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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
Southern Regional Updates
Southern Region includes Alabama,
Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Tennessee
Regional Chapter Service Representative, John Kelsey @ 919 467-0045,
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CO
Birmingham, AL -
Our Annual Conference in February of 2007 featured Cynthia Bourgeault.
We had a wonderful gathering of people from all over the South East. We
are still talking about the "food for the soul" that was given
to us that weekend. At our upcoming conference, February 9-10, 2008, Fr.
William Meninger will join us for " The Fruits of Contemplative
Prayer." Fr. Meninger was with us for our conference in 2002 and we
are looking forward to his return. We continue to offer Introductory and
Intensive Weekend Retreats at the Benedictine Sisters' Monastery in
Cullman, Alabama. Mary Dwyer will facilitate our 8 Day Intensive/Post
Intensive Retreat in June of 2008.Something new for COB is The
Introduction to Centering Prayer As An 11th Step Practice one day
workshop scheduled for January 2008 in Birmingham. Thank you to Roberta
Oster (Atlanta) and Steve Shader (Birmingham) for helping us start this
in the Alabama chapter. Diana Tschache, Coordinator @ 205 991-6964, .
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Lake Charles, LA -
Our Centering Prayer group continues to meet on the third Tuesday of
each month for a day of Prayer at the St. Charles Center. We are in our
eleventh year, and have just completed our fourth viewing of the
Spiritual Journey Videotapes. We continue to draw new insight and
inspiration from them. Fr. Justin Langille led our annual Centering
Prayer Retreat last fall and all who came were blessed. Our future
annual retreats will be on the second weekend of Lent. - Feb 15-17, 2008
at St. Charles Center - 337 855- 1232. We have a new group that meets on
Monday evenings, led by Midge DeBarge with focus on the 12 Step Program.
Charlotte Hine is our new commissioned Presenter. We are so grateful for
all who work to make Contemplative Outreach available to so many. We
find much support in your mission, and so happy the coming Conference is
in Houston. Barbara Tomme @ 337 855-4239, .
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Contemplative Outreach of New Orleans -
Fr. Bill Sheehan guided and inspired twenty of us last summer during the
first Post Intensive Retreat hosted by the New Orleans Chapter. He was
assisted by Sister Margaret Rohde, RC whose availability for spiritual
direction was much appreciated. We look forward to having Fr. Sheehan
back with us for another Post Intensive in the summer of 2009. We plan
to hose a Lectio Divina Retreat in the summer of 2008, and are presently
planning outreach to Twelve Step groups with workshops on the 11th Step….and
a new prayer group has formed in Slidell, LA after an Introductory
Workshop there. So there are some visible signs of continuing growth
here among the morass of nay sayers about the future of our region. At
least with growth in the Spirit we are more ready for the future,
whatever it may be. Vivien Michals @ 504 944-4000, .
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C.O.
News December 2007 CO of Middle Tennessee -
On August 18th we held our first Annual Meeting at St. George’s
Episcopal Church in Nashville with over 100 in attendance, including
representatives from over 20 support groups, those who pray only in the
inner room, and some who were new to the prayer altogether. We prayed,
told the story of Contemplative Outreach in our area, watched a video
from the national office, divided into small groups to learn from one
another, and offered opportunities for service. We declared the event a
great success and announced our plan for next year’s Meeting when Sr.
Mary McGehee from Sacred Heart Monastery in Cullman, Alabama will be our
keynote speaker. We continue to be pleased about the upcoming
Contemplative Outreach offerings at St. Mary’s Sewanee in 2008, and we
hope that many of you who read this Newsletter will make plans to come
to one or more of these opportunities…..March 7-9 Forgiveness Retreat
with Fr. Carl Arico; March 10-11, Clergy Enrichment with Carl again;
April 6-10 Welcoming Prayer Immersion with Cathy McCarthy and Gail
Fitzpatrick-Hopler; October 19-23, Lectio Divina Workshop and Formation
with Maria Tasto; December 12- 14, Advent Retreat with Tom Ward. This is
in addition to the two 8-day, three 3-day and one 5-day retreats that we
have offered for many years. This relation with St. Mary’s Sewanee is
proving beneficial both to the retreat center and to Contemplative
Outreach in our area. We also hold Quiet Days one Saturday a month in
Nashville and annually participate in the United Day of Prayer on the
3rd Saturday in March. Again, we invite you to come on down and pray
with us. Carol Wray @ 615 373-0613, or Tom Ward @931 598-9063 or visit our new website at www.centeringprayermidtn.com. |
CO
of West Tennessee -
Contemplative Outreach of West Tennessee has sponsored three
Introduction to Centering Prayer Programs and two Introduction to Lectio
Divina Programs so far this year, with regular prayer groups emerging
from most of them. Our Coordinator, Mike Potter, has been appointed as
the Resource Faculty Member for Lectio Divina, succeeding Sr. Maria
Tasto. Mike has introduced the practice of Lectio Divina to many groups
in our area, including the staff and guests at Door of Hope, a ministry
to the chronically homeless. Our monthly First Saturdays at Church of
the Holy Communion in Memphis, featuring three 20-minute periods of
Centering Prayer, a contemplative walk, and an optional labyrinth,
continues to be a popular entry point and supportive gathering for many
people in our area, with average attendance of about twenty-five people.
Eileen Olewinski has taken over as facilitator of this event. She
succeeds Dr. Bill Clemmons, who along with Sr. Joann Mascari, created it
over five years ago. We will be offering our second Centering Prayer
Weekend Retreat from December 7-9, 2007, which will provide a dual track
for those who are new to Centering Prayer as well as those who are
experienced practitioners. Mike Potter, Coordinator @ 901-274-3488,
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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
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