November 2026

Frank, Michael and Lawrence sharing informally as the retreat neared its close

Dear friend,

Since our last eBulletin, 16 of us were able to be physically present for our 4th annual Intensive Centering Prayer retreat. Many more joined from afar and supported us in prayer. Thank you.

The fruits and gifts of such an experience are unique to each person and to each retreat, while at the same time entirely contiguous with the fruits and gifts of the spiritual journey in general: growing intimacy with the Divine, with others, and with oneself.  

In the closing circle at Bethany Retreat Center in Frenchville, PA, we were gently invited to resist characterizing what we had experienced – in favor of letting the retreat continue to unfold.  

“Share only what you want us to know.”

I am always eager to hear what other retreatants will choose to say in those sacred moments of giving voice, after we have walked together for nearly a week in grand silence. A decade’s worth of making personal retreats has not cured my nervousness when it comes to my own sharing.  

This year, however, a new choice opened before me – in what James Finley might call a “graced awakening.” Out of the midst of that familiar dread came a miraculous moment of inner freedom, from which words flowed from deep within me. Yes, from the core place within that can actually receive the Love in which we are all always held, from a glimpse of union with the One to whom words can “only” (yet importantly) point.

Though my inner experience of this retreat was largely marked by grief, distractions, and battling familiar demons, what bubbled up to be shared was immense gratitude. There was no chance my words could adequately reflect the fullness of Love exploding in my heart. My inner freedom was rooted in trust – trust that my paltry offering would in some way point to the reality of the gift.

Sometimes, the choice to express gratitude comes easily.  

Sometimes, we have to work hard to do it.  

And sometimes, it’s possible only by grace.

Thinking about this reminded me of one of the letters we processed on behalf of Contemplative Outreach’s Prison Outreach Service Team (COPOST) late last year. It was from a resident at a California prison who began by listing what had been on his holiday meal tray (shared with permission):

Thanksgiving 2025


1 thin slice compressed poultry scraps, sort of an avian form of particle board

1 thin slice of processed meat passed off as holiday ham

4 oz tasteless moistened unseasoned bread crumbs, no onions, no celery or other aromatic added

4 oz boiled to mush broccoli, mostly stems

1 c wilted lettuce

1 oz cranberry sauce

0 yams, candied or otherwise

0 gravy

3 canned peach slices in warm liquid, with a sprinkle of the same bread crumbs served with the entree

He then wrote:

I pulled out the two slices of bread I've learned to save from lunch and made a sandwich.



As I prepared for sleep later that night I thought of those who earlier this month lost their SNAP benefits and wondered if those benefits had been restored in time for Thanksgiving. I wondered how many went without this year in this country, let alone the world.

Before sliding under my blanket I thanked God that I was not going to sleep hungry. I thanked Him for that single ounce of cranberry sauce. It made all the difference in that sandwich. I know it was a blessing from God.

I have read his list many times now. Each time, it makes me pause. 

Most of us carry a picture of what a holiday meal looks like: a full table, a few favorite dishes, maybe more than we can finish. For so many of the people we walk with, this list gives a better picture of what Thanksgiving looks like.

And yet, on that night, with every reason to feel sorry for himself, this man went to sleep thinking about people he would never meet who might be hungry – and thanking God for one ounce of cranberry sauce.

The COPOST volunteers’ reply, sent in early January, captured the same truth I experienced under radically different circumstances as the retreat was drawing to a close:

Our ability to be grateful no matter the circumstances is a witness to the love of God within us, transforming us to rise above the challenges and difficulties of our lives, in order to appreciate and be thankful for what we have been given.

They went on to point out to the letter writer: this gratitude is "a sign of the contemplative life that you live." 

Amen.

Is this not increasing gratitude a fruit of engaging the practice over time? 

Sitting in silence, consenting to God's presence and action within, we don't get to choose what is on the tray, nor do we get to choose the content of our retreat experience, our life circumstances, our days, our prayer sessions… Little by little, though, we may start to notice the cranberry sauce.

Gratitude for Our Partners at COPOST

This letter addressed to COPOST was received by volunteers who read it, held its writer in prayer, and wrote back. In that same reply, they included this:

We work closely with Prison Contemplative Fellowship (PCF) to support those experiencing incarceration, especially in relation to the practice of Centering Prayer. You should also be receiving their newsletter, titled Centering Inside, twice a year in the fall and spring.

A year ago, we went by PCF; now, we are Praestolari. Either name points to the same reality: our wall-transcending community fostered in partnership with COPOST. Between their newsletter and ours, the hope is that people like this letter-writer can count on receiving literature that nurtures their practice in every season. That hope is carried by a partnership woven of many threads: letters and names shared between our two teams so that no one writing in gets lost, two newsletters each being sent twice a year (some now in Spanish as well as English), and retreats, like last month’s in Frenchville. 



This is our 4th annual co-sponsored 7-day Intensive. What a blessing it is to plunge into deep silence with those who have experienced incarceration and others committed to accompanying them. It’s the kind of alchemy born of a true partnership: neither organization could pull this off without the other. Together, we can. There are many treasured gifts still unfolding from those days – here’s a glimpse:

Picking up precious cargo at the airport: one of the most joyful times is when we reunite and/or meet in person for the first time, gathering from near and far, all of us excited to gathering in the Silence with one another

"The facility was very great. I’m naturally a nature person. This modern world that we are in is so chaotic that we feed our eyes with different things. A location like this place here where we had this retreat, it’s isolated, it’s secluded, and I fed my eyes with some beautiful nature. Mentally, physically, walking around the grounds and everything was very beneficial to me." 

- Emmanuel

Bethany Adult Retreat Center: the location where we gathered in Frenchville, Pennsylvania was hard to get to, but well worth the effort. The grounds were expansive and serene, the rooms comfortable, and the staff friendly.

"I do the Zoom meetings on Sunday with the group and, to meet them again, to see the people, to be in person... we’re sitting in a circle in a spirit realm where we’re becoming one in the spirit." 

- Frank

Our collective sits: While Centering Prayer unites us no matter where we are located, there is something special that is experienced when we are able to sit in the Silence together, in the same room. This year, we intentionally included an empty chair to represent all who wished to attend and couldn’t. The connection is real – not only among those physically present but also with others on the journey, including our friends inside the walls.

"There is a peaceful serenity in knowing that although we are far apart, when I sit with my brothers and sisters in prayer, a sacred connection happens. It feels heavenly. Like a salve. Like the gentlest breeze on a hot summer day. It is a hopeful growth of love. So, instead of getting lost in the disappointment of not being able to attend, I choose to embrace gratitude." 

- Carla

My deep thanks go to Rita Weick, Patricia Hutchinson, and Jennie K. Curtis, who so lovingly led us in holding space together, to everyone at COPOST, and to the donors whose generosity covered travel, meals, and lodging, as well as help with shortfalls at home for those who needed it on account of their absence.

As we enter this month in which we formally celebrate Thanksgiving, some of the things that bubble up for me are:

• Gratitude for a single ounce of cranberry sauce – and for the gift of increasing freedom to choose a posture of gratitude.
• Gratitude for volunteers who read letters and write back.
• Gratitude for seven days of silence, shared both proximally and from a distance.
• Gratitude for you, and for this community that keeps transcending walls.

What is your ounce of cranberry sauce this year? What small thing has made all the difference?

With you on the journey,

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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