Contemplative Outreach News
Volume 23,  Number 1 · December 2007

Quick Links
Breathed by the Spirit By Fr. Thomas Keating ~ From the President  ~ New Resources ~ Outreach 
Reader's Reflections ~ Resource Faculty ~ The Spanish Corner ~ Regional Updates

Resource Faculty

Sr. Bernadette Teasdale, Chairperson

The Resource Faculty is composed of the leaders of the Service Teams of the various programs and outreaches that Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. offers the network to support the Centering Prayer practice and the spiritual growth of the membership. This is our third year of being structured in this way to better serve the Network. The Service Teams’ members come from throughout the country to provide for a variety of input and leadership development from across the network. 

We have just completed our annual meeting at St. Walburga’s Center in Elizabeth, N.J.

The leaders and their teams have been working hard all year long. We were joined by the Regional Representatives, Susan Komis, Marie Howard, Roseanne Havird, John Kelsey and Kay Powers. The Faculty was able to work with the representatives to inform them of the work of each Service Team, show how both groups can facilitate easy communication of requirements, schedule workshops for formation, determine who can help them in their regions as trained presentations, etc. The face-to-face communication helped us get acquainted and we believe it was an effective way to support the representatives in their work in the regions.

Anne Mazza is the team leader for Formation and Introduction to Centering Prayer for Contemplative Outreach Service. Susan Komis heads the Chapter Resource and Communication Services (CRCS). Marge Rafftery leads the Living Flame Program. Pat Johnson is the leader for the Contemplative Outreach Retreats. Cherry Haisten is the team leader for the Welcoming Prayer Program. Mike Potter heads the Lectio Divina Introductory Program. Sr. Maria Tasto retired after twenty years of service for the Faculty. Mike served on the Service team and was selected to become the leader of the Lectio program. Cathy McCarthy heads up the Extended Experiences: 9-Month Contemplative Living Course, 21 Day Immersion Retreats and Contemplative Communities. Jenny Adamson is the team leader for the 12 Step Outreach. Peggy Austermann heads up the Youth and Young Adults Outreach. Ricardo Lopez is the Leader for Hispanic Outreach. Fred Eckhart, leader of the Prison Outreach, died during the year and we do not yet have a new replacement. For at least twenty years, Fred was truly dedicated to bringing the message of Centering Prayer to men in the prison community, especially in Texas. We will miss him very much.

Each of the Service Teams are not only responsible for developing the essentials of their programs, but also for the training of presenters and scheduling times for training held during the year. It is our hope we can have them in each Region of Contemplative Outreach. We feel it is a privilege to serve you in the Contemplative Outreach Network and we also enjoy working together to make these programs available throughout the country and the world. We welcome your questions regarding information about any of our services.

Quick Links
Breathed by the Spirit By Fr. Thomas Keating ~ From the President  ~ New Resources ~ Outreach 
Reader's Reflections ~ Resource Faculty ~ The Spanish Corner ~ Regional Updates