Four Day Centering Prayer Retreat and Our 35th Anniversary Dinner Celebration
Celebrating 35 Years:
Our Amazing Journey of Contemplative Prayer, Life and Growth Retreat
Four Day Centering Prayer Retreat and Our 35th Anniversary Dinner Celebration
AUGUST 8th-11th
“We wait patiently; in silence, openness, and quiet expectancy; motionless within and without.
We surrender to the attraction to be still, to be loved, just to be.” Fr. Thomas Keating
This Centering Prayer Retreat is for those who wish to come together to celebrate our deepening relationship with the God of our understanding and to celebrate with those who have served to open the door to contemplative prayer and spirituality and all those who have been nourished along the way.
Long term practitioners and those new to the practice are welcome.
Throughout the weekend we will share daily Centering Prayer sessions and provide opportunities for silence interspersed with Pat’s reflections about the transformative movements of 40 years of Contemplative Outreach Ltd. and her observations of the growth, challenges, setbacks and joys of the contemplative prayer journey.
In addition, there will be offerings of yoga, a 12-Step meeting, private soul-friending sessions and time to explore the sacred spaces of the 72 acres of Mercy Retreat and Conference Center’s wooded campus.
GUEST PRESENTER: PATRICIA JOHNSON
Pat Johnson and her family first met Fr. Thomas Keating in 1982 when they moved to the Lama foundation. Inspired by Fr. Thomas and St. Benedict’s Monastery Pat, Bob and the children moved to Snowmass, CO in the fall of 1984. That began the Snowmass Retreats. From 1984 on Pat served retreats at the monastery and world-wide. Pat recalls:
Having access to Thomas Keating for so many years gave me a foundation that still has me in a state of awe and wonder. His humor, his brilliance, his humility, all have had a huge impact on my being. But…most of all, his humanness is what formed me.
We joyfully welcome Pat to her first visit to St Louis to celebrate COSTL’s 35th anniversary and to share her first-hand experiences of Fr. Thomas Keating.
The Details
Join us at: Mercy Retreat and Conference Center, 2039 N. Geyer Rd, St Louis, MO 63131 in west St. Louis County.
Retreat Arrival: Thursday, August 8, 2024, between 4:00 pm- 5:00 pm. Dinner 5:30 pm. Retreat Ends: Sunday, August 11, 2024 after 12:00 pm lunch
Celebration: Contemplative Service 4:00 pm Dinner and Festivities 5:30pm-8:00 pm
The campus is conveniently located off a major highway and within a 20 minute taxi or ride-share from Lambert St. Louis International Airport. Parking is free.