplative Outreach Perth Australia
CP and Lectio

6:00 AM
Contemplative Outreach London
TBD

7:00 AM
Contemplative Outreach Dublin
CP and reflection

8:00 AM
European Francophone groups
CP and Lectio

9:00 AM
Armenian Centering Prayer Groups
CP and Lectio

10:00 AM
CO of Yorkshire and North East (UK)
CP, Body Prayer and TBD

11:00 AM
CO of Minnesota
CP and Visio

12:00 PM
CO of Maryland and Washington
CP and TBD

1:00 PM
Outside the Walls
CP and TBD

2:00 PM
CO Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky
CP and TBD

Introduction to Centering Prayer
2025-03-01 09:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | St. James Episcopal Church, 766 N Main Street, Hendersonville, NC, 28731, United States
During this workshop we invite you to learn and experience the contemplative practice of Centering Prayer. We will explore its historical and theological background as well as ways to sustain and support this practice. All are welcome.
St. James Episcopal Church
766 N Main Street
Hendersonville, NC 28731
Please RSVP to Rev. Wendy Pinzino at wpinzino228@yahoo.com

What I’ve Learned from Centering Prayer and Buddhism - via Zoom
2025-03-01 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Internet – Online
Join the Rev. Carlyle Gill as she shares an autobiographical account of her learnings from Centering Prayer and Buddhist meditation practice. Carlyle writes, “I will look at my spiritual journey with you as it relates to these two practices, hoping that my experience may touch your own. I will share how I find each discipline helpful and how they differ from one another.
“Importantly, I will raise the question: How can an Episcopal priest with almost fifty years of ordained experience find meaning and benefit from a non-Christian practice? I am looking forward to a lively dialogue with you.”
The Rev. Carlyle Gill has been an Episcopal priest for nearly 50 years and a practitioner of Centering Prayer for 25 years. She has led many Centering Prayer introductory retreats, as well as longer retreats.

Introduction to the Forgiveness Prayer
2025-03-01 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Denver) | Internet – Online
Is there someone in your life whom you find difficult to forgive? The Prayer of Forgiveness is a powerful prayer that can help you forgive at the deepest level of your being. During this class, you will receive instruction on this prayer, developed by Contemplative Outreach founding member Mary Mrozowski. You will also have an opportunity for Centering Prayer as well as practice of the Prayer of Forgiveness.
Recording note: This event will be recorded. All registrants will receive a copy of the Zoom recording within 2 weeks of the event.
Time Listed is Mountain Time (Denver, Colorado)
Click the website link below to register.

Contemplative weekend for World Peace (IN SILENCE)
2025-02-28 17:00 - 2025-03-02 14:00 (Europe/Amsterdam) | Sacred Heart Monastery, Missiezusters Klooster, 20, Steyl, Venlo, 5935 BX, Netherlands
“The contemplative life is an imperative necessity, not only for the religious, but for people in all walks of life, for without contemplation, no person is fully alive, fully free, or fully capable of contributing to a peaceful world.”
– Thomas Merton
Contemplative prayer and world peace are deeply connected in many spiritual traditions. Centering Prayer, a Christian contemplative practice, nurtures inner stillness and deepens one’s sense of connection with God, fostering profound inner peace.
This peace inspires individuals to extend kindness, service, and compassion to all, creating communities rooted in understanding and forgiveness and, thus, contributing to greater peace in our world.
The weekend will include short input sessions and intensive Centering Prayer practice as a group.
If you are new to the method of Centering Prayer, you are encouraged to attend the online introductory workshop on the 08th of February as a preparation for this World Peace event.
Please see the link below to register.

Spirituality of the Earth: Thomas Berry's Wisdom for an Ecological Age - in person and online
2025-02-22 08:30 - 16:30 UTC | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Thomas Berry, C.P., arguably the father of “ecological spirituality,” anticipated by decades the contemporary turn toward Earth as the living home of incarnate divinity, exhorting us to awaken to our sacred role within the “New Story” and the “Great Work” in a living community honored and protected as “a communion of subjects, not a collection of objects.” Come meet Thomas as the Spiritual Master of the Ecological Age.
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.
Please see the link below.

Black Contemplative Prayer Virtual Summit
2025-02-22 08:00 - 2025-02-23 17:00 UTC | Internet – Online
Hosted by Pastor Tia Norman, friend of Contemplative Outreach and Centering Prayer Facilitator.
On February 22-23, the Black Contemplative Prayer Virtual Summit brings together black spiritual teachers and thought leaders to explore prayer, activism, and community.
In the contemplative community, diversity is essential. This summit addresses a critical question that arises in contemplative communities and Centering Prayer groups: “Where are the facilitators and practitioners of color?”
By providing a platform for Black contemplative speakers and teachers, this first of its kind summit will center Black voices offering the wider contemplative community language and tools that may help in our efforts to include, invite and diversify the conversation on spiritual growth, transformation and practice.
Whether you join live or watch the replays later, this summit is an opportunity you won’t want to miss.
Register is open to ALL: https://www.blackcontemplativesummit.com/?via=cythomas
$125 USD

Centering Prayer Retreat
2025-02-18 14:00 - 2025-02-21 13:30 (America/New_York) | Holy Cross Monastery – New York, 1615 Route 9W, West Park, NY, 12493, United States
This retreat, offered from Tuesday, February 18 till Friday, February 21, 2025, at Holy Cross Monastery on the Hudson River in New York State, offers opportunities for both those new to the Centering Prayer and those who have an established practice. During the retreat, one will experience integrating contemplation and action through silence, solitude, community and the rhythm of this Episcopal Benedictine monastic community’s worship and prayer life. The retreat offers two tracks. For those new to Centering Prayer, the basic essentials of the method and conceptual background of Centering Prayer will be presented. To those who have an established prayer practice, more time will be available to foster an ever-deepening level of interior silence and awareness of the presence of God in everyday life. This contemplative retreat welcomes both those new to and those comfortable with silence that have a yearning to rediscover this ancient prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplation.
Check-in is from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday. Vespers begin at 5:00. Supper then follows. Orientation begins at 6:45. The retreat concludes with lunch on Friday. (Daily Holy Eucharist is available at 9:00 a.m.).
Cost for the retreat is $470. The retreat fee includes a single room and all meals. Shared single occupancy bathrooms in the hallways.
If you have questions about the retreat content please contact retreat leader: Leslee Terpay at co-leslee@comcast.net.
Leslee Anne Terpay: As a Contemplative Outreach commissioned presenter of Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina, Leslee shares Fr. Thomas Keating’s teachings on the Christian spiritual journey in workshop and retreat settings. She is part of the service team that stewards Fr. Thomas’s teaching for serving Centering Prayer retreats. She is a spiritual director in Lone Tree, Colorado and a graduate of The Center for Action and Contemplation Living School.
To register, please contact our Guesthouse Office by phone at 845-384-6660, ext. 3002 or email guesthouse@hcmnet.org.

5 Day Centering Prayer Hybrid Retreat: In-person and via Zoom
2025-02-14 19:30 - 2025-02-20 13:00 (America/New_York) | Dominican Retreat and Conference Center, 1945 Union Street (Route 7), Niskayuna, NY, 12309, United States
This Centering Prayer retreat, led by Fr. Bill Sheehan, OMI, will encourage you to deepen your prayer practice in an atmosphere of silence and solitude within a supportive community of prayer. This deeper level of profound spiritual practice will be aided by several periods of Centering Prayer each day and conferences by Fr. Bill on various topics related to the contemplative journey.
Please see the link below to register.

Centering Prayer and the Process of Forgiveness
2025-02-14 17:00 - 2025-02-16 13:00 UTC | St. Mary’s Sewanee: The Ayres Center for Spiritual Development, 770 St. Mary's Lane, TN, 37375, United States
Centering Prayer is a receptive method of silent prayer which deepens our relationship with God, the Indwelling Presence, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself. The Process of Forgiveness is a practice that brings before God others whom we need to forgive and those from whom we need to ask forgiveness. The silence of Centering Prayer fosters an atmosphere in which such forgiveness is possible to experience. These practices come through Contemplative Outreach whose founder was Thomas Keating.
Guests can participate in daily Centering Prayer sessions, Holy Eucharist services and a Meditation in Motion class. Fresh nutritious meals and daily snacks are provided throughout the weekend. Opportunities to enjoy the labyrinth, the meditation garden, the Turkey Hollow Trail, or a simple walk down St. Mary’s Lane, all while experiencing the gifts of holy silence.
Please see the link below for more information and to register.

Centering Prayer Weekend Retreat
2025-02-13 16:00 - 2025-02-16 13:00 (America/Kentucky/Louisville) | Knobs Haven Retreat Center, 515 Nerinx Road, Nerinx, KY, 40049, United States
An opportunity to deepen the practice of Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina in an atmosphere of silence and solitude within community.
The cost of this retreat has been lowered by $100 per participant due to a grant from the Contemplative Outreach Divine Economy Fund. The fund is dedicated to making Fr. Thomas Keating’s teachings in retreats accessible to Centering Prayer practitioners.
Go to the link below and scroll down for link to flyer for more information and to register.

The Way of Love: An Interspiritual Convergence
2025-02-13 15:00 - 2025-02-16 13:30 UTC | Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT, 6107, United States
Each of the Abrahamic traditions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—has at its core a commitment to step onto the Path of Love. When we delve deep into our diverse spiritual practices, it shows us hints of our true identity and glimpses into Unity consciousness.
This retreat will explore the Way of Love woven through the mystical heart of these three great religions, engaging practices and elements of vision from each tradition. We’ll open to an interspiritual dialogue between traditions grounded at the experience level.
Please see the link below for more information and to register.

Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop - via Zoom
2025-02-08 09:30 - 12:30 (Europe/Amsterdam) | Internet – Online
Are you seeking a path to explore or strengthen your inner connection with God at the centre of your being?
Centering Prayer is a practice that leads to contemplation by opening oneself to God’s love, healing, and inner goodness; moreover, it nurtures the soul’s desire to grow in kindness and compassion towards all.
The online workshop offers a glimpse into this practice through short inputs on the method of Centering Prayer, along with times of silent practice together.
You are most welcome, whether you are a beginner or simply desire to refresh your practice.
Presenter: Sr. Maria José Rebelo, SSpS
Please see the link below to register.

Centering Prayer and Three-Centered Knowing: A Silent Centering Prayer Wisdom Retreat
2025-02-07 17:30 - 2025-02-09 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Mercy Center Burlingame, 2300 Adeline Drive, Burlingame, CA, 94010, United States
“Centering Prayer … is the opening of mind and heart, body and emotions–our whole being–to God, the Ultimate Mystery, beyond words, thoughts, and emotions.”
—Thomas Keating, in Open Mind Open Heart
In Centering Prayer we practice letting go to the Divine Indwelling, building up a muscle of release, of consent to the presence and action of the Ultimate Mystery in our lives. Our Centering Prayer deepens further when we engage with our whole being: mind and heart, body and emotions, as Thomas Keating urges us. In this retreat we will explore Centering Prayer as a practice, in a way suitable for those new to it, as well as for those who have been practicing for a long time. Along with this, we will explore three-centered knowing, not just with our heads but with our entire physical, emotional, and intellectual being. In The Wisdom Jesus, when Cynthia Bourgeault talks about tuning into Jesus as a living being here with us now she says, “It’s not knowing something more, like a new fact or piece of esoteric information; it’s knowing deeper, knowing with more and more of your being engaged.”
Join us in person at Mercy Center, Burlingame, CA where we will gather together and practice silence, Centering Prayer, and wisdom practices of chanting and movement that will help to engage our whole being. There will be some group sharing during teaching sessions, but you are welcome to stay silent at those times too. This retreat follows on the material in our Centering Prayer and Wisdom Introductory Practice Series, but that series is not a prerequisite.
“May the next years see the increase of Centering Prayer, and the creative addition of other wisdom aspects that might enhance what we are doing, or at least help us to do what we have learned out of our tradition, with complete commitment.”
—Thomas Keating, in A Life Surrendered to Love
*For more information on the Christian Wisdom Path, see Cynthia Bourgeault’s book: The Wisdom Way of Knowing: Reclaiming an Ancient Tradition to Awaken the Heart. If you have not read this book you are encouraged to do so before the retreat, but it is not a prerequisite.
Please see the link below to register.
Leaders
Heather Ruce, M.A. is a Wisdom Spiritual Director who offers Wisdom Practice Circles, Retreats, and Wisdom Schools focused on the expansive Christian Wisdom Tradition. She works within the lineage of Wisdom Teacher Cynthia Bourgeault whom she has been a student of for over a decade. Heather weaves her Masters in Marital & Family Therapy and training in Somatic Experiencing, Organic Intelligence & Spiritual Direction into her teaching and guidance in various Wisdom practices, all in service of waking up and putting on the Mind of Christ. Find out more at heatherruce.com.
Joy Andrews Hayter, Ph.D. is a spiritual director whose offerings include Centering Prayer and other contemplative practices of the Christian Wisdom tradition. These practices encourage us to lean into the Love that is constantly being offered within a relational web of Sacred Unity. As a scientist she sees in the physical world an expression of that love. She is the author of The Cosmic Web: Hope For Our World Through Spirituality and Science, with foreword by Cynthia Bourgeault. You can find out more about her at joyfulfillment.com.
Catherine Regan, Ph.D. is a spiritual director, retired psychologist, and longtime adjunct program staff member at Mercy Center, at this time serving on the Centering Prayer/Wisdom Practices team. She also offers online and in-person retreat days. She is committed to fostering our reclaiming the Wisdom at the heart of the Christian Tradition and the contemplative practices so urgently needed at this time in our world.

Introduction to Centering Prayer
2025-01-31 17:30 - 2025-02-02 11:00 UTC | Bethany Retreat Center, 1031 Germania Rd, Frenchville, PA, 16836, United States
Sr. Ruth Ann Madera will introduce you and guide you tot the inner silence of Centering Prayer. Centering Prayer is a form Christian contemplative prayer, to center awareness on the presence of God.
Please see the link below to register.

Certificate in Contemplative Spiritual Direction
2025-01-29 - 2025-05-01 | Columbia Theological Seminary, 701 South Columbia Drive, Decatur, GA, 30031, United States
The certificate offering is a 2-year formation and training program for persons who discern a call to the ministry of spiritual direction. Applicants will begin Phase I in July 2025.
Certificate in Contemplative Spiritual Direction features:

Contemplative spiritual formation as the foundation
A 24-month Focused Program with home-based assignments
A Cohort Model in a hybrid format (online and residential components)
Facilitated by seasoned practitioners
A Supervised Practicum (One-on-One/Peer Group) facilitated by trained supervisors
Use of the Enneagram in Spiritual Direction for Greater Self-awareness and Spiritual Growth

Read more about the program here. It includes emphasis on Centering Prayer (including a five-day retreat), Lectio Divina and the teachings of Thomas Keating.
Applications Due: May 1, 2025
To complete the application, you will need to submit the following.

One current reference, including name, phone number, and email address.
A PDF or Word document of your responses to the short essay questions, found below.
A non-refundable application fee of $75.

For any questions, please email lifelonglearning@ctsnet.edu.

Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop
2025-01-25 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 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 with God and others.
The workshop includes four presentations and the practice of Centering Prayer.
Presenters: CP Introductory Workshop Team
Fee: $45
For more information, please contact Marilyn Nobori at 818-815-4480 or centeringprayer@hsrcenter.com.
Register online at www.hsrcenter.com by January 21st with a non-refundable deposit of $10.
(Arrive by 8:50 a.m.)
