Introduction to Centering Prayer Offered at St. Mary's Church

Introduction to Centering Prayer Offered at St. Mary's Church

Centering Prayer is the life's work of Thomas Keating, an eighty something year old Christian monk who lives in Snowmass, Colorado. Centering Prayer is a quiet type of prayer which Keating says is a prayer of consent, consent to the presence and action God within us and in our daily lives.

An Introduction to Centering Prayer program will be offered on Saturday March 21 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at St. Mary's Church in Cape Girardeau. The program will be taught by Matthew Flatley, who is a commissioned teacher of Contemplative Outreach which is the international organization that Thomas Keating started to teach Centering Prayer.

The Introductory program will teach the simple method of Centering Prayer, which will help you to be more aware of the God who lives within. Centering Prayer helps us to become more peaceful and still. It helps us to enter more fully into a loving relationship with God. Through Centering Prayer we may discover the meaning of Psalm 46 which says, "Be still and know that I am God."

A Centering Prayer support group has been meeting in Cape Girardeau for over 5 years at Christ Episcopal on Monday evenings. The group is open to anyone who wants to do Centering Prayer and is composed of people from various churches. It's called a support group because it supports people who want to practice Centering Prayer on a regular basis.

Thomas Keating recommends Centering Prayer be done twice a day for 20 minutes each time. In our world this can be tall order, but folks who do it say that their lives are better after having found the practice of Centering Prayer. It is also suggested that if you can't pray for two twenty minute sessions a day, then pray when you are able.

My life is certainly better since I have been doing Centering Prayer regularly. If you ask me how my life is better because of Centering Prayer, I would say that I am more calm and peaceful. I would say that I am more accepting when life does not go the way I intended. Centering Prayer has helped me to put things into perspective. It has helped me to deal with and even to solve problems. Centering Prayer seems to help me to be more intuitive and to trust that intuition. By far, the most important effect of Centering Prayer is that I am more conscious of God in my daily life.

In our world we certainly need more silence, more times of recollection, times when we are not pulled in different directions. There have been plenty of studies done which have demonstrated the positive effects of regular times of silence in our lives.

The public is invited to the Introduction to Centering Prayer program which will be conducted at St. Mary's Church in Cape Girardeau on Saturday March 21 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. If you would like more information please contact Steve at 573-382-2693 or SteveEssner@gmail.com, or visit www.contemplativeoutreach.org or see our Facebook page: Contemplative Prayer Cape Girardeau.

Steve M. Essner

Contemplative Outreach Contact Person for Southeast MO

573-382-2693

SteveEssner@gmail.com

The Cathedral of St. Mary of the Annunciation and

Contemplative Outreach of Central Missouri Present

An Introduction to Centering Prayer

By Fr. Matthew Flatley

Contemplative Outreach Commissioned Teacher

Do you seek the still, small voice within?

This Introductory program will help you to find the God within, and to hear with the ear of your heart. Participants will learn about prayer as relationship, the simple method of Centering Prayer, how to deal with thoughts, and how the fruits of prayer are manifested in your daily life. You'll also experience several sessions of Centering Prayer. Centering Prayer can help us become more peaceful and still, as we seek a deeper relationship with the living God. Join us as we discover the meaning of Psalm 46:

"Be still, and know that I am God."

Saturday, March 21, 2015 9:00 am to 1:00 pm

(Registration begins at 8:30 am)

St. Mary Cathedral School Cafeteria

615 William Street

Cape Girardeau, MO 63703

Coffee, Tea, Juice, and Snacks will be provided.

Follow-up sessions (optional): To Be Announced

The suggested donation is $10.00. Registration is kindly requested.

To register or to get more information please contact Steve: 573-382-2693 or SteveEssner@gmail.com

www.ContemplativeOutreach.org Facebook:Contemplative Prayer Cape Girardeau