Governing Board of Contemplative Outreach
The Governing Board of Contemplative Outreach is humbly entrusted with keeping the vision and mission of Contemplative Outreach as guided by the Holy Spirit. It seeks to uphold the spiritual and service aspects of Contemplative Outreach in harmony with the Contemplative Outreach Vision, Theological Principles and Guidelines for Contemplative Outreach Service.
The Governing Board fulfills this purpose through careful consideration of topics that affect the community of Contemplative Outreach and aims to make its decisions with prayerful discernment and consensus. It serves with the assistance of the Administrator. The Governing Board meets in-person three times per year and twice monthly on teleconferences. Beginning January 2018, minutes of these meetings are available upon request.
If you wish to be in touch with the Governing Board, which actively seeks input, please direct your inquiries to the Contemplative Outreach Resource Center at office@coutreach.org with subject line “Governing Board” or call 973.838.3384. Or you may contact any one of the board members individually using their contact information below.
Jenny Adamson
adamsonje6@gmail.com
Jenny Adamson is a retired counselor who has served as a prayer group facilitator and a chapter coordinator in Iowa where she started practicing Centering Prayer about two decades ago. She has been part of the 12-Step Outreach Service team since 2005. She served on the Presenter Formation Service team and she has also served Intensive and Post-intensive retreats at Snowmass, in the Midwest, in Ireland and in Iceland. She and her husband, John, moved to Carbondale, Colorado in 2012 to be close to the Monastery in Snowmass. They love to have people stay overnight on their way to or from Snowmass. Jenny currently serves as the chapter coordinator for the Roaring Fork Valley. Term expires in 2019 but can be renewed for 3 years.
Phil Jackson
pjackson@passionist.org
Phil is a commissioned presenter of Centering Prayer and former coordinator for Contemplative Outreach of Chicago. He has attended Thomas Keating’s two Advanced Studies, 16 and 10 days each in an invitation-only monastic setting, spending other weeks in Snowmass as well. He is also a member of Richard Rohr’s Men as Learners and Elders (MALEs), a spiritual director and graduate of Catholic Theological Union. Phil is a father of four. His hobbies include backpacking where he has spent weeks in the wilderness.
Jim McElroy has been practicing Centering Prayer since 1996 and has been a commissioned presenter since 2002. Jim has been on the leadership team of 12-Step Outreach since its formation in 2005 and is especially interested in teaching contemplative practices to the recovery community. He is a former coordinator of St. Louis (USA), is on the Welcoming Prayer Service Team, and is a member of the Living Flame teaching team. Jim spent his career in the insurance industry as an Account Executive. He is passionate about spreading the gift of Contemplative Prayer. He currently lives in St. Louis with his husband, Tim, of 25 years.
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Diane Ryan is a commissioned presenter of both the Introductory Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina workshops. She is a Centering Prayer group facilitator and has led one day silent retreats for her group. Diane is a retired physician living in Breckenridge, Colorado, USA. She, her husband and their Great Dane, Bhakti, love outdoor activities . They have three adult children. One of Diane’s passions is learning to play cello since retiring. She has a special interest in the contemplative dimension of other religions and in exploring interspiritual activities.
Patricia Johnson is currently serving on the Board of CO, Ltd. She previously served as a Board member twice before. Recently she served as an interim administrator for Contemplative Outreach for two years, retiring from that position at the end of 2018.
She and her husband, Bob, moved to the Lama Foundation in 1982 and were only there two months before meeting Fr. Thomas Keating who became her teacher. She was the Lama liaison for two Intensive retreats that TK led at Lama in August of 1983 and August of 1984. She also had the privilege and honor in January and February of 1984 to leave the Lama Foundation for three weeks to serve an experimental retreat of nine weeks at St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass, CO. This extended in-depth time at the monastery led to Bob and her and children Sarah and Matthew moving to Snowmass, CO in the fall of 1984. That began the Snowmass retreats. From 1984 until 2018, Pat was serving and administrating retreats at the monastery and elsewhere. Pat retired from serving retreats in 2019 though she still does “sits and talks” for retreatants at Snowmass. Term expires in 20 20 but can be renewed for 3 years.
Carol Quest
questcarol@gmail.com
Carol is a retired high school teacher living in St. Paul, Minnesota who began practicing Centering Prayer in 1993. She is a Centering Prayer group facilitator and a commissioned presenter of the Centering Prayer Introductory Program. As past co-coordinator of the Minnesota Contemplative Outreach chapter, she continues as a member of the chapter coordinating team. She volunteers with a team offering Centering Prayer at a Minnesota state prison. She has served on the Centering Prayer Introductory Program Service Team and currently is a member of the Chapter Support Service Team. In 2019 she was part or the Contemplative Outreach International Conference Planning Team.
Julie Saad
jasaad@icloud.com
303.619.4426
Julie Saad has been involved with Contemplative Outreach in Denver since 1994 and is a commissioned presenter in Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina and the Welcoming Prayer. She served as the coordinator of the Center for Contemplative Living in Denver and is currently the coordinator of the Contemplative Living Experience program in Denver, a program modeled after the Nine-Month Course. She completed her formation as a spiritual director in 2008 through the Benedictine Spiritual Formation Program offered by Benet Hill Monastery in Colorado Springs. Everyone in the Denver community knows her standard poodle, Madison, who used to come to work with her at the Center every day. A few years ago Julie and Madison rescued Joey, a boxer puppy (or more likely, Joey rescued them!). Term expires in 2019 and but can be renewed for 3 years.
Jim McElroy has been practicing Centering Prayer since 1996 and has been a commissioned presenter since 2002. Jim has been on the leadership team of 12-Step Outreach since its formation in 2005 and is especially interested in teaching contemplative practices to the recovery community. He is a former coordinator of St. Louis (USA), is on the Welcoming Prayer Service Team, and is a member of the Living Flame teaching team. Jim spent his career in the insurance industry as an Account Executive. He is passionate about spreading the gift of Contemplative Prayer. He currently lives in St. Louis with his husband, Tim, of 25 years.
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Diane Ryan is a commissioned presenter of both the Introductory Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina workshops. She is a Centering Prayer group facilitator and has led one day silent retreats for her group. Diane is a retired physician living in Breckenridge, Colorado, USA. She, her husband and their Great Dane, Bhakti, love outdoor activities . They have three adult children. One of Diane’s passions is learning to play cello since retiring. She has a special interest in the contemplative dimension of other religions and in exploring interspiritual activities.
Patricia Johnson
pjconout@rof.net
Patricia Johnson is currently serving on the Board of CO, Ltd. She previously served as a Board member twice before. Recently she served as an interim administrator for Contemplative Outreach for two years, retiring from that position at the end of 2018.
She and her husband, Bob, moved to the Lama Foundation in 1982 and were only there two months before meeting Fr. Thomas Keating who became her teacher. She was the Lama liaison for two Intensive retreats that TK led at Lama in August of 1983 and August of 1984. She also had the privilege and honor in January and February of 1984 to leave the Lama Foundation for three weeks to serve an experimental retreat of nine weeks at St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass, CO. This extended in-depth time at the monastery led to Bob and her and children Sarah and Matthew moving to Snowmass, CO in the fall of 1984. That began the Snowmass retreats. From 1984 until 2018, Pat was serving and administrating retreats at the monastery and elsewhere. Pat retired from serving retreats in 2019 though she still does “sits and talks” for retreatants at Snowmass. Term expires in 20 20 but can be renewed for 3 years.
Carol Quest
questcarol@gmail.com
Carol is a retired high school teacher living in St. Paul, Minnesota who began practicing Centering Prayer in 1993. She is a Centering Prayer group facilitator and a commissioned presenter of the Centering Prayer Introductory Program. As past co-coordinator of the Minnesota Contemplative Outreach chapter, she continues as a member of the chapter coordinating team. She volunteers with a team offering Centering Prayer at a Minnesota state prison. She has served on the Centering Prayer Introductory Program Service Team and currently is a member of the Chapter Support Service Team. In 2019 she was part or the Contemplative Outreach International Conference Planning Team.
Julie Saad
jasaad@icloud.com
303.619.4426
Julie Saad has been involved with Contemplative Outreach in Denver since 1994 and is a commissioned presenter in Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina and the Welcoming Prayer. She served as the coordinator of the Center for Contemplative Living in Denver and is currently the coordinator of the Contemplative Living Experience program in Denver, a program modeled after the Nine-Month Course. She completed her formation as a spiritual director in 2008 through the Benedictine Spiritual Formation Program offered by Benet Hill Monastery in Colorado Springs. Everyone in the Denver community knows her standard poodle, Madison, who used to come to work with her at the Center every day. A few years ago Julie and Madison rescued Joey, a boxer puppy (or more likely, Joey rescued them!). Term expires in 2019 and but can be renewed for 3 years.
Jim McElroy has been practicing Centering Prayer since 1996 and has been a commissioned presenter since 2002. Jim has been on the leadership team of 12-Step Outreach since its formation in 2005 and is especially interested in teaching contemplative practices to the recovery community. He is a former coordinator of St. Louis (USA), is on the Welcoming Prayer Service Team, and is a member of the Living Flame teaching team. Jim spent his career in the insurance industry as an Account Executive. He is passionate about spreading the gift of Contemplative Prayer. He currently lives in St. Louis with his husband, Tim, of 25 years.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Diane Ryan is a commissioned presenter of both the Introductory Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina workshops. She is a Centering Prayer group facilitator and has led one day silent retreats for her group. Diane is a retired physician living in Breckenridge, Colorado, USA. She, her husband and their Great Dane, Bhakti, love outdoor activities . They have three adult children. One of Diane’s passions is learning to play cello since retiring. She has a special interest in the contemplative dimension of other religions and in exploring interspiritual activities.
