Centering Prayer

WHAT IS CENTERING PRAYER? Centering Prayer is a method of prayer where we pay attention to God dwelling in the center of our being. The root of the prayer is interior silence. It is like two friends sitting in silence, just being in each other's presence.

WHO PRACTICES THIS PRAYER FORM? Many people, who are striving to live a more interior life with God, practice centering prayer.

At St. Basil the Great, a group of people who regularly practice this form of silent, contemplative prayer, gather together to pray together, to support one another, and to learn ways of enriching their prayer lives.

These gatherings occur approximately once a month,
from 9:30 am to 11:00 am in the Convent meeting room. Click here to see the current list of dates.

New participants are always welcome.

IS CENTERING THE ONLY WAY THESE PEOPLE PRAY? Those who practice Centering Prayer are usually individuals who pray both publicly and privately in many ways, including vocal prayer, meditation and other ways that support the spiritual life, including an ancient way of praying with the Scriptures called "Lectio Divina". Please read further to see that type of prayer described.

WHERE DID CENTERING PRAYER COME FROM? Centering Prayer is drawn from ancient prayer practices of the Christian contemplative heritage, notably the Fathers and Mothers of the Desert, the monastic practice of Lectio Divina (praying the scriptures), the Cloud of Unknowing (an anonymously written book describing this prayer), St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila. It was distilled into a simple method of prayer in the 1970s by three Trappist monks: Fr. William Meninger, Fr. Basil Pennington, and Abbot Thomas Keating at St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, MA.

PLEASE DESCRIBE CENTERING PRAYER IN A SIMPLE WAY
Fr. Basil Pennington's abbreviated lesson on how to practice centering prayer follows:

1. Sit relaxed and quiet. (It is suggested that the back be straight and feet flat on the floor)
2. Be in faith and love to God, who dwells in the center of your being.
3. Take up a "love word"* and let it be gently present, supporting your being to God in faith-filled love.
4. Whenever you become aware of anything else, simply, gently return to the Lord, with the use of your prayer word.
5. At the end of 20 minutes, let the Our Father pray itself within you.

HOW CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT CENTERING? The book titles listed below would be a good beginning. They can be purchased at any Catholic bookstore or through via the Internet. Or, you can connect with www.centeringprayer.com This will put you in touch with a world-wide organization called Contemplative Outreach, Ltd., an international group that publishes a semi-annual newsletter to provide networking for those desiring to live the contemplative dimension of the gospel.

SUGGESTED RESOURCES - Any works by Pennington or Keating including the following:

The Way Back Home: An Introduction to Centering by M. Basil Pennington
Centering Prayer by M. Basil Pennington
Open Heart, Open Mind by Thomas Keating
Finding Grace at the Center by Keating, Pennington and Clark
Call to the Center by Pennington
The Cloud of Unknowing Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. www.contemplativeoutreach.org

Be sure to check the bulletin for any changes, or you can look for yourself at the current month of the Master Calendar; or simply call the parish office at 440-526-1686 and ask them to check.