| DEFINITIONS OF RETREATS |
| Introduction to Centering Prayer Retreats/Workshops
A contemporary presentation of the discipline of Centering Prayer as silent communion with God beyond concepts, words and images. Introduction to Lectio Divina Retreats/Workshops Conferences and practice introducing us to the most traditional way of cultivating a friendship with Christ. The �Welcoming� Prayer Workshop A spiritual practice of �Letting Go� of feelings, emotions, thoughts and body sensations into the present moment during the ordinary routines of daily life. Prior Centering Prayer experience necessary. Centering Prayer Weekend Retreats Includes conferences renewing the Method of Centering Prayer and a Moderate amount of Centering Prayer in common. Intensive Centering Prayer Retreats Provides an opportunity to immerse participants in the practice of Centering Prayer as taught by Contemplative Outreach. The 10 Day Intensive features Parts I, II, III of the �Spiritual Journey� Videotape Series by Fr. Thomas Keating. May be modified from 5 to 10 days. Prerequisite: 6 months of Centering Prayer experience. Advanced Centering Prayer Retreats Provides an opportunity to deepen the practice of Centering Prayer in an Atmosphere of silence and community support. The Advanced Intensive usually features Part IV of the �Spiritual Journey� Videotape series by Fr. Thomas Keating. Attendance at an Intensive Centering Prayer Retreat required. May be 5, 8, 9 or 10 day Post Intensive Centering Prayer Retreats Provides an opportunity for intensive Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina, solitude and silence in community. Attendance at an Intensive Centering Prayer Retreat required. May be 5, 7, 8, 9 or 10 day. Formation for Contemplative Outreach Service Provides training and practice in interiorizing and communicating the essential elements of an Introductory Workshop on Centering Prayer, as well as an opportunity to look at our own Centering Prayer practice in light of the Essentials. Prerequisites are prior attendance at a 10-Day Intensive Retreat and the daily practice of Centering Prayer. The Course includes Centering Prayer and presentations by the staff and participants. Servant-Leader Formation Workshop Offers Coordinators and Contact Persons a unique opportunity to come together in prayerful community to discuss indepth issues of concern to those serving Contempaltive Outreach chapters at varying levels of leadership. The workshop is not limited to Coordinators/Contact Persons, but to any person from a Chapter involved in service to Contemplative Outreach (leadership/team members, commissioned presenters, prayer group facilitators and other volunteers) who desire to grow in their present capacity of service and are recommended by a Coordinator or Contact Person from their local area. 21-Day Centering Prayer Immersion Retreat To meet the needs of long term Centering Prayer practitioners who want to share and grow in an extended community environment and experience. This Live-In Experience uses the luxury of 40 consecutive days as a unique training period for living the depth, breadth and length of the contemplative journey in everyday life. New teachings on the refinements of Centering Prayer and the impact of contemplative practice for your human experience and journey will be explored. There will be periods of structured retreat, silence and solitude included, yet because the focus is on transformation for everyday life, the schedule will be more subtle and dynamic than having continual days of retreat. The Retreat Center allows for an environment of solitude and community, silence and dialogue, retreat and rest, and some on and off-site recreation. A unique opportunity for those already established in Centering Prayer to deepen the experience of living the commitment to the contemplative dimension of the Gospel in daily life. Different theme and presenter each week. Nine Month Course: The Practice of Contemplative Living An ongoing process of formation enabling participants to create their own unique contemplative lifestyle in the contemporary world. Commitment is one weekend a month for nine months. Prayer, contemplative living and the integration of contemplation and activity are cultivated; the process is aided by the development of relational prayer through contemplative prayer practices. The Living Flame A national program on contemplative issues, designed to heighten the awareness of the dynamic of Centering Prayer in the context of the Spiritual Journey, offering guidance and intelligibility needed to stay faithful to the practice. It is an opportunity to receive and share conceptual background at a deeper level, as well as experiential insight, thus building a faith community committed to the Centering Prayer practice. Meets one Saturday a month during seven consecutive months. 12 Step Outreach Program The workshops highlight the connections between the spirituality of the 12 steps and the method of centering prayer as an 11th step practice, and are designed as an invitation to 12-step people to participate in Contemplative Outreach Programs. The weekend workshop generally consists of: [An introduction to the method of Centering Prayer ] [An overview of the way in which the practice of Centering Prayer integrates with the 12 Steps ] [An environment of silence, with Centering Prayer periods each day] [Presentations of original material designed for the retreat] [Videotapes by Fr. Keating specifically designed for the retreat] [Group process and discussion] |