CONTEMPLATIVE OUTREACH OF PENSACOLA
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CONTEMPLATIVE OUTREACH OF PENSACOLA

Silence. Solitude. Solidarity. Service.​

We embrace the process of transformation in Christ,
both in ourselves and in others, through the practice of
​Centering Prayer.  

PAST EVENTS
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​Image credit: Our Lady of the Sign written by Dianne Blair 2015
CONTEMPLATIVE OUTREACH OF PENSACOLA
offers
A Morning of Silence:
The "O Antiphons" of Advent 
Seven Prayers, Seven Titles


​“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which means ‘God with us.’” Matthew 1:23
Saturday, December 3, 2022 
10 am* ~ 11:30 am
 THE CHAPEL 
Gulf Breeze United Methodist Church 
75 Fairpoint Drive, Gulf Breeze 

Prepare your heart for an opening with Centering Prayer, followed by Musica Divina, a sacred listening, reflecting, and responding to The O Antiphons. These chanted prayers cast light on Mary's rejoicing over the gracious acts of God to Israel that are being fulfilled through her.  A second period of Centering Prayer will allow us to rest in God’s presence. 

Our greatest challenge is to be present to these days, to savor the season in its daily, hourly unfolding, opening our souls to the God who is ever waiting to be born there.


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Coming Home to Ourselves
A Silent Retreat
with
Fr. Carl Arico & Susan Rush
October 27- October 30, 2022
Camp Beckwith, Fairhope, AL 


Under the guidance of Fr. Carl Arico and Susan Rush -and through the practice of Centering Prayer, silence, and solitude -
let us claim our home in the Heart of all Hearts.

“Aspire to know the Unknowable, to enter fully into the Great Mystery, to be fertile ground to the Heart-seed of Love.” (Psalm 113, Nan Merrill) 


This October 2022 retreat will include three periods of Centering Prayer each day. A balance of silence/presentation/prayer/and spiritual companioning will provide a rhythm for these days of retreat and refreshment.

CAROL L. LEWIS, REGISTRAR 
 814-441-5289 
copensacola17@gmail.com

 
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When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place... Acts 2:1


Morning of Silence
 ~ Pentecost ~

Saturday, June 4, 2022
10:00* AM - 11:30 AM

Chapel of the Beloved Son
Christ Episcopal Church

Pensacola, Florida

Chapel seating is limited.
​Register soon to reserve your chair.
​Details and registration: 
 
CLICK HERE





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​Image credit: Our Lady of Snowmass, St. Benedict's Monastery

CONTEMPLATIVE OUTREACH
​
Annual United in Prayer Day

Saturday, March 5, 2022
A free, globally-hosted 24-hour day of prayer accessible via Zoom

​In the global unity of silence as God’s first language, we honor Fr. Thomas Keating’s birthday (March 7) and the growing presence of Christ among us.

24-hours of continuous community prayer on Zoom facilitated by groups from all over the world, including times hosted by our neighboring Tallahassee and Atlanta chapters.

Make it a retreat day and attend multiple segments.

View the schedule and details here.

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​Class Facilitators:  
Dr. Storne Shively serves as the Leadership Development Coordinator for Contemplative Outreach of Pensacola chapter. She has been a member of COPNS since its founding and has previously co-facilitated the Contemplative Journey I and Contemplative Journey II programs.
Minta McDavid is a Contemplative Outreach, LTD Commissioned Centering Prayer Presenter, serves as an Assistant Coordinator of Contemplative Outreach of Pensacola, and is a Presenter of the Centering Prayer Introductory Program for COPNS. She has previously co-facilitated the Contemplative Journey I and Contemplative Journey II programs.

If you have any questions, please call or email : 
Dr. Storne Shively    850-529-0400 SShively51@aol.com






​Spiritual Journey

Part I

"Essential Elements of Centering Prayer and Deepening the Centering Prayer Practice"

Tuesdays, Jan 11-Mar 29, 2022
​9:30-11:00 am  
Via Zoom

This class welcomes those who are interested in establishing or deepening Centering Prayer as part of their spiritual journey.  Explore the theology, psychology, and spirituality of Centering Prayer and Christian contemplation through the writings and videos of Fr. Thomas Keating and other master teachers in this tradition.
 Zoom will be the format and video clips by Fathers Thomas Keating, Carl Arico, and other contemplative teachers will illustrate and illuminate the contemplative concepts.  Although there is no fee for the course, it is requested that participants purchase three Fr. Thomas Keating books as they will be discussed in class:
  •  The Human Condition
  •  Invitation to Love
  • Open Mind/Open Heart (Anniversary Edition) 
Program Highlights include:  
  • 12 weekly 90 minute sessions
  • Centering Prayer periods
  • Facilitated discussions
  • Readings, videos, and reflections
  • Soul-friending
Registration is closed.
The class is at capacity.




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Advent Morning of Silence
"So Will I"


December 4,2021
​10:00-11:30 am

Gulf Breeze United Methodist Church
Fellowship Hall


Come. Sit with God's creation story, with your creation story, as we share two periods of Centering Prayer, music, and Advent devotions. For this in-person morning of silence, we will observe social distancing in our prayer circle. Please choose your comfort and safety level. Wearing a mask will be optional. 
DETAILS AND TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE:
Registration is Closed
​


  Testify to the Light © Jan Richardson.janrichardson.com

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Contemplative Outreach of Pensacola welcomes you  

 A Virtual Gathering via Zoom

Centering Prayer...SILENCE
Praying with an Icon...SEEING
Our Community...SOUL-SHARING
 
Saturday, September 25, 2021
10:00 am - 11:00 am

 
Please register to attend: CLICK HERE
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​
Pentecost Morning of Silence
​

Saturday, May 22, 2021
10:00-11:15am via Zoom
No Fee


​"Then he [Jesus] breathed on them and told them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.’ ”
John 20:22

Contemplative Outreach of Pensacola invites you to the silence of Centering Prayer and a pondering of the Gospel of John's version of Pentecost. Presbyterian pastor Kenneth Kovacs and contemplative theologian Martin Laird tell us, "Be open to what the Spirit longs to show us. It's nothing less than a fullhearted yes!"
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​​Contemplative Outreach of Pensacola
12-Step Outreach offers...

Deepening Our Experience of the 11th Step
A Virtual Weekend Retreat for Those in
​12-Step Programs


April 16-18, 2021.
Virtual Retreat Fee:  $25


This virtual retreat is offered both to those new to Centering Prayer and to those practitioners who desire to deepen their experience and understanding of 11th step practices. This retreat's rhythm will include a balance of solitude and community; listening and learning; silence and sharing; resting and engaging. 
We welcome as our guests teachers, Joelle M. and Jim M. Each is a Contemplative Outreach 12-Step leader and a commissioned presenter. 
To learn more and to register: CLICK HERE ​
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                  Cosmology                  
​Wiliam Congdon, Artist

God is Love, Contemplative Outreach

​“ I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness."
​ John 12:46


An Advent Morning of Silence:
"Come, Lord Jesus." - the Advent Mantra 

Saturday, December 5, 2020 
10 am* ~ 11:30 am CST
via ZOOM   


​“We must wait and work with hope inside of the darkness—while never doubting the light that God always is—and that we are too.  (Matthew 5:14)    That is the narrow birth canal of God into the world--through the darkness and into an ever-greater Light.”  (Preparing for Christmas, Richard Rohr)
​

For what are we waiting, preparing, 
and longing?
How might we consider inviting God's light to be born into the darkness?
How can we live with cosmic hope
in today's world? ​
 
​

For more information and to register: 
​CLICK HERE 
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"...to know the love of Christ...so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."
                                   Ephesians 3:19

A Morning of Silence 
~A Blessing~
from Thomas Keating's

God is Love
and art by William Congdon

Saturday, October 3, 2020
10 - 11 AM Central Time Zone


The Zoom sanctuary will open at 9:50. 
Please enter silently and prepare for the rhythm of our gatheringwhich will include Centering Prayer, visio divina, and sacred sharing.


​
​The Zoom link will be activated at 9:50. The Zoom access will be closed at 10:02. 
​
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED ​
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"When you pray, go to your inner room, close the door & pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." Matthew 6:6

The symbol chosen by
​Contemplative Outreach...

is called “Job’s Redeemer—Patient Waiting.” The heart and soul of Centering Prayer is consenting to God’s presence and action in our lives. Like Job, our patient waiting and consenting will be our gift of gratitude. The elements of the symbol include:
The Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, which acknowledge that our God is at the center of our consent and being.
The cross, symbol of our salvation, stands for our dying to our thoughts and commentaries.
The flowers symbolize the abundance of life and the resurrection. These flowers represent our letting go, in which our false self gives way to the flowering of the new self.
The circle is a sign of an ongoing process bringing us deeper into Divine Intimacy.
This symbol has been seen in three different locations: on an ancient church in the land of Uz, which is referred to in Scripture as the residence of Job; on a Byzantine stone from excavations in Jerusalem; and in a church named “Multiplication of the Loaves” in the Galilee area.
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Morning of Silence
~Pentecost~

Saturday, May 30,2020
9:00* am - 10:00 am
ZOOM Conference

* Please enter the waiting room by 8:50 am 

​"Be still and know God." Psalm 46:10

Open to those who know Centering Prayer and 
who are familiar with Zoom. 
​
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A Space of Welcome @Jan Richardson janrichardson.com

​
28th annual 
United In Prayer Day
​

A Powerful Path of
Unceasing Prayer​ 


Join us and thousands across the world united in prayer. Our morning will include two periods of Centering Prayer, refreshments, and a study of other prayer practices that keep us in relationship with God, creating a powerful path of unceasing prayer. 

Saturday, March 21, 2020
9 am ~ Noon
St. Christopher's Episcopal Church
3200 North 12th Avenue
Pensacola, FL 32503
​For details and registration 


​CLICK HERE

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Contemplative Journey, Part 2 
Essential Elements of Centering Prayer
& 
Deepening the Centering Prayer Practice 

Thursdays, January 16 - March 26, 2020
9:30 - 11:30 am
St. Christopher's Episcopal Church
3200 North 12th Avenue
Pensacola, FL


The class welcomes all who are interested in deepening  their Centering Prayer as part of their spiritual journey.
Contemplative Journey, Part 1 is not a prerequisite.

Registration is closed. 

For information contact Dr. Storne Shively sshively51@aol.com
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Silence is God's first language. Everything else is poor translation.   Fr. Thomas Keating

Fr. Thomas Keating
March 7, 1923 - October 25, 2018

​Fr. Thomas Keating was a founding member and the spiritual guide of Contemplative Outreach.  Fr. Keating was one of the principal architects and teachers of the Christian contemplative prayer movement and, in many ways, Contemplative Outreach is a manifestation of his longtime desire to contribute to the recovery of the contemplative dimension of Christianity." READ MORE at: www.contemplativeoutreach.org

Watch video: "The Four Monks." 



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​Other Events within Driving Distance and in Florida  CLICK HERE
​Interested in learning more about Centering Prayer? CLICK HERE for suggestions of how to get started.  

"Be Still and Know that I am God."  Psalm 46:10

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