Introduction to Centering Prayer Workshop
Saturday Morning April 22
8:30am – 12:00pm
In person at The Assisi Institute and on Zoom
Donations to benefit Contemplative Outreach and The Assisi Institute will be gratefully accepted.
The Assisi Institute is pleased to welcome Bob and Kathleen Gorman from the Columbus chapter of Contemplative Outreach, which is based on the concept of centering prayer as taught by Father Thomas Keating. Their program will provide the basics of a centuries-old method of silent prayer to receive the gift of contemplation, much like our own tradition of Kriya Yoga. The morning will center on four main topics and two opportunities to practice. At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will be encouraged to find a contemplative prayer group or an online meditation chapel.
Bob is active with two unaffiliated lay movements, Contemplative Outreach founded by Thomas Keating and the Center for Action and Contemplation founded by Richard Rohr. For Contemplative Outreach, he is a commissioned presenter of centering prayer, serves on a leadership team for 9-day silent retreats, and is part of the coordinating team for the Contemplative Outreach of Columbus Chapter. For the Center of Action and Contemplation, he helps facilitate online courses and has served on the finance committee. He defiantly remains a lifelong practicing Catholic and has picked up along the way such experiences as earning a master’s degree in theology from Notre Dame, maintaining friendships with other kindred spirits, teaching religion in Catholic high schools, making a solemn lifetime commitment to a contemplative community, living in India for two years, volunteering inside a prison and integrating his contemplative spirituality into his life within the furnace of a career and family that includes his long suffering wife, Kathleen, 4 kids, 2 grandkids, and 2 dogs while getting fired or right sized 3 times and working successfully at a soul-sucking job for 30 years as a Big 4 tax accountant. He is now enjoying the spiritual years of retirement as he volunteers full time.
In-person registration on the day of the workshop will be at 8:20am. The program will start at 8:30am and end by noon.
To register, please email Purnima by Friday, April 21 at 10am at info@assisi-institute.org. Please specify if you would like to attend in person or on Zoom. You may make donations below.
SCHEDULE:
8:20 Log into Zoom
8:30 Welcome and Introduction to Contemplative Outreach
8:50 Conference One: Prayer is Relationship
9:15 Conference Two: Prayer of Consent
9:40 Break
9:50 Pray
10:20 Conference Three: Thoughts and the Use of the Sacred Word
10:45 Break
10:55 Pray
11:25 Conference Four: Deepening Our Relationship with God
