GROUPS & RETREATS

 While Centering Prayer is done privately most of the time, a weekly sharing of the experience in a small group (up to fifteen) has proven to be very supportive for those who are drawn to this format.  The weekly meeting also serves as a means of continuing education and of accountability.  Just knowing that one’s group is meeting together each week is an enormous encouragement to keep going, or an invitation to return to, the practice of centering prayer if circumstances such as illness, business, family problems, or urgent duties have prevented one from carrying out one’s commitment to daily practice for a time.

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By sharing the experience of centering prayer with others, one’s own discernment of the ups and downs of the practice is sharpened.  The group serves as a source of encouragement and can normally solve problems that might arise regarding the method.  The collective discernment of the group tends to be well balanced. (Adapted from Open Mind, Open Heart, 20th Anniversary Edition, p. 173) .