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OnOn RETREATRETREAT withwith Fr.Fr. WilliamWilliam MENINGERMENINGER Tallahassee - Lent 2012 Fr. William Meninger St. Benedict’s Monastery in Winter Come join Fr. Meninger (contemplativeprayer.net), internationally known Trappist monk, teacher, author, and retreat master, for a special Lent. Fr. Meninger, along with Fr. Thomas Keating and Fr. Basil Pennington built on the contemplative work of Thomas Merton and are considered to be among the major architects of the Contemplative (Centering) Prayer movement. Fr. Meninger leaves the monastery only four times a year to teach and conduct workshops worldwide. Over 400 people attended his teachings last year in Tallahassee. All events are open to the public. A separate registration and charge apply to the Models of Contemplation retreat. A free will offering will be accepted at each event with proceeds beneﬁ ting St. Benedict’s Monastery (snowmass.org), Snowmass, Colorado. A meal, where offered, must be reserved and a small charge applies. We look forward to seeing you. Event SCHEDULE Feb 22 Ash Wednesday Services, 6 p.m., Faith Mar. 1 (Thurs.) Stroll Through the Gospels Lecture (6:30 Presbyterian Church, 2200 N. Meridian Rd. p.m.) St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 1700 N. Meridian Rd. Feb. 24-26 (Fri.-Sun.) Models of Contemplation Mar. 2 (Fri.) Lectio Divina Lecture (1-4 p.m.) and Noon Retreat, Cerveny Episcopal Conference Center & Camp Luncheon, Episcopal Church of the Advent, 815 Piedmont Dr. Weed, Live Oak (reservations required) Pat Beckett, (reservations) 850.386.5109 by Mar. 1 [email protected] - 850.893.1837 Mar. 3 (Sat.) Centering Prayer Workshop and Lunch, Feb. 28 (Tue.) 1. Interfaith Noon Lecture/Luncheon 9 a.m.- 4 p.m., Holy Comforter Episcopal Church, 2015 (Clergy Only), Trinity United Methodist Church, 120 W. Park Fleischmann Rd. (reservations) 850. 877.2712 by Feb. 25 Ave. (reservations) Rev. Barbara Hynes, barbarahynes@ tumct.org - 850.222.1120 2012 Lenten Retreat Sponsors Advent Episcopal Church • Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More 2. Julian of Norwich Lecture (6:30 p.m.) Co-Cathedral Contemplative Outreach of NW FL • Faith Presbyterian Church of St. Thomas More, 900 W. Tennessee St. Good Samaritan United Methodist Church• Good Shepherd Catholic Church Feb. 29 (Wed) Forgiveness Lecture (6:30 p.m.) & Killearn United Methodist Church • St. John’s Episcopal Church Holy Comforter Episcopal Church • St. John Neumann Center Supper (5:30 p.m.) St. John’s Episcopal Church, 211 N. St. Paul’s United Methodist Church • Trinity United Methodist Church Monroe St. (reservations) 850.222.2636, ext. 26 by Feb. 26 Individual Spiritual Direction appointments available with Fr. Meninger. Contact Dan Dobbins, 850.322.8716 .

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FR. WILLIAM MENINGER CONTEMPLATION June 6Th, 2014
Registration Deadline: May 15, 2014 Lenexa, Kansas 66215 14727 West 91 Street c/o Rob Carr Contemplative Outreach City Kansas andMail form check to: Contemplative Outreach Kansas City a check payable to : register, To complete the form below and mail with Registration Form 2 AND NIGHTS LODGING, $195.00. $125.00.ONLY, e Zip City_ Address Name - mail Check box here forRETREAT OPTION ONE, __________ ceived byceived May 30, 2014 Cancellations, less a $25 fee, must re-be Include full payment with registration Checkbox here for OPTION RETREAT TWO, _____________________ ____________________________________ ___________________________________ __________________________________ Phone ______________________ State _________ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Cut along dotted line—- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Contemplative Outreach Kansas City c/o Rob Carr 14727 West 91 Street Lenexa, Kansas 66215 MENINGER FR. WILLIAM Presents: Models of KNOWING ticalityofit”. prac-the wasamazed atsays “I Meninger Fr. Meditation. manualContemplative on was book The path. a on new whole fellow ofhis somemonks and awouldthat him set book Library; TrappistMonastery the in book old off an CONTEMPLATION CENTERINGARCHITECT PRAYER MASTER RETREAT LEADER AUTHOR PROLIFIC MONKTRAPPIST Kansas City, Missouri 64110 Missouri City, Kansas One day in 1974, Meningerdusted day Fr. in One ROCKHURST UNIVERSITY, ROCKHURST 1100 Rockhurst Road, Road, 1100 Rockhurst 2014 6th, June
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Centering Prayer an Introduction for the Parishioners of St
Centering Prayer An introduction for the parishioners of St. Vincent de Paul Church, Baltimore, 2021 Centering Prayer, along with its sister discipline Christian Meditation, made its appearance in the modern Christian world in the mid-1970s. As early as the 1960s, Thomas Merton was writing books calling for a recovery of Christian contemplative prayer not only within the monastery but beyond it. Thomas Keating and John Main responded to Merton’s prophetic call, developing simple meditation methods solidly rooted in the Christian spiritual tradition and suitable for use not only within the monastery, but in a world hungry for the recovery of its spiritual roots. All three of these men recognized meditation not as a newfangled innovation, let alone the grafting onto Christianity of an Eastern practice, but rather, as something that had originally been at the very center of Christian practice and had become lost. In the case of Centering Prayer, Thomas Keating noticed the number of young people in the 1960s who had been raised Christian and were flocking to Eastern traditions in order to find a “path”—a meditation-based practice that actually changes the way you perceive reality and live your life. Frustrated, Keating issued a challenge to his Cistercian monastic community: “Is it not possible to put the essence of the Christian contemplative path into a meditation method accessible to modern people living in the world?” One of the monks, Father William Meninger (the official “founder” of the method of Centering Prayer), took Keating up on the challenge. In his well-thumbed copy of The Cloud of Unknowing, a 14th-century spiritual classic by an anonymous English monk, Meninger found the following instructions: [Lift] up your heart toward God with a meek stirring of love..
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Fr. William Meninger OCSO What: Zoom Talk and Q and a Session Day: Saturday, October 10, 2020 Time: 4:00 Pm (EDT), 1:00 PM Pacific Time How to Attend: Zoom
You are invited to a third talk on The Cloud of Unknowing Tres Amigos Productions/Tallahassee presents Fr. William Meninger, OCSO sharing wisdom and insights on The Cloud of Unknowing and The Prayer Word Who: Fr. William Meninger OCSO What: Zoom Talk and Q and A session Day: Saturday, October 10, 2020 Time: 4:00 pm (EDT), 1:00 PM Pacific Time How to Attend: Zoom Come join us for Fr. William's third talk in a series on the The Cloud of Unknowing. It is not necessary to have been present for his prior talks in this series. You may access any of his talks since April 2020 at Fr. William's YouTube Channel: (Click Here). We look forward to seeing you this coming Saturday. Grace and Peace, Dan Dobbins [email protected] Suggested Donation: A free will offering to St. Joseph's Abbey is appreciated. Offerings may be mailed to Fr. William Meninger, St. Joseph's Abbey, 167 North Spencer Road, Spencer, MA 01562 or make an on-line donation at the "Support the Abbey" page https://www.spencerabbey.org/support-the-abbey/. Please reference Fr. Meninger's Zoom talk. BACKGROUND In 1974, young pilgrims of the faith were passing by Spencer Abbey west of Boston on their way to a nearby Buddhist Insight Meditation Center. Being made aware of it, Abbot Thomas Keating went to Fr. William Meninger with these words , "We have what they're looking for. See if you can find a way to teach it ." Shortly thereafter, Fr. William was in the Abbey's library when he pulled a dusty little book off the shelf written in Middle English titled The Cloud of Unknowing, a 14th century English classic written by Anonymous.
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Contemplative Prayer and Meditation : Their Role in Spiritual Growth
ABSTRACT CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER AND MEDITATION AND THEIR ROLE IN SPIRITUAL GROWTH by Karen L. Bray This dissertation covers the role of contemplative prayer and meditation and the role they may play in spiritual growth. This project included a model for teaching various contemplative practices. The means of teaching these practices included lecture, small group experiential opportunities, and individual practices. The participants for this research were primarily, white, middle-class members of the United Methodist Church. Many, but not all of the participants had previous experience with contemplative prayer and meditation. The project was founded upon theological and historical Christian foundations of meeting God in moments of stillness and contemplation. Each weekly session focused on a contemplative practice, its historical and theological background and experiencing the practice as a small group. The participants were given the opportunity to experience the practice during the following week and to journal about their experience. Evaluation of the project was based on pre- and post-tests, journal entries and short answer questionnaires. The research revealed that participants felt a closer relationship with God after practicing contemplative prayer and meditation. They also came to understand that contemplative prayer was accessible to all Christians. CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER AND MEDITATION: THEIR ROLE IN SPIRITUAL GROWTH A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements
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What Is Centering Prayer?
Centering Prayer Group at Siena Center, Racine WI Thursdays 7-8 a.m. Siena Retreat Center Need a midweek refresher time? Start your day praying with others- 20 minutes of silent centering prayer; followed by 20 minutes of input and some brief discussion on prayer or spirituality. We will not meet on Nov. 25 and Dec. 30 The group will be facilitated by Rev. Michael Mueller, pastor of St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, Racine and Pat Shutts, from the retreat staff of the Siena Retreat Center. Siena Center is located at 5635 Erie St. Racine, WI 53402 Questions? Call Pat at (262)639-4100 X1238 or visit www.racinedominicans.org What is Centering Prayer? Centering Prayer is a method of prayer, which prepares us to be more aware of gift of God’s presence always with us. This awareness has been known as contemplative prayer. By quieting our faculties we open ourselves to the Spirit’s presence. It is a receptive prayer of resting in God. It’s main purpose is to deepen one’s relationship with God. Daily practice can open us to a greater consciousness of God’s presence in us and around us. Centering Prayer is drawn from ancient prayer practices of the Christian contemplative heritage, notably the Fathers and Mothers of the Desert, Lectio Divina (praying with scriptures), The Cloud of Unknowing, St. John of the Cross, and St. Teresa of Avila. In the 1970’s, three Trappist monks, Fr. William Meninger, Fr. Basil Pennington, and Abbot Thomas Keating of St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts combined their monastic experience and the rich Christian contemplative heritage to come up with the method known today as Centering Prayer.
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CONTEMPLATIVE OUTREACH, LTD. Contemplative Outreach Records, 1983-2015
CONTEMPLATIVE OUTREACH, LTD. Contemplative Outreach records, 1983-2015 Emory University Pitts Theology Library 1531 Dickey Drive, Suite 560 Atlanta, GA 30322 404-727-4166 Descriptive Summary Creator: Contemplative Outreach, LTD. Title: Contemplative Outreach records, 1983-2015 Call Number: Record Group No. 070 Extent: 46 cubic feet (46 boxes) Abstract: Consists of the records and media of the Contemplative Outreach organization and papers of Thomas Keating. Language: Materials entirely in English. Administrative Information Restrictions on Access Limited access to records during processing. Terms Governing Use and Reproduction All requests subject to limitations noted in departmental policies on reproduction. Citation [after identification of item(s)], Contemplative Outreach records, RG 070, Archives and Manuscript Dept., Pitts Theology Library, Emory University. Processing Partially processed. Collection Description Historical Note Fr. Thomas Keating is a founding member and the spiritual guide of Contemplative Outreach, LTD. He has served on Contemplative Outreach's Board of Trustees since the organization's beginning and is currently serving as the Chairman of the Board. Fr. Keating is one of the principal architects and teachers of the Christian contemplative prayer movement and, in many Emory Libraries provides copies of its finding aids for use only in research and private study. Copies supplied may not be copied for others or otherwise distributed without prior consent of the holding repository. Contemplative Outreach records, 1983-2015. Record Group No. 070 ways, Contemplative Outreach is a manifestation of his longtime desire to contribute to the recovery of the contemplative dimension of Christianity. Fr. Keating's interest in contemplative prayer began during his freshman year at Yale University in 1940 when he became aware of the Church's history and of the writings of Christian mystics.
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Inner Healing Through Centering Prayer at Christ United Methodist Church, Salisbury, North Carolina Jill Smith
Fuller Theological Seminary Digital Commons @ Fuller Doctor of Ministry Projects School of Theology Spring 6-15-2019 Inner Healing Through Centering Prayer at Christ United Methodist Church, Salisbury, North Carolina Jill Smith Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fuller.edu/dmin Part of the Medicine and Health Sciences Commons, and the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Ministry Focus Paper Approval Sheet This ministry focus paper entitled INNER HEALING THROUGH CENTERING PRAYER AT CHRIST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, SALISBURY, NORTH CAROLINA Written by JILL SCHNEIDER SMITH and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry has been accepted by the Faculty of Fuller Theological Seminary upon the recommendation of the undersigned readers: _____________________________________ Tony H. Jones _____________________________________ Kurt Fredrickson Date Received: June 4, 2019 INNER HEALING THROUGH CENTERING PRAYER AT CHRIST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, SALISBURY, NORTH CAROLINA A MINISTRY FOCUS PAPER SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY JILL SCHNEIDER SMITH JUNE 2019 ABSTRACT Inner Healing Through Centering Prayer At Christ United Methodist Church, Salisbury, North Carolina Jill Schneider Smith Doctor of Ministry School of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary 2019 The goal for this Doctoral Project was to offer the spiritual discipline of Centering Prayer to a church community as a healing practice for people of the Christian faith. Not only does Centering Prayer foster inner healing, but the practice also creates a deepening relationship with God in ways other prayer forms do not. The ancient/new practice of Centering Prayer can bring emotional restoration and a more intentional connection to God.
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Centering Prayer and Attention of the Heart
CENTERING PRAYER AND ATTENTION OF THE HEART Cynthia Bourgeault n the thirty years now since Centering Prayer first moved beyond the walls of St. Joseph's Abbey in Massachusetts and became a lay ground- I swell, it has certainly implanted itself deeply and (one hopes) perma nently in the canon of Christian contemplative practice. Yet it still jostles somewhat uneasily against the walls of received tradition. I am not speak ing here of fundamentalist-generated fear ("The devil will get you if you make your mind a blank"), but rather, of serious reservations on the part of some deeply formed in the Christian contemplative tradition that this prayer is somehow "breaking the rules." In its classic presentations, Chris tian prayer is "progressive"; it passes through stages. And the contempla tive stage is traditionally regarded as the highest, or most subtle. In the concluding words of a recent, thoughtful article by a well-prepared com mentator, "One does not take the kingdom by force."1 Contemplation is approached by a gradual path leading from purgative to illuminative to unitive; from cataphatic to apophatic. The "ladder" of spiritual ascent is so deeply engrained on the Christian religious imagination that it seems virtually impossible to conceive of the journey in any other way. Contem plative prayer is "higher," and it is approached only gradually through a long journey of purification and inner preparation. But is this in fact really so? "You have to experience duality for a long time until you see it's not there," said Thomas Merton at a conference given to the nuns of the Redwoods shortly before boarding the plane to Asia on the last leg of his MARCH 2009 · 15 CENTERING PRAYER AND ATTENTION OF THE HEART human journey.
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Centering Prayer [From Fr
! Centering Prayer [From Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM’s Daily Meditation for January 2, 2016] This is what you are to do. Lift your heart up to the Lord with a gentle stirring of love, desiring him for his own sake and not for his gifts. —Anonymous, The Cloud of Unknowing, Chapter 3 In the 1970s, drawing from The Cloud of Unknowing and other Christian mystical writings, three Trappist monks—William Meninger, Basil Pennington, and Thomas Keating—developed a simple method of silent prayer. This method came to be known as Centering Prayer, referencing Thomas Merton’s definition of contemplation as prayer “centered entirely on the presence of God.” (You can learn more about Centering Prayer through Contemplative Outreach.) Centering Prayer is simply sitting in silence, open to God’s love and your love for God. This prayer is beyond thoughts, emotions, or sensations. Like being with a very close friend or lover, where words are not required, Centering Prayer brings your relationship with God to a level deeper than conversation, to pure communion. Because our minds are so attached to thinking, Father Thomas Keating sometimes suggests choosing a sacred word, with one or two syllables, “as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within. [Then,] sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly, and silently introduce your sacred word. When you become aware of thoughts, return ever-so-gently to your sacred word. At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.”1 Two sessions of 20-30 minutes of Centering Prayer are recommended each day, but if that is too much for you, begin with five or ten minutes.
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Centering Prayer Mondays at 7 P.M
Centering Prayer Mondays at 7 p.m. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 15 Roy St., Seattle, WA 98109 Contact: Jamie Friddle, [email protected] , 206/216.0163 A Miniature Introduction to Centering Prayer Like silence and God, Centering Prayer contains all things and nothing. As a method of prayer, it is paradoxically simple and powerful. Centered in the heart and in the body, Centering Prayer has been described as quietly “resting in God,” a rest that begins and ends in our hearts and which is held together by a simple word, image, or breath. God is central, not the word, image, or breath. Our aim in Centering Prayer is to open to God’s presence and action within us through the silence of our own being, to simply let all else pass by (harder than it sounds!), so that our entire attention is turned toward union with the Divine in a most holy, negative space of silence. Is Centering Prayer meditation? Yes and no. Its effects are like those of meditation, but unlike meditation, whose goal is often to quiet the mind and observe one’s thoughts (brain-centered), Centering Prayer is, quite simply, an opening of the heart (body) to God in prayer. Their intentions are wholly different, though on the surface their methods appear similar. Fr. Thomas Keating, OCSO, writes about Centering Prayer on his website, www.centeringprayer.com : We may think of prayer as thoughts or feelings expressed in words. But this is only one expression. In the Christian tradition, Contemplative Prayer [of which Centering Prayer is a contemporary form] is considered to be the pure gift of God.
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HOW CAN WE BECOME MORE AWARE of the TRUE SELF in THIS POST-MODERN ERA? a Study on Thomas Keating’S Understanding of Centering Prayer
Hilde Sanden HOW CAN WE BECOME MORE AWARE OF THE TRUE SELF IN THIS POST-MODERN ERA? A study on Thomas Keating’s understanding of Centering Prayer. MASTER OF THEOLOGY Methodist theology 2007 Spring Supervisor: Professor Harald Hegstad MF – Norwegian School of Theology Contents 1.0. Introduction p. 4 1.1. Personal background 4 1.2. Postmodern actuality 5 1.3. True self and false self 6 1.4. Research question 7 1.5. Method and sources 8 2.0. Background 14 2.1. Mystical Theology 14 2.2. The Church Fathers 16 2.3. Contemplative spirituality 18 2.3.1. Kataphatic and Apophatic Theology 18 2.3.2. The state of unknowing 20 2.3.3. Lectio Divina 21 2.4.Who is Thomas Keating? 23 2.5.The beginning of Centering Prayer in the 1970’s 25 3.0. Centering Prayer according to Thomas Keating 27 3.1. What is Centering Prayer? 27 3.1.1. The method of Centering Prayer 27 3.1.2. What Centering Prayer is not 28 3.2. What happens in the silence? 29 3.2.1. Sacred word 29 3.2.2. Seeking silence beyond words 31 3.2.3. What kind of thoughts rise usually in silence? 34 3.2.4. The practice of Centering Prayer 36 3.3. The true and false self 38 3.3.1. Inner emotional programs 38 3.3.2. Over-identification 42 3.3.3. How does contemplative prayer deal with emotional programs? 44 3.3.4. Divine Therapy 46 3.4. Theological basis of Centering Prayer 47 3.4.1.
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Fr. William Meninger
FR. WILLIAM MENINGER THE DAY One day in 1974, Fr. Meninger dusted From his current residence at St. Location: St. Louis University, off an old book in the Trappist Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass, Sinquefield Stateroom, 4th Floor, Monastery Library; a book that would Colorado, Father Meninger takes four DuBourg Hall, 221 North Grand Blvd., set him and some of his fellow monks trips a year from his monastic life to St. Louis, MO 63103 on a whole new path. The book was travel the world teaching contemplative (Enter north door, college church side.) THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING, an prayer as presented in THE CLOUD OF For map see http://slu.edu anonymous 14th-century manual on UNKNOWING. Contemplative Meditation. Fr. Complimentary Parking: Laclede Meninger says “I was amazed at the Parking Structure, Southwest corner of practicality of it.” Grand and Laclede He quickly began teaching Lunch: On your own at the Busch contemplative prayer according to the Student Center or at nearby restaurants; CLOUD OF UNKNOWING at the or catered box lunch. Abbey Retreat House. One year later his workshop was adopted by his Box Lunch Choices: Beef, Abbot, Fr. Thomas Keating and by Fr. Turkey, Ham, Vegetarian, Gluten-free Basil Pennington who had been searching for a teachable form of Schedule Christian contemplative meditation. Attendees are offered the opportunity to Morning: listen to a true pioneer of the 8:00 Registration Fr. Meninger emphasizes what other contemplative movement and to 8:15 Welcome/Orientation 13th and 14th century mystics have said practice Centering Prayer in the 8:30 Conference 1 about the process of contemplative company of others who are striving to 11:45 Lunch meditation as a way to achieve union move forward in their spiritual growth.
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