Centering Prayer: A Training Course for Opening to the Presence of God

Be still and know that I am God.

--Psalm 46:10

Centering Prayer is a silent prayer practice that can move you toward profound relationship with the Spirit of God within. It is a way of praying that opens the door to the Divine Indwelling--the ground of our being. With Centering Prayer, Father Thomas Keating and his colleagues Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler and Father Carl Arico present the first in-depth home study course in this method for deepening your intimacy with God, and ultimately consenting to the presence and action of the Divine in all aspects of your life.

A Prayer Practice Inspired by the Christian Mystics

Father Thomas Keating, answering a life calling, sought to renew a prayer practice that goes beyond asking for aid or offering praise--one that invites you to enter into a deeper relationship with God. Based on the wisdom sayings of Jesus and inspired by teachings from the classic 14th-century text The Cloud of Unknowing, Saint John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, Thomas Merton, and others, Centering Prayer is a method of four guidelines that has sparked the modern renewal of contemplative Christianity. Centering Prayer does not replace other types of prayer, teaches Keating. Rather, the practice gives a new depth of meaning to all forms of prayer.

Training from a Respected Voice in the Revival of Contemplative Christianity

Centering Prayer is a unique multi-format program that provides precise, direct training in contemplative practice--as well as a treasury of wisdom from Father Keating himself. His teachings, stories, and insights reveal the fruits of fully engaging in this path of complete consent to God's presence and action within. Join him as you learn this simple yet transformative method for taking prayer to its deepest level--and inviting the grace of the Divine to live through you.

Highlights

The four guidelines of the Centering Prayer practice, with in-depth instruction on each movementYour sacred word--symbolizing your intention for your practiceFrom conversation with Christ to communion--prayer as a path to relationship with the DivineThe Divine Indwelling--entering into a relationship where the illusion of separation from God dissolvesExploring interfaith dialogue--valuable lessons for Christians from world religions and science. Thomas Keating's priceless wisdom attained from a lifetime on the contemplative path. Six DVDs, 2 audio CDs, 25 prayer cards, and a 91-page workbook of Centering Prayer training and wisdom from Father Thomas Keating, Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler, and Fr. Carl Arico

Father Thomas Keating
Father Thomas Keating draws from over 60 years of study and prayer as a Trappist monk in sharing the wisdom of 20 centuries of the contemplative Christian tradition. One of the principal architects of the contemplative Christian prayer movement, Father Keating co-founded the Snowmass Interreligious Conference and Contemplative Outreach, Ltd., and is author of many books, including Open Mind, Open Heart.

Father Carl Arico
Father Carl Arico is a founding member and the current vice president of Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. Father Arico has practiced Centering Prayer since 1975 and taught the prayer since 1978. He is known for his humor and his ability to bridge the gap between the clergy and laity.

Contemplative Outreach, Ltd., was officially founded in 1986 to foster the process of transformation in Christ in one another through the practice of Centering Prayer.

Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler
Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler is a founding member and current president of Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. She found the convergence of her Christian background and her Buddhist contemplative experience in the contemplative Christian heritage and the practice of Centering Prayer. As a layperson, Gail is experienced in balancing the activities of an ordinary life with the contemplative path of silence, solitude, and service.

Contemplative Outreach, Ltd., was officially founded in 1986 to foster the process of transformation in Christ in one another through the practice of Centering Prayer.