Be still
and know
that
I am God.
(Psalm 46:10)
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Welcome to the NYC Chapter of Contemplative Outreach.
(For Queens and elsewhere in NY State, see the links in the right-hand sidebar.)
Events
Laurence Freeman, OSB, Benedictine monk and director of our fellow Christian contemplative organization, the World Community for Christian Meditation, will be visiting New York and taking part in two events on April 7, a free talk and an afternoon-long mini-retreat.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
10:05 – 11:00 a.m.
Forum
St. Bart’s Episcopal Church
Great Hall/Community House
325 Park Avenue (at 51st Street)
New York, NY 10022
Father Laurence will be the guest presenter at The Forum at St. Bart’s, “a forum that helps us further connect faith with life.” All are invited. No advance registration required; the Forum takes place between the 9 and 11am services.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
1 – 5 p.m.
Day Retreat: Silence in the City
St. Thomas More Church (Rochester Room)
65 East 89th Street (East of Madison Avenue)
New York City, NY 10128
In an afternoon of teaching, dialogue and meditation, Father Laurence will lead us to a deeper understanding of meditation as the path to living a contemplative life in the midst of an overbooked, hectic, urban environment. He will show how the practice of daily meditation fills us with hope and transforms us so that our personal experience of inner peace gradually raises the level of peace in our troubled world. He will explore the benefits and spiritual fruits of meditation — as a way of prayer rooted in the gospel teaching and yet of universal value.
For more information download flyer here.
To register for this afternoon teaching, click here.
Email: sharon@mediomedia.org or call 520-829-3197
Events
God is All in All
One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. — Ephesians 4:6
United in Prayer Day is an opportunity for the Contemplative Outreach worldwide community to join in a silent bond of prayer and spiritual nourishment. Along with a practice of Centering Prayer, the evening features talks from the 2012 Annual Conference at Snowmass, Colorado from the DVD God is All in All. There is no charge — donations will be gratefully accepted to help offer future contemplative enrichment activities. All are invited.
Saturday, March 16, 7 – 9 p.m., Church of Saint Luke in the Fields, 487 Hudson St., between Christopher & Barrow, Laughlin Hall (entrance through gate to the right of the church)
DIRECTIONS:
By Subway: Take the 1 to the Christopher Street station or the A, C, E, B, F or D to the West 4th Street station.
From Christopher Street: Walk west on Christopher Street, away from Sheridan Square, towards the Hudson River. At Hudson Street, make a left. The church is one block to your left, on the west side of the street.
From West 4th Street: Leave the station at the south (West 3rd Street) exit. Walk south on Sixth Avenue to Bleecker Street. Turn Right. Follow Bleecker across Seventh Avenue. At Grove Street, turn left. Follow Grove to Hudson Street. The church is across the street.
By Car: St. Luke is on Hudson Street between Grove and Christopher Streets. There is free legal parking on the west side of Hudson Street after 6 pm and metered parking on the east side of Hudson Street until 7 pm.
For more information contact: Richard Kigel, 718-698-7514.
Email: interiorsilence@gmail.com
Events
Many of you were able to attend one or all of the David Frenette events cosponsored by Contemplative Outreach of New York back in November. We want to let you know that he’ll be at the nearby Garrison Institute (about an hour north of the city by car or MetroNorth) in March. There’s a free talk, a weekend workshop, and a full seven-day silent retreat. Here’s all the info:
How do we live contemplatively, bringing the nourishment we receive on retreat back into our lives? David Frenette is teaching a retreat that explores how to develop the fruits of Centering Prayer into a mindful life through sacred attention. This new silent, practice-oriented retreat is appropriate for both experienced practitioners and beginners.
We begin with a weekend of detailed instruction on the contemplative practice of Centering Prayer using the Sacred Breath. While the basic teaching on Centering Prayer generally focuses on the use of the sacred word, it is also possible to practice Centering Prayer with other sacred symbols, including the Sacred Breath. Centering Prayer with the Sacred Breath was introduced by David’s spiritual father, the Trappist monk Thomas Keating and is fully described in David’s new book The Path of Centering Prayer; Deepening Your Experience of God.
For those who choose the full seven day silent retreat, we will continue to practice Centering Prayer while also exploring the theme of sacred attention and contemplative living. We will examine how lectio divina, nature, ordinary life, art practices, spiritual direction and psychotherapy can be used to deepen our practice and lead us into mindful living. Co-teachers Steve Standiford and Lindsay Boyer join David in teaching this retreat.
Centered Life, Mindful Life
A retreat with a weekend or seven day option
March 15 – 21
The Garrison Institute, Garrison NY
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Option I: Centering Prayer with the Sacred Breath: Weekend Retreat from the evening of Friday, March 15 through lunch on Sunday, March 17
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Option II: Centering Prayer and Sacred Mindfulness: Seven day retreat from the evening of Friday, March 15 through lunch on Thursday, March 21
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Option III: Sacred Attention & Contemplative Living: Free talk on Friday, March 15 at 7:30 pm
Click here to register for the retreats or here to RSVP for the free talk,
or to register or for more information, you can email Lindsay Boyer at lindsay@lindsayboyer.com.
Events
Experience the transcendent music of Bach’s Cello Suites in simple contemplative services.
For six Tuesdays in Lent, February 19, 26, March 5, 12, 19, 26 at 7 p.m., cellist Jennifer DeVore will play one of the suites alternating with intervals of silence and brief contemplative readings.
Free of charge. All are welcome!
February 19, 26, March 5, 12, 19, 26
7 p.m.
Grace Church Brooklyn Heights
254 Hicks Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(click address for map)
Free.
For more information, contact Lindsay Boyer at mail@lindsayboyer.com.
Click here to view or download the flyer.
Events
[THIS EVENT IS SCHEDULED TO GO ON AS PLANNED. THE PRESENTER, ILDIKO VICZIAN WILL BE THERE AND SOME PARTICIPANTS HAVE CONFIRMED.]
Saturday, February 9
10 AM to 4 PM
NYU Catholic Center Chapel
238 Thompson Street (at Washington Square South)
Donations are welcome.
Follow Up Sessions: 6 Wednesdays beginning February 13 from 6-8 pm at the NYU Catholic Center Chapel.
Information: Ildiko Viczian, 212-673-6016
www.catholiccenternyu.org
Click here to view or download the flyer.
Events
[DUE TO TODAY'S NOR'EASTER, DAVID FRENETTE'S FLIGHT HAS BEEN ALTERED. THE THURSDAY EVENT IS CANCELLED, BUT THE REST OF THE WEEKEND'S EVENTS CONTINUE. Please come instead to the workshop, "Practicing Centering Prayer with the Sacred Breath" during the day on Friday at General Theological, the dialogue on Buddhist and Christian Meditation on Sunday at Grace Church in Brooklyn and the talk on Saturday morning in Armonk about his new book.]
This book, in my view, is the best, most comprehensive and most practical book on Centering Prayer. – Father Thomas Keating
David Frenette has taught Centering Prayer under the guidance of Father Thomas Keating since 1984. He lives in Boulder, CO, but in November will be visiting the New York area to talk about his new book, The Path of Centering Prayer; Deepening Your Experience of God. David has spent much of the past 25 years in retreat and contemplative practice, including 10 years as a leader of a lay monastic community. He teaches and offers spiritual direction at the Center for Contemplative Living in Denver, is an Adjunct Faculty in the Religious Studies Department at Naropa University, and has an M.A. in Counseling Psychology.
Copies of The Path of Centering Prayer; Deepening Your Experience of God will be available for purchase at all of the events listed below.
Practicing Centering Prayer with the Sacred Breath — A Workshop with David Frenette
Friday, November 9th, 1pm to 5pm
General Theological Seminary’s Seabury Auditorium
440 West 21st Street, New York, NY 10011
Co-sponsored by General Theological Seminary’s Center for Christian Spirituality and Contemplative Outreach of New York
$50
While the basic teaching on Centering Prayer generally focuses on the use of the sacred word, it is also possible to practice Centering Prayer with other sacred symbols. In this afternoon retreat-like workshop, you will explore the sacred breath as a way of deepening your own practice of Centering Prayer.
In the workshop, David Frenette will teach how the practice of Centering Prayer with the sacred breath may be particularly appropriate at certain seasons of the spiritual journey. He’ll also reveal how this contemplative practice may help you to realize that God, like the breath, is always within you.
The workshop, appropriate for both experienced practitioners and beginners, will include:
- new teachings on how to practice Centering Prayer with the sacred breath
- discussion of how contemplative attitudes may be brought into all aspects of life
- extended practice of Centering Prayer.
To register go to http://centeringprayer-gts.eventbrite.com/
An Introduction to Buddhist and Christian Meditation, with Dialogue, with David Frenette and Robert Gunn
Sunday November 11th, 2pm to 4pm
Grace Church Brooklyn
254 Hicks Street, Brooklyn NY 11201
Co-sponsored by Contemplative Outreach of New York
Donations gratefully accepted
Receive instruction in meditation practice from two traditions: Christian centering prayer and Zen meditation. This workshop will provide an opportunity to practice both methods of meditation, followed by a dialogue about their differences and points of intersection.
Zen meditation will be introduced by Robert Gunn, a Soto Zen priest at the Village Zendo, pastor in the United Church of Christ, psychotherapist, and Lecturer at Union Theological Seminary. Centering prayer will be introduced by David Frenette who has practiced centering prayer under the guidance of Father Thomas Keating for almost 30 years and is a spiritual director and Adjunct Professor at Naropa University.
Copies of Robert Gunn’s book Journeys into Emptiness: Dogen, Merton and Jung and the Quest for Transformation and David Frenette’s The Path of Centering Prayer; Deepening Your Experience of God will be available for purchase.
In addition to those two events sponsored by Contemplative Outreach of New York, David Frenette will be doing these two others in the area:
[DUE TO TODAY'S NOR'EASTER, DAVID FRENETTE'S TRAVEL PLANS HAVE BEEN ALTERED. THE THURSDAY EVENT IS CANCELLED.]
Sacred Attention & Contemplative Living — An Evening of Learning & Practice with David Frenette
Thursday, November 8th, 7pm
General Theological Seminary’s Seabury Auditorium
440 West 21st Street, New York, NY 10011
Sponsored by General Seminary’s Wellness Program in Partnership with the Center for Christian Spirituality
Free and open to the public
We live in a world of complexity, fragmentation, noise, and haste. The sheer quantity of tasks, appointments, and commitments can be overwhelming. How can we experience God in the midst of the busyness, responsibilities, and activities of our daily lives? By practice. By living more in the present moment. By practicing the presence of God in the present moment.
We can abide in this Presence as we prepare dinner, help our children with their homework, take a phone call, go shopping in the local mall, attend a contentious business meeting, or walk down the street. The practice is surprisingly simple: Pay attention to what you are doing and do it for the love of God.
This evening presentation will help you with your practice of sacred attention.
To register for complimentary admission, go to http://sacredattention-gts.eventbrite.com/
A Talk by David Frenette From His New Book The Path of Centering Prayer; Deepening Your Experience of God
Saturday, November 10th, 9am to 1pm
St. Patrick’s Church, 29 Cox Avenue, Armonk, NY 10504
Sponsored by Contemplative Outreach of Westchester
Suggested donation $20
David’s new teachings in this book are meant to assist long time contemplative practitioners along the journey to union with God, along with providing newcomers a fresh introduction to the path of Centering Prayer, a Christian form of meditation. Come learn, renew or deepen your Centering Prayer practice. For more information call 914.478.7801
The Path of Centering Prayer; Deepening Your Experience of God is a guide to centering prayer for beginners and experienced practitioners alike. David Frenette has a great gift for describing the subtle interior experience of centering prayer. Thomas Keating in his classic Open Mind Open Heart mentions that centering prayer may be practiced using several different forms of the sacred symbol: the sacred word, the sacred breath, the sacred glance, or the sacred nothingness. David expands in very practical detail on the use of each of these sacred symbols, discussing how each may be suited for different people at different seasons of the spiritual journey. He also looks at eight contemplative attitudes: receiving, consent, simplicity, gentleness, letting go, resting, embracing, and integrating and describes how these attitudes represent subtly different ways of being in the prayer that allow one to relate to the sacred symbol more and more deeply.
Events
You can download a printable flyer here to share with your group or distribute at a church or like-minded organization.
Friday, May 18, 2012 – Sunday, May 20, 2012
St. Luke in the Fields & St. Joseph’s Church
Get your tickets in advance online here! You’ll be sure you can attend and it will help us with expenses in advance of the event. You can attend any or all of the three events separately, or prebuy all three together for a 20% discount.
Friday, May 18, 7 – 9 p.m.
Church of Saint Luke in the Fields, 487 Hudson St., between Christopher & Barrow
Julian of Norwich: A Mystic for the 21st Century
Born into a time of church-state tension and economic upheaval, Julian of Norwich, the anchoress, mystic and theologian, speaks to us across six centuries. She is a living example of the contemplative attitude, her “Revelations” a concrete manifestation of how a contemplative views God, neighbor, sin, death, hell, punishment, forgiveness, mercy, the Church, the Trinity and the feminine in God. Join Fr. William Meninger, author of Julian of Norwich: a mystic for today, for this talk on Julian’s relevance today. $25. Buy tickets in advance at cony.eventbrite.com!
Saturday, May 19, 9 – 12 / 1 – 4 p.m.
Church of Saint Luke in the Fields, 487 Hudson St., between Christopher & Barrow
Models of Contemplation: Theological Background of Contemplative Prayer and Meditation
Trappist monk Fr. William Meninger has been studying, practicing and teaching forms of contemplative prayer and meditation for over 40 years. Join him in this special day-long workshop exploring different methods and approaches to contemplative prayer and meditation, including Walter Hilton, Julian of Norwich, The Cloud of Unknowing, St. Augustine, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, with references to Buddhist and Hindu approaches to meditation. Beginners and longtime practitioners of Centering Prayer are welcome. $75. Buy tickets in advance at cony.eventbrite.com!
Sunday, May 20, 1 – 5 p.m.
St. Joseph’s Church in Greenwich Village, 371 Sixth Avenue
The Process of Forgiveness and Centering Prayer
“Forgive men their trespasses,” Christ commanded us, and He demonstrated its importance in the final act of his earthly life. But how do we forgive? What if the emotional trauma is so deep, the hurt so bad, the wounds so hideous, the offense so vivid that forgiveness seems beyond our power? Why do some people say, “I want to forgive but I cannot?” Join Father William Meninger as he offers practical insights, drawn from his extensive experience as a pastor and counselor, in how to move beyond the pain and anguish we have suffered and let the Loving Spirit of Christ teach us how to forgive. Centering Prayer, the “work of love,” teaches us to embrace God, one another, and the past, present and future. $50. Buy tickets in advance at cony.eventbrite.com!
Father William Meninger
In 1974, Fr. William Meninger, a Trappist monk and retreat master at St. Josephs Abbey in Spencer, Mass. found a dusty little book in the abbey library, The Cloud of Unknowing. As he read it he was delighted to discover that this anonymous 14th century book presented contemplative meditation as a teachable, spiritual process enabling the ordinary person to enter and receive a direct experience of union with God.
This form of meditation, recently known as ‘Centering Prayer’ (from a text of Thomas Merton) can be traced from and through the earliest centuries of Christianity. Centering Prayer centers one on God. Later, his workshop was taken up by his abbot, Thomas Keating, and Basil Pennington, both of whom had been looking for a teachable form of Christian contemplative meditation to offset the movement of young Catholics toward Eastern meditation techniques.
Like Abbot Keating, Father Meninger takes a limited time each year from his silent monastic life to travel the world and teach contemplative prayer. His book, The Loving Search For God is an effort to bring the message of The Cloud of Unknowing to men and women of the 21st Century.
Buy tickets in advance at cony.eventbrite.com!
Events
Uniting the worldwide network of Contemplative Outreach
in a single bond of Centering Prayer and meditation
UNITY IN CONTEMPLATION
Saturday, March 17, 2012
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
The General Theological Seminary
440 W. 21st Street
New York, NY 10011
United in Prayer Day is an opportunity for the worldwide Contemplative Outreach community to join in a silent bond of prayer and spiritual nourishment. Along with periods of Centering Prayer, the day will feature The House of God, The Womb of God, a talk by Fr. Thomas Keating, as well as a revealing interview with Fr. Thomas. There is no charge. All donations help Contemplative Outreach offer future contemplative enrichment activities.
DIRECTIONS
General Theological Seminary occupies the full block between 9th and 10th Avenues from W 20th to W 21st Street. Enter at the gate midway between 9th and 10th Aves. on the south side of 21st St. Buzz for entry. Proceed to receptionist for further directions.
BY SUBWAY: The 1 train stops at 23rd Street and Seventh Avenue. The C and E trains stop at 23rd Street and Eighth Avenue.
PARKING: There is some street parking. Garages are located at 23rd St. between 9th and 10th Aves. and on 27th St. between 8th and 9th Aves.
For more information contact: Richard Kigel, 718-698-7514,
Email: interiorsilence@gmail.com
Events
LECTIO DIVINA: Divine Reading
listening to the Word of God in Scripture
praying the Word
“… Human beings cannot live by bread alone but by every Word which comes from the mouth of God.” Dt 8:3 & Mt 4:4
“In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word was God.” Jn 1:1
We learn the Christian practice of listening and entering into dialogue with God’s Word in the Scripture, according to the monastic tradition of prayer: lectio, meditatio, oratio, contemplatio.
Saturday, March 3, 2012, 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Laughlin Hall at Church of Saint Luke in the Fields, 487 Hudson St., between Christopher & Barrow
Contact Ildiko Viczian, 212-673-6016
Events
On Saturday, February 11th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., spiritual director Lindsay Boyer will lead an introduction to centering prayer at Grace Church Brooklyn, 254 Hicks Street. The introduction will include:
- the basic method and background of the prayer,
- how to deal with thoughts during centering prayer,
- how to enter into a deeper relationship with God through the practice of centering prayer,
- two 20 minute sessions of centering prayer.
This is a good introduction for beginners but will also be helpful for those who would like to refresh and renew their practice.
Lunch will be provided and a donation of $10 would be appreciated.
To sign up or for more information, contact Lindsay at lindsay@lindsayboyer.com or go to http://lindsayboyer.com/news.htm.
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