2024 Centering Prayer Summit
Recordings
Answering the Cry of Creation: Centering Prayer Past, Present & Future
Hosted by Closer Than Breath
Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of
Contemplative Outreach
Watch the Recordings of the 3rd Annual Centering Prayer Summit as we Celebrate the Past, Present, and (Bright) Future of Centering Prayer!
Two day journey exploring the depths of Centering Prayer, contemplation, God, and the future of contemplative community.
This summit marks a significant milestone, celebrating 40 years of Contemplative Outreach's spiritual work of sharing the gift of Centering Prayer.
We are honored to host both contemplative teachings and group dialogues around the rich tradition of Centering Prayer as we explore both our past and the bright future ahead.
Join us as we explore:
Diverse Teachings: Engage with presentations on 12-step spirituality, emotional sobriety, and the evolution of Centering Prayer.
Global Community Vision: Explore the future direction of our global contemplative community.
Celebrating 40 Years: Reflect on the journey of Centering Prayer over the past four decades.
Deepen Your Practice: Deepen both your understanding and personal practice as we collectively open and celebrate God's presence and action within.
Keynote
Mary Jane Yates & Mark Kutolowski
Intimacy with God, Intimacy with Creation:
Centering Prayer, Re-wilding Contemplation, and the
Theophanic Universe
Join Mark and Mary Jane as they share their personal experiences of the profound link between Centering Prayer and rediscovering our union with all of Creation.
Mary Jane will continue Fr. Thomas' dialogue with contemporary psychology by exploring Centering Prayer in conversation with the emerging fields of eco-psychology and nature therapy.
Mark will reflect on his work using the ancient Christian understanding of nature as an expression of God's self-revelation while leading wilderness retreats and wild pilgrimages in the Christian contemplative tradition.
Opening Address
Cynthia Bourgeault
Centering Prayer:
The Next Forty Years
Join Cynthia in a deep dive into the heart of Centering Prayer’s past, present, and future as we ask: What spiritual landscape nurtured our practice into being forty years ago? What shifts have we witnessed and what challenges now beckon our ever-evolving community forward?
Of Thomas Keating we’ll ask: How do we embrace Thomas as a still-living teacher, here to guide and enlighten us? And how do we honor and extend his interspiritual legacy, initiated at the Snowmass Conferences?
Join us to dive into our rich history with an eye on the future, as we collectively embrace the next forty years of contemplative practice and explore how Thomas Keating's teaching and presence continue to shape our journey and inspire our community.
Presentation Titles
Centering Prayer:
The Next Forty Years
Cynthia Bourgeault
A Global Community: Opportunities & Challenges of Centering Prayer in Finland & Norway
With Asle Røhne Rossavik, Sirkku Aitolehti & Kirsti Silvola
The Simple Enjoyment of the Truth:
From Failure to Fidelity
Fr. Laurence Freeman
Emotional Sobriety- Thomas Keating Meets Bill Wilson: Finding Freedom through the Contemplative Dimension of the 12 Steps
Jim McElroy, Joelle Mitchell, JoAnn Sturm, Therese Wagner, & Dave Dierig
Sunday,
January 21st
Practicing the Pause:
What New Brain Science Tells Us About The Power of Contemplative Practice
Caroline Oakes
In Conversation: Young Contemplatives Consider the Future of Centering Prayer
Colleen Thomas, Keith Kristich, Logan Jones, Cameron Johnson & Tia Norman. Facilitated by Mary Dwyer
The Contemplative Life beyond Western Individualism:
The African Spirituality of Ubuntu
Michael Battle
Intimacy with God, Intimacy with Creation:
Centering Prayer, Re-wilding Contemplation, and the Theophanic Universe
Mary Jane Yates & Mark Kutolowski
Hosted by Closer Than Breath
Celebrating Contemplative Outreach's
40th Anniversary
Keith Kristich
Founder of
Closer Than Breath
Colleen Thomas
Diversity Outreach Coordinator of
Contemplative Outreach