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Alta, WY Greetings from the Tetons! The Alta Retreat Center continues to respond to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit in our attempt to meet the growing needs of the network. Plans for the expansion of our retreat facility are moving right along and reflect attendees’ suggestions and recommendations. We are excited about our first 21 Day Immersion in July and are looking forward to the Rev. Jim Clark’s week on “The Human Condition and the Divine Therapist,” and Gard Jameson’s discussion on “Contemplative Traditions of the World.” Check our website to see if there is space available for this retreat! Prison Ministry Update: Sr. Catherine Bazar and I visited the Women’s Correctional Facility in Pocatello three years ago and began a Centering Prayer ministry at the invitation of Rev. Diane Paulson. Diane and volunteers from her parish continue that ministry by visiting the women three days a week! I revisited that facility this February for a follow-up workshop and can report enthusiasm and gratitude from the women who continue to benefit from Centering Prayer. Recognizing the great intensity of the work, and the need to share experience and information, ARC will host the first International Network Prison Ministry and Leadership Seminar from June 24-27, 2004. Agenda planning for this seminar will take place at our National Convention in California this September. Ministry Service Leader Fred Eckhart will coordinate this planning. We would like to identify all interested persons and plan carefully for this event. Please contact us if you want to help! 11th Step Update: CO-service Retreat Leaders Martha and Tim Black report growing interest in CO’s new offerings for people in 12-Step Recovery programs. They have been invited to lead a “Round-Up” at the Priory, a Benedictine Monastery in Jerome, Idaho, this spring. Interest in learning Centering Prayer as a meditation practice to fulfill the 11th Step guideline is gathering momentum and interest. ARC hopes to offer a similar International Leadership Seminar for 11th Step Service Teams in the summer of 2004 and is exploring this possibility with Madeline Soo. We will keep you posted in our next communication. In closing, I want to express my deepest appreciation to Marie Howard, Chair of the Retreat Ministry Service Team, for all her support and encouragement. Rev. Sandra Casey-Martus, 307-353-8100, Rev. Sandra Casey-Martus, 307-353-8100, Rev. Sandra Casey-Martus, 307-353-8100,
Alta, WY Atlanta, GA Contemplative Outreach-Atlanta and Emory University will host Fr. Keating at Emory University on November 7 and 8. The seminarians from Chandler School of Theology and Columbia Seminary in Decatur will be invited for Friday evening and the general public for Saturday. Requests continue to come from various areas in Georgia for Introductory Workshops on Centering Prayer. To help us in this work, our first Formation for Contemplative Outreach Service will be held at the Trappist Monastery of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia from July 11-18. The contact is Roseanne, 678-796-9158, rmaryh@earthlink.net. Anne Mazza and Therese Saulnier will lead the program. The Trappist Monks in Conyers provide weekend workshops in Centering Prayer for the remainder of 2003 in the months of June, August, October, and December. Spaces are available. Contact: 770-760-0959/email:rhouse@trappist.net. We find that putting advertisements in local church bulletins is the best way to bring people to the workshops. We are happy to announce that the 13 existing Prayer Groups in the Catholic, Episcopal, and Presbyterian churches were recently joined by the addition of The Church of God denomination. Atlanta’s new website was established in December 2002. It can be reached through a link with the C.O. Ltd. website or at www.centeringprayer.com/chapters/Atlanta.htm In a grateful spirit, we are excited about the number of individual members willing to take on the responsibilities of finance, books, tapes, bulk mailings, data entry, facilitators and workshop leaders. We thank them for their generous spirits, look for more willing volunteers and thank God for blessing our efforts. Roseanne M. Havird, 678-796-9158, rmaryh@earthlink.net
Alta, WY We’ve had the most exciting days here with the presence of Abba Thomas Keating, from January 2-8 in Rio de Janiero and 9-15 in Belo Horizonte. He conducted the first retreat in Rio de Janiero for 82 people and the second in Belo Horizonte with about 66 people participating. The talks had an attendance of approximately 150. Three of the talks were in Rio and three were in Belo Horizonte. We wished he could stay with us forever because when he opens his mouth, only wise words on the love of God come out. Everyone here is in love with him, men and women, young and old, priests, nuns and lay people because of the way he talks about God, putting it in a simple way, accessible to each of us! The last day of our retreat he talked for about two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. He had private 15-minute conversations with many people all afternoon, and then talked for more than two hours in the the evening. The latter had not even been scheduled. Everyone was amazed at the amount of energy he has. God bless you, Fr. Keating, and thank you. For two years we had only a small group in St. Ephigenia’s Church in Belo Horizonte, from where Fr. Keating gave the talks. Now we have three new support groups and other new ones will begin soon. People here are saying they're practicing Centering Prayer, and they are very much enchanted with this simple form of prayer. Many priests have become interested too and are thinking of having groups in their parishes. Fr. Aloisio, who welcomed us in his church some two years ago, is thinking of having a fixed hour every day at the church, where people can go and sit for Centering Prayer. Thank God we had this opportunity to have Fr. Keating with us. God bless him and give him strong health to go on with his holy mission. Again, thanks so much. Come back some day, Fr. Keating! You may be sure you left many friends and followers here! We’ll be praying for you. Love from Brazil, Jandira Soares Pimental, 55-31-3242-2835
Alta, WY Denver, CO (CO of Colorado) The surge of growth and activity we experienced last year continues. From September 2002 to June 2003, we are on track to have served almost 3,000 people through our classes, workshops, outreach ministries, days of prayer, retreats and annual conference. In January, our own Margaret Johnson presented workshops on “Care of the Soul” and “Be Free Where You Are” to sell-out crowds. We expanded our retreat offerings to include David Frenette’s 5 Day Retreat, “Integrating Centering Prayer into Daily Life” (Jan 30-Feb 3). in addition to our 2 weekend Intensives and staff retreat. In February, staff members Bernard Jacques and Julie Saad introduced and presented their new Lectio Divina workshop. On March 23rd, over 500 people attended our 10th Annual Conference - “A Buddhist-Christian Exchange,” the second of a 3-part series with Fr. Thomas Keating and special guests looking at different faith traditions and deepening our understanding of the oneness of the entire human family. By 2004, we will have hosted a Sufi teacher, a Buddhist Acharya (senior dharma teacher) and a rabbi. This program has been a deeply spiritual and hope-filled experience. Plans for the 2003-2004 Session of the Nine Month Course: The Practice of Contemplative Living are underway. This year, summer vacation brings the anticipation of an expansion project, here at the Center, to better serve the growing demand for the contemplative experience through Centering Prayer. Sr. Bernadette Teasdale, 303-698-7729
Alta, WY Encino, CA (West San Fernando Valley) We are very thankful for the opportunities for spiritual enrichment and chapter growth this past year. In February 2002 we were blessed to have Mary Dwyer lead the Welcoming Prayer Weekend Retreat at Holy Spirit Retreat Center., Encino. Then in July, Bonnie Shimizu and C.O. staff gave the Formation for Service and an 8 Day Intensive Retreat. In November, Fr. Thomas Keating, Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler, and Fr. Carl Arico traveled to Los Angeles for a very successful fund-raising event at our new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angeles for about 700 people. Most recently, Feb 14-16, 2003, Susan Komis, Chairperson of the CCC, met with 23 of us from the Los Angeles area for the Servant Leadership Formation. Susan more than met our expectations, providing us with both spiritual enrichment and presentations/processes that moved us forward in our growth and development as chapters within the Los Angeles/Orange County areas. Regarding our local chapter, we feel we are evolving. Our core group meets regularly and looks forward to sponsoring the Living Flame Program beginning in November 2003. Sr. Linda Snow, 818-784-4515
Alta, WY Heart of Texas Chapter In conjunction with the Cedarbrake Renewal Center in Belton, we staffed and facilitated a 5 Day retreat with Fr. Thomas Keating that was attended by 95 persons, many of whom were fairly new to Centering Prayer and to Fr. Thomas. In spite of some logistical matters, e.g. how to do a contemplative walk with 95 people, the retreat was a very significant event in our area. Chapter networking continues to connect with persons, churches and groups that want to deepen their practice. Several Introductories are planned in new areas. A core group of committed practitioners has become fully engaged in the Centering Prayer Prison Ministry, actively working at two women’s prisons. We are indeed blessed to serve this prayer that has so served us. Doug Sanders, Chapter Coordinator
Alta, WY Kentucky (CO-KY) Several members from CO-KY attended the Ecumenism Conference in October 2002 at the Nashville, TN Airport Mariott. All were especially moved by Fr. Keating’s talk and by the inter-denominational sharing that took place. Everyone enjoyed renewing friendships with other Contemplative Outreach folks there. Later, in October 2002, Fr. Carl Arico came to Louisville and spoke first at Bellarmine University; then he facilitated a workshop at the Catherine Spalding Retreat Center in Nazareth and finished his stay by giving a parish mission at St. Catherine’s in New Haven. Fr. Carl returned to us March 28-April 14 leading our 8 Day Intensive/Post-Intensive retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, KY with 40 persons in attendance. He was such a lively and wonderful presence and we were so grateful to have had him. CO-KY’s leadership group is planning our Tenth Anniversary event September 12-13, 2003. We are excited to have Fr. Keating return to Kentucky to speak at Bellarmine University. He will give a second presentation at the Catherine Spalding Retreat Center in Nazareth. We would like to welcome and encourage people from all over the region to attend. CO-KY is considering a fund-raising event to tie into this celebration... HELP... we need ideas! Several Introductory
workshops are scheduled throughout 2003. More than 20 groups are meeting regularly at present with three more in formation
stages... and we have a superb newsletter. Deo Gratias!
Alta, WY Korean C.O. Community In the Korean community in the U.S. and Korea, the demand for workshops, formation, and retreats is growing rapidly. In the U.S., I gave a workshop/retreat to people from the Charismatic Renewal Movement in March of this year. The Charismatic Renewal Movement is very strong among Korean Catholics in the U.S. Probably several thousand people belong, and they have found that Charismatic Prayer is not enough for furthering their spiritual growth. Once Centering Prayer is accepted among them, it will grow fast and bring more demand for workshops and retreats in a short time. I wish I had many who are willing, ready and able to contribute their efforts to meet the need in the near future. If not, it will be too much for me to cope with everything all by myself. I pray for God’s help. In Korea, demand is also growing rapidly, however, there are some people who can serve at the entry level. Now I need to concentrate my efforts to form and settle the prayer groups all over the country, on one side, and provide the enrichment programs for future servant leaders, on the other. Therefore, I will have two Formations for Facilitators, two Formations for Presenters, two 10 Day Intensive Retreats, and possibly a retreat for in-depth study of the conceptual background of Centering Prayer for that purpose. Contemplative Outreach Korea is about to form an administrative network. To help them, Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler visited in April to discuss the implementation of the Vision Statement, Principles, and Guidelines, as well as the construction of a network. C.O. Korea published their first newsletter and set up a website at www.CenteringPrayer.co.kr Patrick Uhm, 847-676-0200
Alta, WY Long Island/Queens, NY Greetings from Contemplative Outreach of Long Island/Queens. We have had a very busy and spirit-filled year. The Formation for Presenters was completed, which was both successful and inspiring for all the participants. Some of the new presenters have already been put to work sharing God’s gifts. We offered an open invitation to the Long Island/Queens population to attend our Visioning Day. People responded beautifully and brought forth many suggestions of areas that they felt Long Island should be looking into. Some were willing to get involved with our Committee, which was a blessing. Stepping out in faith last year, we offered two Centering Prayer Retreats - one in Nassau County and one in Suffolk County. This was a first for us and from the enthusiastic response, we will, hopefully, do it again. I could go on and on about all of our activities, but I feel it’s enough to say that the Lord has been working through the Committee, Prayer Groups, parishes, and all of us that say “Yes” every day. God bless all of you. Barbara Sullivan, 516-481-0472
Alta, WY In Springfield, MO, an Introductory workshop was held on March 1, 2003. Renee Bennett and Susan Komis of Contemplative Outreach of St. Louis were the presenters. Holy Trinity Catholic Church and King’s Way Methodist Church sponsored the event. The Holy Spirit has brought together diverse people and groups from many denominations and faith communities with contemplative practices and interests. We had over 50 attendees. The challenge was to make follow-up sessions available to everyone, to organize and support the prayer groups forming from the workshop, and to plan future spiritual enrichment events and retreats. We are just getting started, and prayers and advice are needed. If you have advice or encouragement, please call Dave or Mary Loraine Fromme, 417-823-8359 or email at cospr@earthlink.net. Pray for peace.
Alta, WY New Orleans, LA February of 2003 brought us the blessing of Fr. William Sheehan, O.M.I. for the commissioning of the new Contemplative Outreach of New Orleans leadership team and an inspiring three day retreat on the human condition. By popular demand, Bonnie Shimizu joined us in February for a Faciliator’s and Deepening Participation workshop. After having completed the Formation for Service training with Susan Komis last year, two new local presenters, Joan Fischer and Cetta Dyer, gave an Introduction to Centering Prayer Workshop on March 8. The greater New Orleans Chapter joined with Contemplative Outreach globally for the United in Prayer Day on March 15. We are happy to again be able to sponsor a 10 Day Intensive Retreat this year, July 25th to August 3rd in the beautiful countryside of Pontchatoula, LA. The steering committee meets once a month during the year to assess the progress towards our goal of bringing Centering Prayer instruction and support to the community. We are grateful to Fr. Thomas and all the people in Contemplative Outreach who have made it possible for us to be a part of such a profound and healing ministry. THANK YOU
Alta, WY Walden, NY (CO of Orange County) The big news from Walden is that the 40 Day Live-In Experience will held at St. Andrew’s Retreat House, October 9-November 17, 2003. The Nine Month Course, Part II: A Deepening of Contemplative Living will have completed its first year when you read this article. Thus far it has met and exceeded its intention - A Deepening of Contemplative Living! We have scheduled another 21 Day Centering Prayer Immersion Retreat June 5 to 26, 2004. The first Immersion Renewal Retreat (6 Day) was so well-received, we have scheduled another in January 2004. In February we began a Centering Prayer Program which includes the Introduction, Six Week Follow-Ups, and the Spiritual Journey Videotapes, each part separated by six weeks of Centering Prayer Group experience. Leadership potential is coming from within the Prayer Groups that have formed. A Parish Mission is scheduled in October with Fr. Carl Arico. We are coming to the end of our 7th year here at St. Andrew’s. In reviewing our year, it appears that the Spirit is inviting us to focus on the more formational experiences reflected in our new Calendar. We continue to be grateful to God for all the people who support our retreats and programs, and for the privilege of serving God and others in and through Contemplative Outreach. Cathy McCarthy, 845-778-2102, cathymc@frontiernet.net www.centeringprayernys.org
Alta, WY Westchester, NY (CO of Westchester) We continue to meet the third Saturday of each month at St. Patrick’s in Armonk for our monthly prayer meeting from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Our agenda includes two sessions of Centering Prayer with Lectio Divina. All are welcome! Our United Day in Prayer was particularly special this year because we recognized our facilitators with much love, applause, and a unique gift. We are so grateful to these dedicated people who serve silently with great faith! This past spring we did an Introductory Workshop at St. Patrick’s in Armonk and this coming fall we’ll be doing an Introductory at St. Magdelene’s in North Tarrytown. We are excited about our new prayer group members and look forward to our continued growth. Diane Harkin, 914-423-4888
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