Centering Prayer
with Therese Taylor-Stinson
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
5-6pm Ireland
12-1pm Eastern
9-10am Pacific
Our theme for February is Black History Month and the Fundamentals of Centering Prayer
Program Description
Centering Prayer is a method of Christian meditation that places a strong emphasis on interior silence or stillness. The modern movement in Christianity can be traced to three Trappist monks of St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, in the 1970s: Fr. William Meninger, Fr. M. Basil Pennington, and Abbot Thomas Keating. Keating writes, “The method consists in letting go of every kind of thought during prayer, even the most devout thoughts.”
In Centering Prayer, the participant seeks Divine presence and lets go of discursive thoughts and imagined scenes. Cynthia Bourgeault writes that the difference is like that between attention and intention with centering prayer focusing on our intention to be with the Beloved or Divine Presence.
The format of these sessions typically includes a reading to begin, often around justice issues. Past readings have included Martin Luther King, Jr., Harriet Tubman, Howard Thurman, and the Israel-Palestine conflict. Following these readings we move into silence together and have an opportunity to share at the end. You are welcome to join us whether you are brand new to centering prayer or have more experience. If you are new, however, we recommend reading this intro or watching this video before you join your first session with us.
We will turn on closed captioning during the live Zoom session (which you are able to turn off in your settings if you find distracting) as well as provide a video recording with closed captioning available and a text transcript of the session.
The program will be recorded for those who pre-register but are unable to attend at the scheduled time or who want to view again. You will be sent a notification when this is ready to view.
You have lifetime access to all online programs.
Your Guide for the Journey
Therese Taylor-Stinson
Therese Taylor-Stinson is a seasoned spiritual director, an award-winning author-editor, and an ordained deacon and ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA). As an organizer Therese won an award in 2018 as a Collaborative Bridge-Builder presented by Grace and Race, Inc., and an Indie Author Legacy Award for her edited work Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around: Stories of Contemplation and Justice. Her most recent book is Walking the Way of Harriet Tubman: Public Mystic and Freedom Fighter. She is the founder and organizer of the Racial Awareness Festival based in Washington DC, which recently closed with its sixth annual event and seventh organizing year. Therese also founded the Spiritual Directors of Color Network, Ltd., going into its 14th year and 8 years incorporated as a nonprofit. In addition to the above, she is a certified pastoral caregiver and an Emotional Emancipation Circle Facilitator. Therese is married to Bernard Stinson. They have a daughter and two granddaughters.
Terms and Conditions
Please consider your purchase carefully and review the many free materials we have on our website to make sure the program will be a good fit or get in touch with any questions.
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