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Bios for CO MO Living Flame Presenters    2024 – 25

Matt Flatley

Fr. Matthew Flatley is a Roman Catholic priest serving in the Diocese of Jefferson City, MO. He is a 1979 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. He cooked for many years, enjoying a wonderful career as a Chef, until he bumped into some Monks in Colorado, an encounter, which changed his life.  Prior to entering the Seminary to study for the priesthood, Fr. Matt lived for five years at two different Trappist Monasteries in Colorado and Missouri. Today he considers himself a contemplative cook.  For over thirty years, he has engaged the daily discipline of Centering Prayer, and in particular in his case, as an 11th step practice.   Since 1994 he has taught Centering Prayer and led many retreats and workshops. He is excited to share his passion for contemplative prayer with all who are interested.

Mike Potter                                                                                                   

Mike Potter has been involved with Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. for the past twenty years, is a commissioned presenter of both Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina workshops, and has led many workshops and retreats featuring these contemplative spiritual practices. He has served on the Lectio Divina Service Team since 2006.

Responding to God’s call to ministry, in July 2013 Mike retired after thirty-five years as a tax lawyer to pursue full time studies at Memphis Theological Seminary. After graduation, he was ordained as Elder in the United Methodist Church and is currently serving as a hospice chaplain with Methodist Alliance Healthcare. Mike is a member of Trinity United Methodist Church in midtown Memphis, where he serves as Spiritual Formation Coordinator.

Cherry Haisten                                                         

Cherry Haisten is a longtime presenter of workshops on Centering Prayer and Welcoming Prayer, which she has regularly practiced for three decades. She has led workshops and retreats in many places around the U.S. and in British Columbia. With her colleagues on the Welcoming Prayer Service Team, she worked to revise the 2016 Welcoming Prayer Contemplative Life Program booklet and to write materials for the Spirituality and Practice online Welcoming Prayer courses. A leader in Contemplative Outreach Northwest since 1996, she remains involved with the local chapter though now from a backseat. A former writing instructor with a B.A. from Emory University and an M.A. from the University of Georgia, both in English, she received a Master of Arts in Transforming Spirituality in 2005 from Seattle University School of Theology and Ministry, where she was inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit honor society. For fifteen years, she was program director of The Center at St. Andrew’s, a healing and lifelong learning ministry of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Seattle, where she also served as a Eucharistic minister, healing minister, licensed lay preacher, and for two years, as lay pastor, had the privilege of coordinating and presiding at the Sunday evening Taizé service. Her retirement from these duties coincided with the beginning of the Covid pandemic and launched her into the unknown of a big lifetime transition and more adventures traveling on life’s journey, both geographically and spiritually.

Mary Dwyer                                                                    

Mary Dwyer is a long-time student of Fr. Thomas Keating and has been practicing Centering Prayer since the 1980s.  In the early 1990’s, she lived at Chrysalis House, a contemplative live-in community experiment blessed by Fr. Thomas.  Her housemates included Mary Mrozowski, David Frenette and Cathy McCarthy.  The community lived according to a rule of life, and became an incubator of practice and programs in the early years of Contemplative Outreach’s growth.  It was her experience at Chyrsalis House – what she refers to as her “inpatient” or “residential treatment time” – that proved to her that a life of prayer, consent and practice is real, stable and deeply rewarding.  Mary Mrozowski taught her that a devoted life of prayer was the real work of life; what we did the rest of the time was just how we made a living.

Mary received her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University in economics and spent some time as a banker and college administrator.  After a few years at Chrysalis House, she went back to school and became a licensed clinical social worker and practiced this vocation for the next 15 years, all while maintaining her commitment to the contemplative life and to the mission of Contemplative Outreach. In 2008 she met her beloved Juan through the Living Flame program.  She moved to Miami, FL in 2009 and they married.  Juan recently retired and they moved back to Erie, PA in July, 2018.

Mary is currently is in private practice as an LCSW in the Erie area.  She also is serving as a member of the Gift Committee and the Welcoming Prayer Service Team of Contemplative Outreach.  She previously has served as Chairperson of the Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. Governing Board; member of the Contemplative Outreach Faculty; and Coordinator for the Living Flame program and Coordinator of the Miami Chapter. Mary now devotes her time between private practice and giving retreats and workshops on behalf of Contemplative Outreach throughout the US and internationally.

Adal Henriquez

Adal Henriquez began a Centering Prayer practice in 1988 and became a Contemplative Outreach Centering Prayer group facilitator the following year. He now co-facilitates the group that has been meeting for over 30 years.

Adal was a member of the first Contemplative Outreach faculty. He co-founded Extension Contemplativa International – the Spanish and Portuguese branch of CO.  He was a past member of CO’s Governing Board, on two separate terms. He is a commissioned presenter for CO workshops and a retreat leader for twenty years. He is a current presenter for CO’s Living Flame Program.

Adal Henriquez lives in Florida and is married to Margarita for 45 years. He has 3 children and 3 grandchildren. He is a retired physician still working part time as a volunteer at the Space Coast Volunteers in Medicine in Viera, Fl.

Fionnuala Quinn O.P.                                                                                             

Fionnuala Quinn is a Dominican Sister of Cabra, Dublin. Ireland. While living in New Orleans, Louisiana with her community, she met Basil Pennington, ocso and Thomas Keating, ocso. And so began her journey into Centering Prayer in 1988. In 1995 Fionnuala trained as a Presenter of Centering Prayer with Gail Fitzpatrick Hopler and Susan Komis.

In 1996 Fionnuala opened Contemplative Outreach of New Orleans. In 2006 she opened Contemplative Outreach of Dublin. In 2014 – 2018 Fionnuala served as International Coordinator for Contemplative Outreach. During these four years, she traveled to England, Poland, and Trinidad training new presenters.

Since lockdown in March 2020, Fionnuala has continued using Zoom to hold Centering Prayer meetings, to train presenters and to offer retreats. In 2021 Fionnuala became a commissioned presenter of Lectio Divina. Today, she is back on the road, and hosts about three retreats a year in Ireland.

Jenny Adamson

Jenny Adamson has practiced Centering Prayer since 2000 and served as a prayer group facilitator and chapter coordinator in Iowa. She served on the Presenter Formation Service team for 4 years, and on the Governing Board for 6 years. She has served retreats in the Midwest, at Snowmass, in Ireland and in Iceland. She has been part of the 12-Step Outreach Service team from its early days in 2005. She is currently a member of the Planning team for the 2024 40th Anniversary Conference and an ad hoc member of the Introduction to Centering Prayer team.  In 2012 after retirement, Jenny and her husband, John, moved to Carbondale, CO near Snowmass, to be close to Thomas Keating and the other monks. They still enjoy the friendship of the few remaining monks at Snowmass.

Outreach.  She previously has served as Chairperson of the Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. Governing Board; member of the Contemplative Outreach Faculty; and Coordinator for the Living Flame program and Coordinator of the Miami Chapter. Mary now devotes her time between private practice and giving retreats and workshops on behalf of Contemplative Outreach throughout the US and internationally.