News and Events
• I was the guest on a webinar on "Skype and Spiritual Direction," and was interviewed by Colin Chapman of the General Theological Seminary Digital Formation Program on June 11th at 1 pm. We discussed both the advantages and drawbacks of using newer technology in spiritual direction. During the final 15 minutes of the session participants were invited to ask questions by tweeting and through the Webinar’s chat feature.
Listen to the webinar here.
Some basic points on using Skype for spiritual direction and other spiritual encounters.
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Online Course: Practicing the Presence of God Monday, June 4 – Friday, June 29, 2012
This one month online retreat will explore how to experience God in the midst of the busyness, responsibilities, and activities of daily life by practicing the presence of God in the present moment. The course will include emails, audio recordings, a teleconference, and mini practices and costs $49.95.
This course will be led with David Frenette, who is a friend and very gifted teacher of centering prayer, along with Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler, Pamela Begeman, and Mary Ann Brussat.
For more information, go to Spirituality and Practice.
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• Finding the Felt Sense: An Introduction to the Practice of Mindful Focusing, led by David I. Rome
Five-session tele-seminar, five Wednesdays, beginning May 30, 2012, 7:00 – 8:30 PM US Eastern time. Cost: $195.
I have taken this course with David Rome and highly recommend it. Learning how to find the felt sense is a very useful way to access your body’s own deep, non-conceptual knowing. The techniques used in this course are based on the work of Eugene Gendlin and are a very useful complement to a meditation practice. The teleconferencing format works well for this course.
To learn more contact David Rome.
To register please go to David's website.
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• Father William Meninger, a Trappist Monk and one of the founders of centering prayer, will be in New York in May for a series of events.
He will give three talks at St. Luke in the Fields and St. Joseph Churches Friday, May 18, 2012 – Sunday, May 20, 2012.
On Friday evening from 7 pm - 9 pm he will speak about his book Julian of Norwich: A Mystic for the 21st Century. On Saturday from 1 – 4 pm he will discuss “Models of Contemplation: Theological Background of Contemplative Prayer and Meditation.” On Sunday from 1 – 5 pm his subject will be “The Process of Forgiveness and Centering Prayer.”
Tickets are $25 for Friday’s talk, $75 for Saturday’s, and $50 for Sunday’s, or tickets for all three events can be purchased for $120 through Contemplative Outreach New York.
For more information, go to Contemplative Outreach New York.
On Wednesday, May 23 from 7 pm to 9:30 pm, he will give a talk at the New York Open Center on the great spiritual classic, The Cloud of Unknowing. The Cloud of Unknowing is an important source for centering prayer, which at one point in its early development was called "the prayer of the Cloud."
For more information, go to the New York Open Center.
Read an interview with William Meninger.
_________________________________________________________________________________• My friend Dandapani, a Hindu priest, will be teaching a three session course on Sanskrit chanting and meditation on Tuesdays at 7 pm on April 10th, 17th and 24th at the Shala Yoga House, 815 Broadway, New York NY. For more information, contact Dandapani.
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• Centering Prayer and Taize Chant
For the first five Tuesdays in Lent, the Tuesday evening Grace Church centering prayer group will include Taize chanting, a simple, contemplative form of musical worship. The Taize chanting will be led by Matt Oprendek, Grace Church's seminarian. Matt is an accomplished pianist and will be working with different musicians at each service. The program will also include twenty minutes of centering prayer plus lectio divina and will take place at 7 pm on February 28, March 6, 13, 20, and 27. All are welcome at Grace Church Brooklyn, 254 Hicks Street. The regular centering prayer group will resume on April 3rd, during Holy Week. For more information, contact me or Matt Oprendek.
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• There will be a nine day centering prayer retreat from March 16 to 24, 2012 at the Garrison Insitute in Garrison, New York. This retreat will be led by David Frenette and is designed to help practitioners to deepen their centering prayer practice.
David is a gifted teacher who helps retreatants to deepen their centering prayer practice by working with the sacred word, the sacred breath, the sacred glance, and the sacred nothingness. I highly recommend this retreat, particular to those who sometimes feel stuck in their practice, discouraged by their thoughts or struggles to find God, and those who would like to take their practice to the next level. I will be working on the support staff of the retreat.
For more information or to sign up for this retreat, go to the Contemplative Outreach website.
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• Introduction to Centering Prayer
Centering Prayer is a silent, wordless form of prayer that derives from 14th century Christian methods of prayer. It is extremely simple to learn. On Saturday, February 11th from 10 am to 3 pm, I 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 great 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.
Contact me to sign up or for more information.
Read more about centering prayer.
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• A Spiritual and Culinary Adventure February 19 - 28, 2012
My husband Mark and my friend Dandapani will be leading a tour of South India in February, and I’ll be traveling on this tour as well. Members of the tour will participate in sacred ceremonies at some of the holiest temples in Tamil Nadu such as Chidumbaram, Pillayarpatti, the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, and the Brihadishwara Temple in Thanjavur. Dandapani, a Hindu priest, will teach meditation and provide information about Hindu practices. The tour will also focus on the culinary delights of India, with cooking classes and visits to local markets. For more information, visit Dandapani’s website.
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• Introduction to Centering Prayer at the New York Open Center beginning November 3rd
Richard Kigel, the New York City Coordinator of Contemplative Outreach, will be leading an introduction to this form of contemplative prayer, beginning with a free session on Thursday, November 3rd at 6 pm and continuing on Thursdays November 10, 17, and December 1 and 8 for a charge of $80 for members and $90 for non-members. For more information, go to the New York Open Center.
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• Spiritual Adventure in India
My friend Dandapani, a Hindu priest and meditation teacher, will be leading a trip to Rajasthan in northwestern India from October 24 to November 8th, 2011. The trip will include visits to the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar for Diwali, the festival of lights; the picturesque town of Jaisalmer; the Pushkar Camel Fair; travel in the desert on camelback; and classes on Hindu metaphysics, culture and traditions. My husband and I have traveled to India twice with Dandapani and highly recommend his trips. For more information, visit Dandapani's website.
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• Zen Spirit, Christian Spirit Retreat
Robert Kennedy, a well-known Jesuit priest who is also a Zen master, will be leading a retreat August 12-18 at St. Ignatius Retreat House in Manhasset, Long Island, NY. This should be an interesting experience for anyone who would like to explore Zen meditation within a Christian environment. For more information, go to St. Ignatius's website.
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• Course on Discernment and Community for Spiritual Seekers
I will be teaching this course on seeker spirituality at Union Theological Seminary from 2 to 4 pm on four Fridays: March 4, 11, April 1, and 8, 2011. This course will explore the spiritual needs of the seeker, who may look for spiritual meaning both inside and outside of religious institutions and in more than one faith tradition. The course is designed to support seekers, unaffiliated students, and others who may be uncomfortable with institutional religion as they discern their calls to ministry and explore their relationships with spiritual community. It will also be of interest to those who minister to seekers and would like to better understand how to support them.
In this course students will have an opportunity to examine sociological views of seeker spirituality and engage in spiritual practices that will help them to discern their call and ground themselves as they explore non-traditional ministries and their roles inside and outside communities. We will explore the essential elements of spirituality and community. Students will prepare a set of goals for their spiritual practice, discernment process, and exploration of community at the same time as they form a class community in which to support each other. We will look at biblical paradigms for seeker spirituality, fears about choosing non-traditional paths, and the forces that draw us towards or separate us from institutional communities.
This course will be available to auditors as well as Union students. Register for this course or email me for more information.
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• There will be a nine day centering prayer retreat from March 18 to 26, 2011 at the Garrison Insitute in Garrison New York. This retreat will be led by David Frenette and is designed to help practitioners to deepen their prayer practice, particularly those who sometimes feel stuck in their practice, discouraged by their thoughts or struggles to find God, and those who want to take their practice to the next level.
David is a gifted teacher who uses approaches such as guided meditations and participant sharing to impart helpful ideas about practice. His gentle style enables retreatants to learn while going deeply into the contemplative mode. I highly recommend this retreat and will be working on the support staff of the retreat.
For more information or to sign up for this retreat, go to the Contemplative Outreach website.
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• Quiet Day Retreat
Would you like some quiet time in a supportive environment to reflect on the issues that are arising in your life? On Saturday, February 19th from 10am to 3:30pm, I will lead a quiet day retreat in at Grace Church Brooklyn on the theme of discernment. The day will include a number of discernment and prayer oriented activities, including a talk, discussion, centering prayer, lectio divina, guided meditation, and time for quiet reflection. All activities will be optional so that participants may have as structured or unstructured an experience as they would like. Lunch will be provided and we will eat in silence. Books and art materials will be available.
Email me for more information. Grace Church is at 254 Hicks Street, Brooklyn 11201.
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Dandapani, a monk for ten years at Kauai's Hindu Monastery in Hawaii, will be giving a series of four meditation classes, designed to help begin or strengthen a meditation practice. Classes will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 pm on Fridays Jan 21, 28, Feb 4, 11. More information is available at Dandapani's website.
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• Introduction to Centering Prayer
I will present a brief introduction to centering prayer on Sunday, October 24th at 9:40 am in the North Room of Grace Church Brooklyn. Centering Prayer is a method of contemplative prayer in which we rest silently in the presence of God. It is a very simple method that is easy to learn. We will discuss the history of the prayer, how to practice the prayer, and review exactly what happens at the Tuesday night centering prayer group at Grace. For those who are interested in attending the group or in learning more about the prayer, I always arrive at lease 15 minutes early for the 7 pm group, so please feel free to stop by any week or contact me to arrange for an introduction to centering prayer.
Email me for more information. Grace Church is at 254 Hicks Street, Brooklyn 11201.
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