The Rev. Tom Ward is an Episcopal priest for over 30 years and engaged with the contemplative dimension of the Gospel and the practice of Centering Prayer since 1988. Tom is the service team leader on the Resource Faculty for Retreats, is a commissioned presenter and retreat staff for Contemplative Outreach in Sewanee, Tennessee. He is well known throughout the CO community and wrote a very rich first person account of what happens on an intensive Centering Prayer retreat, his first intensive retreat http://scr.bi/d9w0Ba.

At the conference on the day of spiritual enrichment Tom will present, “Awakening to Voices of the Tradition” - voices from Scripture, the Desert Mothers and Fathers and Thomas Merton.

Registration for the Student/Seminarian option for the Day of Enrichment is now open for students:
Day of Enrichment Only Student/Seminarian without Evening Banquet (Lunch included though)
Saturday, September 25
Registration Fee:  $30.00
Current valid student ID required at check.

I met Marge Rafftery on a 10-day intensive Centering Prayer retreat that I attended 13 years ago near Tampa, Florida. Marge was on the staff and graciously picked me up at the airport. We instantly hit it off and our mutual work in the mental heath field provided us with a good place to start conversation and a friendship, one that has evolved through the years.

At the conference Marge will present, “Awakening to the Virtue of Humility in Daily Life." She will explore humility as foundational to sanctity and the spiritual journey. Marge was introduced to Centering Prayer in the early 1980’s and has been serving the Tampa Bay, Florida area and Contemplative Outreach in various capacities since that time. She is a teacher and presenter who shares from a wealth of experience.

Its a delight to have David Frenette return to the annual conference following his well-received presentation at last years conference in Chicago. On Saturday, a day set aside for spiritual enrichment, David will speak on “Awakening to the Contemplative Dimension of Centering Prayer.”

David has served within Contemplative Outreach since its’ inception in 1984 and is now a spiritual director at the Center for Contemplative Living in Denver and an adjunct faculty in Religious Studies Department at Naropa University. He has published articles in the Sewanee Theological Review, Spirituality, Contemplation and Transformation and is finishing a book about the deepening stages of the Centering Prayer Practice. David leads retreats at St. Benedict’s Monastery Retreat House and at the Garrison Institute. We look forward to being with David.

Thursday

3:00 p.m.  Orientation. This Orientation is planned for those who are attending for the first time and for those who have been attending past Contemplative Outreach Conferences.  It will provide an opportunity to meet, renew, re-connect with other attendees.  Kay Powers and her team will offer an informative and enriching way to begin your conference.  All are encouraged to attend.  A social with refreshments will follow in the Foyer.

7:30 p.m.   Welcome and Opening Session 

 “Awakening to the Contemplative Dimension of Life”    Our journey is a series of awakening and re-awakening to a greater awareness of the presence of God in everything.  We live out each moment of the contemplative invitation from the Lord who said, “If anyone is thirsty, let them come to me; whoever believes in me, let them drink. Streams of living water shall flow from within them.”  (Jn 7:37-38).  Presenter: Fr. Carl Arico is one of the founding members of Contemplative Outreach and has worked closely with Fr. Thomas Keating for 26 years.  He is the Team Leader for the Gift Committee which is entrusted with the legacy of Fr. Thomas’s  materials and resources.  He is well known for his gift of transmitting the teaching for the spiritual journey in a down to earth, practical and sometimes humorous manner. 

Friday

General Session:  “The New Guidelines for Contemplative Outreach Service”  The new guidelines will be presented to update all who are involved or interested in becoming involved in service for Contemplative Outreach. Included will be “the new commissioning process” from discernment through the final commissioning. There will be time for questions and answers. Presenter: Bonnie Shimizu is a long time practitioner of Centering Prayer, a member of the Circle of Service, Chair for the Resource Faculty and Executive Assistant to Fr. Thomas Keating. 

Regional Meetings

Workshops:  2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. 

Welcoming Prayer: Consent on the Go.  Our human condition can be a challenge, thus our need for the Welcoming Prayer practice.  This presentation will deal with the human condition and the method of the Welcoming Prayer. Please plan to attend both Part 1 and Part 2 to get the full teaching benefit. Presenters: Cherry Haisten, Therese Saulnier and Mary Dwyer have been practicing Centering Prayer for over 20 years, are members of the Welcoming Prayer Service Team and presenters throughout our CO network of this Welcoming Prayer practice.

Introducing the New, Revised Resource Handbook (RHB).  The new electronic version of the RHB has been updated to reflect the current structure of Contemplative Outreach and the many programs available.  This workshop will include a demonstration of how to access the handbook, search for information and print documents on demand. Presenters: Pamela Begeman, CO Program Manager, Linda Newcomer, Contact person for Dayton, Ohio and Kay Powers, former Coordinator and member of the CRCS.

The Essential Role of the Centering Prayer Group Facilitator . This workshop will review the qualities needed for a good facilitator, description of enrichment opportunities available for facilitators and those who would like to become facilitators and ideas for effective interactions with chapter service teams. Presenters: Roseanne Havird, former Coordinator of CO Atlanta and the Regional Representative for the Eastern Region for the past three years.  John Kelsey, is the current Regional Representative for the Southern Region and past Coordinator of the Triangle-North Carolina Chapter.  Both John and Roseanne are members of the CRCS with a special interest in developing facilitator leadership resources.

The International Community of Centering Prayer. This will be an inter-active presentation featuring various groups practicing Centering Prayer in various parts of the world via pictures and sharing from members of the international groups in attendance.  Ideas for strengthening the global community of people engaged in contemplative prayer will be discussed. Presenter:  The Rev. J. David Muyskens,  Coordinator for the International  Outreach of CO, member of the Circle of Service and a retired minister  of the Reformed Church in America. He is the author of two books on Centering Prayer; Forty Days to a Closer Walk with God and newly published, Sacred Breath.

Workshops:   4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. 

            Welcoming Prayer: Nuances and Practice. This second presentation will include additional information, as well as the practice in the Welcoming Prayer, and the fruits of this prayer in daily life. Prerequisite: Attendance at Part 1; Welcoming Prayer: Consent on the Go. Presenters: Cherry Haisten, Therese Saulnier and Mary Dwyer  (see information Part 1)

 Policies of Contemplative Outreach, LTD.  Contemplative Outreach, Ltd, is a 501c3 not for profit corporation and the Operations Team (OPS) has the responsibility for overseeing the policies and legal documents for the corporation. This workshop will provide an opportunity to hear from members of the OPS team regarding many of the policies needed and how these affect the CO community at large.  Presenters: Mark Nowak and members of the OPS team.  Mark is currently the Treasurer and Legal expert for the OPS team and a member of the Circle of Service. He is the former coordinator of the Pittsburgh, PA Chapter of CO.

 Contemplation in the Spanish Speaking World.  Extension Contemplativa Internacional is the Hispanic branch of Contemplative Outreach and it has been most active serving the Spanish speaking community in many countries and in the United States.  This workshop will update you on the many programs and countries being served both live and online,  as well as providing information on resources available for those who wish to provide programs to the Spanish speaking in their respective chapter. Presenters: Maria Luisa Ason,  Isabel Castellanos, and Maru  L. de Guevara,  members of the ECI Council and bilingual presenters for CO. This session is in English.

 The Essential Role of the Centering Prayer Group Facilitator   (see 2:00 p.m. information) 

Saturday:  Day of Enrichment  

9:30 a.m.  General Session: Welcome and Centering Prayer:  Atlanta Chapter Hosts

10:00:    Video presentation “Invitation From God” featuring Fr. Thomas Keating, with an introduction by Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler. Gail is one of the founding members of Contemplative Outreach,  currently serving as President of the Operations Team for CO Ltd.,  coordinator of the Circle of Service and of Special Projects. She is an editor and contributor of the Contemplative Life Program and the Heartfulness DVD series. She has authored several articles on Contemplative Life and is an international speaker for CO.

11:15:  Presentation: “Awakening to the Contemplative Dimension of Centering Prayer”    As you realize how to let Christ be the source of your Centering Prayer, your life and service become more transparent to the Spirit.  We all are invited to wake up from the dream of separations from God, in prayer and in life. Presenter: David Frenette has served within Contemplative Outreach since its’ inception in 1984 and is now a spiritual director at the Center for Contemplative Living in Denver and an adjunct faculty in Religious Studies Department at Naropa University. He has published articles in the Sewanee Theological Review, Spirituality, Contemplation and Transformation and is finishing a book about the deepening stages of the Centering Prayer Practice. David leads retreats at St. Benedict’s Monastery Retreat House and at the Garrison Institute.

1:30 p.m. to 2:45 and 3:00 to 4:15 p.m.   Spiritual Enrichment Presentations 

“Awakening to the Word of God in Scripture”   This presentation will serve as a reflection on how scripture can be appreciated as a friend and guide on the spiritual journey and drawn upon as a source of nourishment and strength in living the contemplative dimension of life. Presenter: Thomas Brennan has been practicing Centering Prayer for over 20 years and is a retreat leader and commissioned presenter for Contemplative Outreach. He has a special interest in understanding the interplay between Centering Prayer and Scripture.

“Awakening to Voices of the Tradition”   In this presentation we will listen to some contemplative voices from the Christian tradition, beginning with Scripture, touching on the Desert Mothers and Fathers and ending with Thomas Merton closer to our own day. In this way we hope to have our own contemplative life deepened and enriched through our practice of centering prayer. Presenter:  The Rev. Thomas Ward, an Episcopal priest for over 30 years and engaged with the contemplative dimension of the Gospel and the practice of Centering Prayer since 1988. He is the service team leader on the Resource Faculty for Retreats and a commissioned presenter and retreat staff for CO at Sewanee, TN. He is well known throughout our CO Community.

“Awakening to the Virtue of Humility in Daily Life”   St. Augustine taught humility is the foundation of all other virtues. Nesteros, a desert father, told John Cassian humility is the true foundation of the structure of sanctity.  St. Benedict’s 12 Steps of Humility are the basis for his Rule of Life. There is much to learn and absorb about this very basic virtue. Presenter:  Marge Rafftery was introduced to Centering Prayer in the early 1980’s and has been serving the Tampa Bay, Florida area and Contemplative Outreach in various capacities since that time. She is a teacher and presenter who shares from a wealth of experience.

“Awakening to the Call to Silence”   Centering Prayer is a silent prayer practice that can move you toward a deeper relationship with God.  A brief overview of the method of Centering Prayer for those who are new to this prayer will be offered, along with a “taste” of the DVD presentations from the new course, “Centering Prayer: A Training Course for Opening to the Presence of God” for those who may want to use this for themselves and/or to provide this course in their local churches. Presenters:  Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler has practiced Centering Prayer, is one of the founding members of Contemplative Outreach and has worked closely with Fr. Thomas Keating for 26 years.  Gail, along with Frs. Thomas Keating and Carl Arico, are the presenters for the new home study DVD course for teaching Centering Prayer. Fr. Carl J. Arico is also a founding member of Contemplative Outreach and has worked closely with Fr. Thomas Keating since 1984. Fr. Carl is an author, teacher, retreat leader and is well known for his gift of preaching Parish Missions in churches throughout the country and beyond.

“Despertando a la Unidad” (Awakening to Oneness)   This presentation will be offered in Spanish.   Esta presentación es en español solamente.  La Oración Centrante es un medio que Dios utiliza para revelarnos poco a poco la unión y unidad con El. ¿Cómo describe Jesús esa unidad? En esta charla reflexionaremos acerca de las consecuencias de lo que el capítulo 15 del evangelio de Juan coloca en los labios de Jesús. Presenter:  Isabel Castellanos is a past member of the Board of Contemplative Outreach and currently serves as the Convener of the ECI Council.  She is gifted in her bilingual ability to teach and to edit many resources used for the Spanish speaking members of CO.

Sunday

 General Session for all:  “Awakening to the New Generation of Contemplative Service”. This informative and creative morning session will explore how Contemplative Outreach is moving to a new form of contemplative governance which provides new opportunities and challenges for our CO Community. Presenters will include all members of the Circle of Service.  Time for questions and answers will be provided.

Closing Session:  “Re-Awakening and Invitation"   Fr. Carl will gather together all that has been presented and taking the themes which have surfaced, let us create a mosaic to bring into our work during the coming year as we live out the power, truth and beauty of Reawakening to the Contemplative Dimension of Life.  We can be changed if we consent to God’s invitation!

Invitation to the 2011 Annual Conference

Video presentation with Fr. Thomas Keating; closing remarks and sending forth blessing.

There will be Centering Prayer before breakfast and at the end of the afternoon sessions each day of the Conference. On Sunday

morning at 7:00 a.m. there will be an Optional Roman Catholic Eucharist or Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina.

Informational Tables and the CO Bookstore will be open on Friday and Saturday of the Conference.

See you in Atlanta!