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

The Spanish Corner

by Ilse Reissner

Our Formation workshops, conducted in Spanish, continue to train new presenters who spread the seed of the Centering Prayer practice throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

Internet Introductory Trial 
Isabel Castellanos and Marilu Ason obtained permission from Fr. Thomas Keating for a trial Introductory Course to Centering Prayer via the internet in Argentina and Spain, where we have been unable to go in person. It was an incredible experience. Over 200 people shared their experiences and questions online.

Not Directors But Advisors 
Up to now Extensión Contemplativa Internacional has been lovingly directed by a group of volunteers who call themselves the “Board of Directors” of Extensión Contemplativa. After several weeks of prayer and discernment, we decided that this hierarchical structure was unnecessary and more appropriate for a corporation than for our “organism”—as Fr. Thomas likes to call us. Therefore, we have decided to change our structure. We now have an “Advisory Board” of Extensión Contemplativa. We no longer use the titles of “President”, “Vice-President”, etc. We got our inspiration from some locals who have already made a similar change. Instead of having just one coordinator, they have opted for a “Coordinating Committee”, with one person rotating every two years to serve as the contact person. We have invited two people from the different countries that have been actively involved over the past five years to be part of the Advisory Board. Due to the high cost of transportation and the great distances, they are only required to physically attend the quarterly meetings once a year. The rest we will do on “Skype”, and have them actively participate in the meetings in that way. (Skype is a social networking software for making free calls over the internet to anyone else who has Skype.) The other members will be the same as on the old “Board of Directors”, only the names of titles will change. These structural changes were made in August, so we’ll be on a “trial and error” basis for the first few months. Certainly our prayers will help us through.

In the Footsteps of St. Paul

In October, Fr. Bill Sheehan and Ilse Reisner led a contemplative pilgrimage following the journeys of St. Paul, starting in Thessaloniki, Greece, all the way to Corinth, stopping along the way to see the astounding sight of Meteora (The Seven Hanging Monasteries) and the ruins of Alexander the Great. After visiting Athens we cruised to the islands of Patmos, Mykonos, Rhodes and Crete, ending at Ephesus in Turkey. It was an awesome experience, with daily Mass and Centering Prayer. Fr. Bill needed no introduction to most of the trip members as he was one of the first disciples at the Lama Retreat with Fr. Thomas Keating. He was also instrumental in bringing the Centering Prayer practice to South Florida, where he worked closely with Mercedes Scopetta at the Lay Ministry Office of the Archdiocese of Miami. After all these years he faithfully continues to be actively involved in Centering Prayer retreats, missions and workshops.

Workshops 

We offered a Formation Workshop in Costa Rica, attended by people from throughout Central America, including El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. It was an excellent group of people. The team included Ilse Reissner, Marilu Ason from Puerto Rico, Noemi Peñate from El Salvador, and Guadalupe Marquez from Mexico. Training to be future members of the Formation Workshop team were Aida Maria Herdocia and Claudia Paniagua from Nicaragua, and Anna Belle Garrido and Doris Barboza from Costa Rica. 

In Mexico, two Formation Workshops were offered. One was given by the team of Judith Bernal and Guadalupe Marquez. The other Formation Workshop was offered in Monterrey, Mexico and was led by Ilse Reissner, Isabel Castellanos from Miami and Cristina Romero from San Diego.

Extensión Contemplativa Contacts

The people listed below are members of Extensión Contemplativa
who can answer questions and provide information in Spanish.

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