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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 Journey into Deeper Silence
April 14-19, 2023 ARC Retreat Center Registration is now open for MNCO's Spring 6-Day Intensive Silent Retreat. To learn more and register, click here. Contemplative Outreach
Community Conversation Two opportunities to join: Friday January 27 at 6 p.m. CT Saturday January 28 at 10 a.m. CT This gathering will be an opportunity for Centering Prayer practitioners around the globe to gather and share how the Holy Spirit is moving and working in their local area. Please mark your calendar for one or both of these times to join in lively discussions with coordinators, coordinating team members, contact people and local area leaders. To learn more and register, click here. Enrichment Gathering
from Contemplative Outreach for Centering Prayer Group Facilitators Live via Zoom Saturday February 11, 2023 10:30 am -12:30 pm CT To learn more and register, click here. Thursday Evening Centering Prayer
7:00 PM CT, Thursdays Zoom: https://meditationchapel.org/peace-chapel/ Facilitated by Laurie Erickson Introduction to Centering Prayer Workshop via ZOOM
Saturday, February 18, 2023, from 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM Presented by Marcia Reardon and Jake Fischer Whether you want to learn more, are beginning, or you have a developed Centering Prayer practice, all are welcome! The workshop will explore Centering Prayer’s s four conferences which include: Conference 1 – Prayer as Relationship Conference 2 – The Method of Centering Prayer Conference 3 – Thought and Use of the Sacred Word Conference 4 – Deepening Our Relationship With God There will also be several centering prayer sessions. 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. |
Sunday Gatherings
(This is the same link as is used for the 7:00 a.m.
Morning Centering Prayer for Peace) Sunday Gatherings January 8 to February 12, 2023 8:00 - 9:00 AM CT Starting Sunday January 8, 2023, you are invited to participate in a 6-week series of Sunday Gatherings focusing on the end of the Christmas Season and the Ordinary Season before Lent begins. We will continue using The Daily Reader for Contemplative Living, which is made up of excerpts from Thomas Keating's writings. We will email the six readings used for this series. There is no need to buy the book. Those who register will receive an email every Monday with the reading to study for the week. Participants are encouraged to review the reading multiple times throughout the week, and consider the content prayerfully. Participants will then convene as a group on Sunday mornings from 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. to sit 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, and no need to purchase a book. We will email the six readings used for this series. However, if you wish to purchase the book, The Daily Reader for Contemplative Living, it is available on Amazon in paperback ($24.95, cheaper if ok with a used copy) or at the Contemplative Outreach website ($22.95). Weekly Schedule: January 8: Inner Transformation January 15: Christ-Centered Relationships January 22: Fundamental Goodness of Human Nature January 29: Weekly Support Group February 5: Surrender to the Unknown February 12: Heart of Lectio Divina Introduction to Centering Prayer Workshops
February 2023 Two Introduction to Centering Prayer Workshops will meet in-person on Saturday morning in February. Hosted by Lutheran congregations, both workshops are open to anyone interested in learning (or relearning) the basics of Centering Prayer as taught by Father Thomas Keating’s Open Mind, Open Heart. The workshops are: Saturday, February 11, from 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church 12650 Johnny Cake Ridge Rd, Apple Valley, MN 55124 Saturday, February 25, from 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM
St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church 900 Stillwater Road, Mahtomedi, MN 55125 
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. 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. |
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.