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"The essential note of Christ’s passion is the emptying of
His divinity. We enter into His emptying by accepting the
emptying process in our own life, by laying aside our
false self, and by living in the presence of God,
the source of our being.
We prepare ourselves daily for the emptying process in life
through contemplative prayer, which is not so much the
emptiness of thoughts or conversation as the emptiness
of self. We cease to multiply reflections and acts of the
will. A different kind of knowledge rooted in love emerges
in which the awareness of God’s presence supplants the
awareness of our own presence and the inveterate tendency
to reflect on ourselves. The experience of God’s presence
frees us from making ourselves the center of the universe."
Father Thomas Keating, cf. The Heart of the World; Intimacy with God
| | UNITED DAY IN PRAYER - MARCH 6 - 7 | | |
One of the blessings of video-conferencing technology is the ability to come together as one with Centering Prayer practitioners from all over the world. Our parent organization,
Contemplative Outreach, Ltd., is hosting the 34th annual “United in Prayer Day,” on March 6-7, 2026. As stated on the CO, Ltd. website, the intention of the event is:
“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.”
This free 18-hour global prayer vigil begins at 8:00 pm CT on Friday, March 6, and is accessible via Zoom. Each hour a different Contemplative Outreach group hosts the hour, which consists of at least 20 minutes of Centering Prayer, as well as other offerings from the hosting group, which may include a video segment, the practice of Lectio Divina, selected readings, community sharing, chanting, etc.
As each hour unfolds, new faces from countries all over the globe enter into the virtual chapel, some in darkness of night while others are sitting in bright sunlight. Some sit in groups, some alone in their kitchen or living room, some from the prisons or jails where they are incarcerated.
We all come together to celebrate the prayer and our kinship as one. Many who have
participated in the past have experienced the movement of the Holy Spirit within and the community of pray-ers. We encourage you to join this transformative, global event.
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The retreat leader, Dr. William Thiele, explains the purpose and context of the retreat:
"The sacredness of nature fills our beings like nothing else. Join us as we practice
Mary Oliver’s poem, “When I am Among the Trees,” in real time, learning divine truths of
contemplative living from the nature beings all around us, tapping into the feeling of
oneness with all beings in the natural world and letting go of the illusions of separation
from God and from one another. We weave centering practice (inner sanctuary) into
Eco-practice (outer sanctuary), dissolving the illusion of separation,
“holding space for the sacred within and wherever we go.”
Genesis 28:10-17 “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of
God, and this is the gate of Heaven.” (My book on this theme is The Gate of Heaven is
Everywhere. Victoria Loorz’s book Church of the Wild is another great reference).
Imagine Nature as our siblings, as beings, as Wisdom figures ready to offer
guidance as we walk the path, and Healers who seek to help us heal from our many
woes. Then imagine their messages as sacred scripture: practical; personal words to live by. We will imagine ourselves as the listeners in this holy conversation, so people
should bring journals to catch and retain what they hear as they walk, like mantras to live by.
Each session will include a short presentation of themes to guide our meditations, a
period of nature walking, and a time of sacred circle sharing of what we are
discovering."
William Thiele, PhD
Author: The Gate of Heaven is Everywhere
Monks in the World: Seeking God in a Frantic Culture
"A Contemplative Path" - podcast on iTunes and blog on Wordpress.com
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“Over time through the practice of Centering Prayer,
we let go of our illusions that the way we see the world
is the right way, or worse, the only way.
It isn’t. God is present amidst all.”
The Paschal Mystery: A Journey into Redemption and Grace, Contemplative Outreach
Lent is a time for us to reflect, to look past the illusions and see the reality within us and
the reality beyond us. During Lent, we might tend to focus on those sinful actions we
keep in our mind's special storage box, ready to bring out whenever we decide that we
need to repent or be remorseful.
Instead, this can be an opportunity to reflect on our past and refocus our lives for the
future, looking inward and outward, as well as backward and forward. Looking to the
past, I often think about the regretful things I did in my youth, wishing that I had acted
with more selflessness and compassion. But that seems like the easy way out, because
I'm telling myself how much I have matured—I’ve already repented and changed, I just
need to sand off some rough edges. I’m not looking forward. I’m just revisiting my
illusions.
| | For the next few months, Library Corner is going to highlight recommendations from the Facilitator’s Gathering in February, starting with Virginia Beckham’s selection of the 40 Day Praxis book series. | | |
Each spiral bound volume in the Praxis series includes 1 to 2 page essays with accompanying practices on Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina, Welcoming Prayer, Active Prayer, Discernment, Forgiveness, Attention/Intention, Silence & Solitude, the Discipline of Prayer, Hospitality, Contemplative Service, Community, and Spirituality of Money. The format of these books is ideal for reading together in lectio during group meetings. There are copies of several of books in the Praxis series in our library. They are also available from Contemplative Outreach in print or online formats.
Virginia also highly recommends the Carmen Butcher translation of the classic Cloud of Unknowing and the Daily Reader for Contemplative Living, which contains excerpts of Keating’s work
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These and other amazing books may be borrowed from the Carol D. Lewis Library housed in the Centering Prayer Room on the second floor of Christ Church's Education Building. The collection is listed by author, title, and subject in the library catalog:
https://CenteringPrayerLibrary.librarika.com.
There are no due dates or fines charged to use the collection. If you have any comments, questions, suggestions or would like to donate materials, please contact the librarian (Caroline Thompson, cthompson57@gmail.com).
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34th Annual United in Prayer Day
Contemplative Outreach LTD.
March 6 @ 7:00 pm - March 7 @ 3:00 pm
INFO HERE
TAIZÉ IN THE ATRIUM LENTEN SERIES
St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church in Gulf Breeze, FL
Saturday evenings in Lent at 5:00 pm: Mar. 7, 14, 21, 28
Taizé Services are quiet and contemplative services interspersed with music and meditations, about 30 min. duration. The services will feature the St. Francis Taizé Ensemble led by Cathy Griffing and guest musicians from throughout the community.
Contact: John Griffing at 850-450-5126 for further details.
Saturday, March 21
Contemplative Forest Walk with Dr. William Thiele
Center for Sacred Space
10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Lunch is included
Naval Live Oaks, Gulf Breeze, FL
REGISTER HERE
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Contemplative Outreach of Pensacola
PRAYER GROUPS
We welcome all those new to Centering Prayer as well as established practitioners to our Pensacola area prayer groups. Check with each group's facilitator to learn the current meeting status. Please contact Jenni Arnold if you need to make a change to a prayer group - copns44@gmail.com or 850-712-1634.
CLICK HERE for updated information
12 Step Outreach- Contemplative Outreach
For those interested in or currently practicing Centering Prayer as the 11th step, discover new opportunities to participate in monthly on-line Introductory workshops and countless other offerings.
CLICK HERE
The Meditation Chapel
Find the Meditation Chapel schedule with instructions to register for access to the calendar of daily listings for opportunities to pray with others globally throughout the day and night. These groups have grown and matured since the early days of the pandemic. If you are looking for new connections for practicing centering prayer in community, give the Meditation Chapel a try.
CLICK HERE
St. Mary's Sewanee, TN
Calendar Events — St. Mary's Sewanee
Benedictine Sisters of Cullman, AL
Events | Benedictine Sisters of Cullman, AL
Websites of FL, AL, GA, LA, TN
Check out the websites of these regional Contemplative Outreach chapters to learn about their events, which include many free Zoom & in-person meetings.
CLICK HERE for a specific chapter's events.
Contemplative Outreach of Colorado
Website of events:
CLICK HERE
Closer Than Breath~ Founder Keith Kristich offers a weekly newsletter, monthly contemplative days, and events and resources to deepen contemplative practices.
CLICK HERE
Lindsay Boyer: Spirituality for Questioning Minds including teachings, contemplative practices, prayer groups, special Quiet Days:
CLICK HERE
Fr. Richard Rohr: Center for Action and Contemplation offerings for daily meditations, podcasts, subscriptions and other resources:
CLICK HERE
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You are invited to enjoy the monthly Contemplative Outreach, Ltd E-Bulletin for beautiful offerings and E-bulletin.
CLICK HERE to read the mid-February E-Bulletin.
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Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. website: CLICK HERE
The Contemplative Outreach YouTube Channel offers a treasure of free videos of
shorter and longer lengths:
Contemplative Outreach - YouTube
Theological Principle #13 - Following the teaching of Jesus, we endeavor to exercise leadership in a spirit of service, utmost charity, and unity.
Commentary - "Leadership is a necessary function of the human condition and of society. Following Jesus’ example and teaching, we aspire to exercise leadership as a way of serving, of taking the lowest place, and of living ordinary life with extraordinary love. Utmost charity is more than ordinary charity. It is to love one another as Jesus has loved us, that is, with all our faults, limitations, and at times outrageous behavior. It is to forgive completely and from the heart everything and everyone, including ourselves. This is the path to unity."
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