Centering Prayer, Tuesdays at 4 pm

Centering Prayer is based on the wisdom saying of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: “…But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you” Matthew 6:6.

Centering Prayer at St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley meets weekly in the Chapel at 4 pm for an hour every Tuesday. We begin with twenty minutes of silent prayer followed by a contemplative discussion on the writings of Fr. Thomas Keating, Fr. Richard Rohr, and the Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault. These three use the ancient writings of Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross and Therese of Lisieux, who wrote of the “prayer of quiet,” and “prayer of the heart,” along with the anonymous 14th century author of The Cloud of Unknowing. 

This prayer was distilled into a simple method of prayer in the 1970’s by three Trappist monks, Fr. William Meninger, Fr. Basil Pennington and Abbot Thomas Keating at St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, they called it Centering Prayer.

Absolutely anyone is welcome to join in to Centering Prayer at St. Mark's. Whether it is called "Centering Prayer," "meditation," "contemplative prayer," "mindfulness practice," or something else, this awakening and time of intentional awareness is key to personal spiritual growth and, by extension, the deepening of faith communities like St. Mark's.

For more information contact Freda Iverson f.iverson@me.com

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Online Resources for Centering Prayer

You can find resources including a video introduction to Centering Prayer on the Contemplative Outreach website: 
 www.contemplativeoutreach.org/

Also, the free Contemplative Outreach app for Centering Prayer is now available for iPhones and iPads (iOS 7+) and Android phones.  There is also a Spanish-language version available for iPhones and iPads. You can find the app in the the iTunes App Store or the Google Play Store for Android; search for Centering Prayer, select the one by Contemplative Outreach.