Contemplative Outreach Ltd.
One in Prayer! COMW is just one of a collection of regional groups under the umbrella of Contemplative Outreach, Ltd., an international office based in Butler, NJ. The international office provides resources for practitioners and volunteers worldwide; publishes monthly and quarterly newsletters; lists online retreat and in-person workshops and retreat opportunities across the world (including St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado); provides an online store with books and media by Thomas Keating and other resources for the contemplative journey; and provides contact information for coordinators and contact persons worldwide.
Programs
The 12 Step Outreach Program
of Contemplative Outreach
This program was established to offer Centering Prayer to people in all 12 Step fellowships as an 11th Step prayer/meditation practice. We help individuals and groups establish contemplative prayer practices through workshops, retreats and formation programs. The practice of Centering Prayer, and the spiritual, historical and psychological basis of it, are described and elaborated in several of Thomas Keating’s works, including Open Mind, Open Heart and Invitation to Love. The practice of Centering Prayer has parallels with other traditional practices, and is simple and easy to do. For those who live by the 12 Steps found in AA, Al-Anon, SCA, OA, DA, NA, GA, and other programs, a Centering Prayer practice can be a key support system in the process of recovery and transformation.
Centering Prayer can help deepen our application of the 12 Steps generally, and the 11th Step specifically, through daily immersion in prayer and meditation. We believe that, when applied as a daily supplement to the 12 Steps, Centering Prayer opens us to the deepest dimension of spirituality.
Meditation Chapel
Join in a Global Community of Prayer on Meditation Chapel. Pray in silence with practitioners from all over the world. Centering Prayer groups are practicing daily on this global video platform. It’s difficult to describe how profoundly connecting, expansive and intimate it is to see, hear and join in silent prayer with others from all over the world. You just have to try it.
Publications
Contemplative Outreach website
Contemplative Outreach Word of the Week
Contemplative Outreach e-Bulletin (monthly)
Contemplative Outreach The Voice (quarterly)
Contemplative Outreach Newsletter (bi-annual)
Centering Prayer Mobile App
The Centering Prayer mobile app, made available for free from Contemplative Outreach, supports your daily prayer practice commitment. The app includes an adjustable timer, as well as opening and closing prayer options that may be read before and after Centering Prayer. An assortment of sounds and backgrounds allow you to choose the type of environment for the prayer time. Brief instructions for learning Centering Prayer are also included.
Find it in the Apple Store
Find it in Google Play