First Things
Morning Centering Prayer for Peace
7:00 AM CT, DAILY Sustaining the intention of peace for the Twin Cities,
we hold prayerful silence together, in unity, in love and support for all people in our communities. Hosted by facilitators from the Minnesota Contemplative Outreach community Thursday Evening Centering Prayer
7:00 PM CT, Thursdays Zoom: https://meditationchapel.org/peace-chapel/ Facilitated by Laurie Erickson Is Spiritual Direction for Me?
Tuesday, June 6, 2023, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM St. Thomas More Catholic Church - Ignatius Hall 1709 Summit Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105 Hear from spiritual directors and directees about the practice and experience of spiritual direction. This special event is co-sponsored by the Loyola Spirituality Center, Christos, Ignatian Spirituality Center at St. Thomas and Sacred Ground Center for Spirituality. If you're needing spiritual direction or hearing the call to become a spiritual director, this event is for you. There is no cost to register. Let's get together!
Wednesday, June 21, 6:30 - 8:00 PM Saint Paul's Monastery 2675 Benet Road, St. Paul, Minnesota Minnesota Contemplative Outreach is hosting an informal summer outdoor GET TOGETHER! We will begin with 20 minutes of Centering Prayer followed by time for socializing. Bring your own chair and cup for water or lemonade. Everyone is welcome. Toward Emptiness:
A Post-Intensive, 8-Day Centering Prayer Retreat July 14 - 21, 2023 Benet House Retreat Center, Rock Island, Illinois More Information Returning to In-Person Meetings?
Please let us know if your group is resuming in-person meetings so that we can update your listing. Contact Mark Thiel or Adam Gordon. ![]() Looking for a way to strengthen your daily practice and hold silence in community? Click here to join the worldwide community that is practicing Centering Prayer online, together. |
Sunday Gatherings
(This is the same link as is used for the 7:00 a.m.
Morning Centering Prayer for Peace) Sunday Gatherings: Summer Series June 4 to August 27, 2023 8:00 - 9:00 AM CT Invitation to Love by Thomas Keating Starting Sunday June 4, 2023, you are invited to participate in a summer series of Minnesota Contemplative Outreach Sunday Gatherings. During this summer period, we will continue to read and reflect on one chapter per week, from Thomas Keating’s Invitation to Love. Each chapter stands alone. It is not necessary that you read from the beginning of the book, or that you attend every week. Those who register will receive an email mid-week, with a reflection to be discussed the following Sunday. Participants convene on Sunday mornings from 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. to be in community with fellow participants, and share how they experienced the weekly reading and their Centering Prayer practice. All are welcome, no prior knowledge or practice is necessary. Please register (click on the link above), so you can receive the weekly email, along with any programming updates. There is no cost for participation.
Invitation to Love is available on Amazon in Kindle ($9.99), in paperback ($16.95, cheaper if ok with a used copy) or at the Contemplative Outreach website ($16.95 + shipping). We will begin with Chapter Seven on June 4. There will be no meeting on July 2, due to the holiday. Minnesota Contemplative Outreach Prison Ministry
Minnesota Contemplative Outreach is blessed with an active prison ministry that brings centering prayer to people who are incarcerated. We hold a centering prayer session at the chapel at the correctional facility at Stillwater on Monday afternoons from approximately 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. There is also a team interested in bringing centering prayer to the correctional facility at Shakopee, but programming is not open there at this time. Both locations can use more men and women volunteers. If you want more information about bringing this prayer to incarcerated individuals, please contact Mark Thiel. |

Welcome
- We are an ecumenical group of women and men volunteers ministering together to support and nurture the practitioners of Centering Prayer in Minnesota. We do this by providing teachers, sharing resources and building community.
- Centering Prayer is an ancient form of Christian meditation that deepens a practitioner's relationship with God.
- Minnesota Contemplative Outreach is one of more than 120 chapters in 53 countries formed by National Contemplative Outreach, Ltd., a worldwide spiritual network that provides support and resources for Centering Prayer Practitioners.
- We have 21 teachers offering introductory classes, retreats and other enrichment opportunities throughout the year. We also support Centering Prayer groups throughout the state.
- Please contact us if you have submissions for our blog, Presence & Action; are forming a new group; or would like to announce an upcoming event.