BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. - ECPv6.15.17.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.contemplativeoutreach.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:UTC BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:UTC DTSTART:20250101T000000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20250309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20270314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20271107T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260312T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260501T170000 DTSTAMP:20260420T124719 CREATED:20260312T200118Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260312T200118Z UID:161384-1773302400-1777654800@www.contemplativeoutreach.org SUMMARY:Certificate in Contemplative Spiritual Direction DESCRIPTION:This application is for Cohort 2026 of the Certificate in Contemplative Spiritual Direction program\, a two-year formation and training program for persons who discern a call to the ministry of spiritual direction. Applicants will be notified of the status of their application within two months of completing their submission. The application deadline is May 1\, 2026. \nPlease see the link below. URL:https://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/event/certificate-in-contemplative-spiritual-direction-2/ LOCATION:Columbia Theological Seminary\, 701 South Columbia Drive\, Decatur\, GA\, 30031\, United States CATEGORIES:Training END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260513T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260513T150000 DTSTAMP:20260420T124719 CREATED:20260406T173803Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260406T174630Z UID:161781-1778680800-1778684400@www.contemplativeoutreach.org SUMMARY:Practice Soul Friending\, Be a Soul Friend (via Zoom) DESCRIPTION:Practice Soul Friending\, Be a Soul Friend\nwith Cherry Haisten\nWednesday May 13\, 2026 via Zoom\n2-3pm Eastern Time (7pm UTC+1\, 1pm Central\, noon Mountain\, 11am Pacific)\nFree; suggested donation $25\nThis event will be recorded \nWhen it’s hard to know where we are on the spiritual journey\, hard to hear the still small voice\, hard to consent to God’s presence and action\, a companion—a soul friend—can help. In the Contemplative Outreach community and in small groups of Centering Prayer practitioners\, soul friending has always played a role. \nThomas Keating hoped that all Centering Prayer groups would evolve into soul friending groups in which participants could experience friendship as “a step toward the love and knowledge of God.” Aelred of Rievaulx called this kind of companioning “spiritual friendship.” In a developing relationship\, friendship may lead to intimacy\, to the deep knowledge of the Divine at the center of all creation. The practice of Centering Prayer opens us to a deeper awareness of the Divine through our repeated consent; in a group we can practice consenting to the presence and action of God in each other. The fruit of this practice may be an increased ability to see through the surface to the Christ within our companions and ultimately within each human being. \n“[T]he awareness of the deepest level in us is also an awareness of the deepest level in everyone else\,” wrote Thomas Keating in Open Mind\, Open Heart. “The insight into Christ dwelling in every other person enables one to express charity toward others . . . . Instead of seeing only someone’s personality\, race\, nationality\, gender\, status\, or characteristics (which you like or do not like)\, you see what is deepest—one’s union . . . with Christ” (103). \nDuring  this hour\,  we will explore a method for practicing soul friending\, the important roles of both speaker and listener in a group\, and the fruits that ripple out from our practice. There will also be a time for questions and comments. There is much to explore about soul friending beyond this brief time\, but may you leave inspired to practice soul friending on your own and to share the practice with companions. \n“Every particular thou is a glimpse through to the eternal Thou.”            \n– Martin Buber \nPlease register below. \nAbout Cherry Haisten \nCherry is a longtime presenter of workshops on Centering Prayer and Welcoming Prayer\, which she has regularly practiced for over three decades. She has led workshops and retreats in many places around the U.S. and in British Columbia. With her colleagues on the Welcoming Prayer Service Team\, she worked to compose materials for the Spirituality and Practice online Welcoming Prayer courses and contributes to the Welcoming Prayer team’s writing projects. \nAn English major and former writing instructor\, Cherry went back to school in middle age for a Master of Arts in Transforming Spirituality at Seattle University School of Theology and Ministry. At this Jesuit school\, her program included an emphasis on Ignatian direction and discernment. Combining this training with her study of the contemplative dimension of the Gospel and Benedictine spirituality has been a joy. Through Living Flame and other programs\, Cherry is delighted to pass on to other seekers something of what she has been blessed to receive. \nimage credit: mbolina/Getty Images \n\n\n \n \n 5/13/2026 Practice Soul Friending\, Be a Soul Friend\n a Zoom presentation with Cherry Haisten \n \n URLThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.Name*\n \n \n \n First\n \n \n \n \n Last\n \n \n Address \n \n \n AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire\, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCabo VerdeCambodiaCameroonCanadaCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo\, Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzechiaCôte d'IvoireDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatiniEthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHoly SeeHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKorea\, Democratic People's Republic ofKorea\, Republic ofKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth MacedoniaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestine\, State ofPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussian FederationRwandaRéunionSaint BarthélemySaint Helena\, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint MartinSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint MaartenSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwedenSwitzerlandSyria Arab RepublicTaiwanTajikistanTanzania\, the United Republic ofThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluTürkiyeUS Minor Outlying IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaViet NamVirgin Islands\, BritishVirgin Islands\, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweÅland Islands\n Country\n \n \n Email* URL:https://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/event/practice-soul-friending-be-a-soul-friend-via-zoom/ LOCATION:Internet – Online CATEGORIES:Webcast,Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/flockofbirds.jpeg ORGANIZER;CN="Contemplative Outreach Ltd":MAILTO:office@coutreach.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260516T083000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260516T163000 DTSTAMP:20260420T124719 CREATED:20250610T204445Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250610T204445Z UID:155912-1778920200-1778949000@www.contemplativeoutreach.org SUMMARY:Praying with Creation: Encountering God in a Theophanic Universe DESCRIPTION:The Ancient Church understood the natural world as an expression of God’s creative love. On this day of enrichment\, we’ll explore a Trinitarian vision of Creation as ‘theophanic’\, or ‘God-revealing’. We’ll engage with prayer practices to enter into the love relationship between Creator and Creation\, including practices of Immanence\, Ascent Transcendence\, and Descent. Participants will learn resources for reimagining their relationship with the natural world\, and developing daily and weekly habits to increase their contact with God in Creation. \nThis event includes sessions of Centering Prayer. \nPlease see the link below for more information and to register. URL:https://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/event/praying-with-creation-encountering-god-in-a-theophanic-universe/ LOCATION:Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center\, 303 Tunxis Road\, West Hartford\, CT\, 6107\, United States CATEGORIES:Workshop ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/CCE-Spirituality-of-the-Earth.png ORGANIZER;CN="Mike Smoolca":MAILTO:msmoolca@hotmail.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260522T150000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260524T120000 DTSTAMP:20260420T124719 CREATED:20260323T155820Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260323T155820Z UID:161570-1779462000-1779624000@www.contemplativeoutreach.org SUMMARY:Present to Presence: A Centering Prayer Retreat DESCRIPTION:God is always in and with us—closer to us than our own breath—but we are not always with God. Our harried\, over-scheduled\, noisy lives and patterns laid down in childhood prevent us from simply being with God. Centering Prayer is a way to re-member disparate parts of ourselves\, gather scattered energies\, and connect with the dynamic\, creative God that loves us more than we know. \nCentering Prayer is a way to immerse ourselves in silence and open to God’s presence within and all around us. By being present to Presence\, we open to a dynamic\, ever-creating God\, who heals\, transforms\, and loves us beyond measure. \nThis retreat\, intended for those who would like to explore Centering Prayer or re-ignite their practice\, will introduce the basics of Centering Prayer; offer opportunities to experience the prayer\, walking meditation\, and lectio divina; and explore ways to anchor a Centering Prayer practice in your life. There will also be time to walk the grounds\, read\, or rest. \nPlease see the link below for more information and to register. URL:https://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/event/present-to-presence-a-centering-prayer-retreat/ LOCATION:Genesis Spiritual Life and Conference Center\, 53 MILL STREET\, WESTFIELD\, MA\, 1085\, United States CATEGORIES:Retreat ORGANIZER;CN="Anne A. Simpkinson":MAILTO:asimpkinson@gmail.com END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR