From the President
Communication
At
the root of the word communication is the word communion, an act of sharing, a
way of creating rapport and a means for transmission from one person to the
other. Holy Communion is a sacrament where the transforming power of the body
and blood of Christ are transmitted to us and we are changed. Communication for
Contemplative Outreach is a sacred sharing among us to transmit the
contemplative dimension of the Gospel and allow it to transform our
hearts.
Networking and communication are the heart and
soul of the Contemplative Outreach Spiritual Network. It is where we build
interrelationships grounded in our commitment to live a contemplative life in
the market place. We are, so to speak, a worldwide contemplative connection. We
have a treasure trove of resources for contemplative understanding and
growth.
We are constantly working on better ways to
communicate with our network. The purpose of this newsletter is to foster a
sense of worldwide community building, a place to learn about contemplative
offerings for enrichment, resources, events, workshops and contacts.
Our website is our best way of communicating with
thousands in and out of our spiritual network. We have begun to use it more and
more over the last two years and we intend to continue to keep it fresh and
updated. I'd like to share some of our website dreams as it is a vital tool for
connectivity in our worldwide network. We would like the website to become a
central tool where people can gather together for enrichment via telecasts and
on-line courses with audio and video components. We'd like to improve
e-commerce, have on-line registrations for retreats, and annual conferences.
We'd like to assist our chapter coordinators with archived resources and
accessibility to new and updated chapter documents. It can be a place where our
resource faculty meets for reviewing and updating program offerings and where
our Board of Trustees can exchange information. We would like to have a sacred
place on our website for gathering in silence and Centering Prayer.
The Contemplative Life Program (CLP) helps us to
stay connected and creates a sense of belonging as we practice and study in
community the various practices that are published every 40 to 50 days. We have
over 1,400 worldwide subscribers that are intentionally interconnecting each day
in a silent bond.
Last year, as part of the CLP offerings, we
introduced dial-in calls as a time set apart, to spend one hour in a
teleconference on various topics published in our praxis booklets. Fr. Thomas
and I are joined by others to give input on a specific topic and answer
questions that are sent in advance of the calls. To date, we've hosted calls on
Centering Prayer, Discernment, Forgiveness, Active Prayer, Attention/Intention,
Welcoming Prayer, and Spirituality of Money.
 A Message from the Executive Director
Dear Friends,
I would like to thank everyone for the warm welcome and well wishes I
have received in my new role as Executive Director of Contemplative
Outreach. The past six months have been very fulfilling, and I am
honored to be a part of this extraordinary organization.
The following pages are filled with testaments of the
dedication and support that our members bring to the network and to each
other. This is an exciting time at COL ! We are reaching out to more of
our brothers and sisters in prayer each day through our programs. Now,
as always, continued and effective communication is key. You will notice
the theme of communication throughout the newsletter. At the
International Resource Center, we made great strides towards improved
communication by holding a General Meeting in February where both staff
and contract service providers gathered to familiarize each other with
our various projects and talents. Everyone in attendance had a very
positive experience and the meeting marked the beginning of an ongoing
flow of information regarding all the various projects currently in
progress.
Special thanks to Fr. Thomas, Gail and Bonnie for
their love and support. I feel very blessed to be part of the nurturing,
compassionate and ever growing spiritual network that is Contemplative
Outreach, and I hold each and every one of you in my prayers.
Blessings,
Dyane McMahon,
Executive Director |
