December 2025

A Season of Gratitude

Dear friends,


I hope that you and yours were able to enter into at least moments (if not multiple days) of relaxation, in a spirit of Thanksgiving. There is a deep invitation, it seems, in our celebrations at this time of year, to embrace the messiness of life.

An invitation to recognize that history is often told by those who appear victorious, and that there is always more than one point of view from which stories can be told. Our work here at PCF/Praestolari asks that we hold such realities tenderly in every season, finding ways to identify and lift up gratitude even/especially in the midst of painful -- or downright tragic -- circumstances.

We know all too well that "hurt people hurt people," and that our country's overflowing prisons hold many whose crimes were committed in the context of what Thomas Keating calls "false self systems" in which perpetuating cycles of violence is almost inevitable. What a balm Centering Prayer can be to all of us who desperately desire (but don't always manage) to act from the part of ourselves that is "made in the image and likeness of God," rather than the parts driven by well-ingrained defense mechanisms.

Those who have spent time living inside the walls have a great deal of hard won wisdom to share with those of us who have not, when it comes to these themes. I know that I am not alone in my aim to give thanks daily for the fact that my life circumstances, at least thus far, have spared me first hand experience of incarceration -- a gift for which I cannot claim responsibility, and one I intend never to take for granted.

During this season of gratitude and reflection, our team wants to share with you glimpses of the words and the grounded presence of at least a few powerful witnesses from within our community. May these letters, voices, and stories -- from folks who have spent time inside the walls and whose lives are being transformed, at least in part, through their practice of Centering Prayer -- inspire you, as they do me, to ever deepening gratitude.

Gratitude for this practice.

Gratitude for this community.

Gratitude for the possibility of healing.

Gratitude for the gift of life itself.

And, gratitude for sharing the journey with you,

Chandra (Executive Director)

on behalf of the Prison Contemplative Fellowship (dba Praestolari) team



Centering Inside - Volume 2, Number 2

As you read this, production should be nearly complete and the printer preparing to drop in the mail nearly 3,000 copies of our 3rd edition of Centering Inside -- whether directly to residents of locked facilities, or to volunteers, Chaplains, or members of our team who will then see to their delivery.

The Fall 2025 edition (Vol 2, No 2) contains the first in a 3-part history of this organization as it exists today. "Chapter One" as we've taken to calling it, traces our roots to one of the first known inside-the-walls Centering Prayer groups -- the one begun at Folsom Prison in the mid 1990s, and which continues to this day. We learned in our research that it may not have actually been the "first known" such group, but it does appear to rightly lay claim to being the longest running.

Many thanks to:

• Octavia Millwood (who has just recently transitioned to a new role as Special Projects Consultant) for her dogged research, as well as
• Jon Andreas (Data Analyst and Graphic Designer) and Morgan Todd (Communications Coordinator) for design work, and
• Jamie McCammon (Operations Manager) for overseeing production and distribution...
• not to mention the many members of the community who played a role in helping us tell stories that long predate any of the current team's involvement.

Responsibility for any remaining errors lies with me (Chandra), while credit for the success is entirely collaborative and only possible due to grace!

Please check out this edition at your convenience; also know that you can always revisit (and share) prior editions on our website, and stay tuned for the next couple chapters in our evolving history.

Stories of Transformation

Every week, when she picks up the mail, Jamie finds letters from people currently living inside the walls -- that is, from friends (whether already or not yet known to us) who are part of our growing community.

Their letters express gratitude: gratitude for the stillness they’ve found, for the sense of connection that Centering Prayer brings, and for the simple fact that someone on the outside cares. They remind us of the difference it makes when this practice is able to take root, grow, and blossom in the hearts and lives of people living in places where hope is often in short supply. 

The Stories Don’t End Here

The reflections shared in this eBulletin are just a glimpse into the transformation happening week after week, inside and outside the walls. 

We have been inviting those who participate in the Outside the Walls community to share stories of how they came to find Centering Prayer and the fruits the practice is bearing in their lives. Recently, we asked a few of them, alongside team members, what they were thankful for as part of this Thanksgiving video. 

We look forward to sharing their stories on our social media channels and website and we invite you to follow along.

Click the links below to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and now YouTube, or click here to visit the new blog on our website.

Your presence helps these stories travel farther and reach those who may need to hear them. If a story resonates with you, we’d be grateful if you shared it — it’s one of the most meaningful ways to help these voices be heard.

This year, on Giving Tuesday, we want to say Thank You

Every letter we send, every book delivered, every newsletter received, every person who feels supported by this work — is possible because of this community.

Thank you. 

Thank you for your prayers, for joining in the practice, for your compassion, for your care.

We are deeply grateful for every gift that helps us continue supporting practitioners of Centering Prayer inside and outside the walls. Those moved to help fund the work may donate here.

Most of all, thank you for being part of this shared path of transformation.

With peace and gratitude,

The Prison Contemplative Fellowship (Praestolari) Team

Support our Mission

We place great value on all actions and intentions that align with our mission and help grow/support the community.

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Our Mission

Journeying together as people affected by incarceration, we share Centering Prayer meditation and foster connections to support healing and transformation, both personal and communal.

Our programs include: 

• Making resources widely available (see below)
• Building the capacity for effective communication across the walls
• Continually improving the welcome and accompaniment offered to contemplative practitioners post-incarceration
• Co-sponsoring annual retreats with COPOST



Resources

Our goal is to share resources as broadly as possible:

• Our books and films are available for downloading and viewing via the links below.
• We regularly ship books and DVDs to volunteers and chaplains facilitating/supporting Centering Prayer groups inside locked facilities.
• Through our association with the Human Kindness Foundation, we send books and materials about Centering Prayer to residents of locked facilities.
• Our materials are also accessed in prisons and jails all over the country via Edovo, an app that is increasingly included on facility-issued tablets to provide spiritual, rehabilitative, educational, and vocational content without cost to the residents.
• Our Centering Inside newsletter which gets sent to our vast network of people living in locked facilities throughout the United States twice per year.

If you wish to receive books or DVDs, do not hesitate to reach out at hello@uspcf.org; please let us know if you are currently sharing Centering Prayer with those inside -- or how we might help you get started.

Watch the 22-minute Holding Still documentary here

Watch the Companion Films here

PCF Books available for download

All issues of our Centering Inside newsletter can be found here