September 2026

Dear friend,

For nearly six weeks this summer I stayed in a simple cabin built by my grandfather and aunt. It sits near a lake, on a piece of land I first visited while in my mother’s womb and while the cabin existed only in blueprints. As my plans to spend time there came together last spring, I pictured expansive, leisurely days and an opportunity to finally slow down. To a degree, that was the case. But it’s also true that I stayed busier than intended and then got sick for a week as the summer was winding down. The long, unhurried days I'd imagined never quite materialized. 

Something else did, though: precious moments of spacious awareness. Morning coffee sitting by the lake, listening as the world woke up. Or watching through a window as a storm blew in – grey clouds increasing, hanging heavy, spilling gentle rain before growing decidedly less gentle, wind picking up, thunder and lightning peaking… then giving way to wet grey/green drip-punctuated lushness. Once, I heard the sustained flapping of wings by the resident eagle a neighbor had mentioned, taking off after a catch. The 1700-mile drive north, spread over a week, had also been intentionally relaxed; it included visits to both the retreat center where we’ll gather in October and a Centering Prayer group that's been part of our contemplative family since 2017. What a gift to be in various places, with various people, enjoying moments of connection and presence.

As my time to depart approached, I found myself surprised by how quickly joyful anticipation of the trip home displaced the wistful nostalgia of bidding this special place farewell. Part of me was tempted by discouragement as I reflected on various frustrated hopes and imaginings, but a choice to focus on gratitude changed the inner landscape. Not only did I find many gifts as I looked back on the prior weeks; it also dawned on me that many of the visits I’d lined up for my journey down the eastern seaboard were with contemplatively inclined friends from different chapters of my life – people who have cultivated the art of being present to what is, and who tend to meet the world with more curiosity than judgment. 



I’m writing this as I make my way south, stopping here and there for several hours or a couple of nights, remembering that, at its core, Praestolari’s work is really about recognizing and living into the connection that underlies existence – connection to God, to ourselves, to one another. It can happen by a lake or at a restaurant, as well as on a prison rec yard. Anywhere we choose to slow down and tune in, with the intention of simply attending to what is.

Voices from Inside

We hear from people practicing Centering Prayer inside the walls quite regularly, through the business reply mail postcard that we include once each year in Centering Inside, as well as through old-fashioned snail mail letters written to PCF/Praestolari, often addressed simply to “whoever reads this” and then trustingly sent either to our current Tallahassee PO Box or to the old one in Folsom, California (which stiill gets checked once a month). One thing that stood out in the letters we received recently was how many people wrote not just about finding a little more peace for themselves, but about wanting to share it with others, too. This is what community looks like. 

“I know, I have known for several years now, that toxic shame is what kept me locked in a self-destructive cycle that led me to prison... I was profoundly moved to learn that Centering Prayer is the antidote to toxic shame. It would seem that God has been leading me on a journey to a deep and simple stillness in His Presence, and to share this newly discovered practice with others."

“Since I learned how to practice Centering Prayer, my meditation practice has improved by a million percent… I brought it up in the meditation group I'm part of, and everyone's interested. If I can get a couple more guys on board, I'd love to talk to you and our chaplain about starting a Centering Prayer circle of our own here.”

“I've found that Centering Prayer has been the most significant tool of survival for me here. I've led somewhere around twenty guys through the forty day book and seen real transformation in them. I'm trying to start a group here. Please keep sending Centering Inside. It means a great deal to the men here.”

Each of these, on its own, is one person finding a little more peace. Read together, they're proof that this practice is communal, no matter where it takes root.

The Next Issue of Centering Inside

This fall's issue of Centering Inside, Volume 3, Number 3, is built around similar themes. We're gathering stories and voices from inside and outside the walls to help build community in places where community is needed most. The issue (which will be featured in the October eBulletin) will speak to what it means to be seen, heard, and understood exactly as you are — and how life-giving it can be when that comes from someone who's lived through something similar. Centering Inside exists to be a bridge across walls – to support the practice itself, of course, but also the connections and the underlying unity that transcends all manner of walls and barriers, so long as we consent.

This issue will also carry a postage paid reply postcard, so if you know someone inside who receives Centering Inside, please encourage them to use it. We'd love to hear their stories, and, with permission, to continue sharing voices like the ones above in future issues.

Something New We're Trying

We're experimenting with something new this month, as we design the next issue of Centering Inside. If there's a word of encouragement, a short blessing, a line of scripture, or simply a reminder that people inside aren’t alone, please send it here. We can't promise every note will make it into a letter or a future issue of Centering Inside, but we'll read every one and include what we can. It's a small thing, but that's usually how connection happens… one note, one letter, one visit at a time.

Chandra, Sue, William and Linda at the Church of the Nativity in Huntsville, Alabama

Friends in Alabama

The Centering Prayer group I mentioned visiting on my way north, the one that's been part of this family since before Praestolari existed, is Sue's home group, at the Church of the Nativity in Huntsville, Alabama. They meet every Tuesday and have been gathering weekly for about thirty years. Sue has been part of the Praestolari community since before it formally existed as an entity; she and her husband Jerry were very early visitors (December 2017) to the group I’ve been praying with at Graceville Correctional Facility (FL) for almost 10 years. She’s been back several times, including bringing two other members of the Nativity group, William and Linda, for the Day of Silence held at Graceville last December.

Nativity’s Bibb Chapel is mid-renovation right now, on its way to full handicap accessibility, but that did not stop Carole from setting out Milo's sweet tea, plain tea, and a coconut cake before the group had even gathered. It was an intimate and beautiful circle that evening, with many participants arriving about forty-five minutes early to visit. I was struck by how curious and supportive everyone was about the retreat and the other ways we are building community. Being together was a great blessing, and I’m already looking forward to finding my way back.

Stories like Sue's are what those threads of attention and connection actually look like… a chapel in Alabama, a rec yard in Florida, thirty years of showing up. No matter who we are or how we arrive, we are all united in the Silence.



Thank you for staying connected with us – it’s a gift to share the journey with you,

Chandra Hanson, Executive Director

on behalf of the Praestolari team

Our Mission

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

We support contemplative practice inside and beyond prison walls by:

• Making Centering Prayer resources widely accessible
• Strengthening communication and connection across the walls
• Accompanying practitioners as they return home from incarceration
• Co-sponsoring annual retreats with COPOST

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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Resources & Materials



Our goal is to share contemplative resources as broadly as possible. We send a variety of materials inside locked facilities—responding to direct requests from incarcerated individuals, supporting volunteers and chaplains who accompany Centering Prayer groups, and sharing resources through our partnership with the Human Kindness Foundation. Most of our materials are also available in Spanish. See some of our most requested materials below, and visit our website for more.

If you would like to receive books or DVDs, please contact us at hello@praestolari.org. Let us know if you are currently sharing Centering Prayer inside—or if you’re interested in learning how to get started.

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