F E B R U A R Y ' 0 8

7-9 Xavier High School Senior Directed Retreat

10-15 Contemplative Outreach Retreat

15-17 Healing on Hudson 12-step Retreat

17 St. Francis of Assisi Church Catechist Retreat

20 Local Ministerium Lenten Service

22-24 Contemplative Outreach 9-month Program

22-24 Franciscan Friars of the Renewal

M A R C H ' 0 8

2 St. Francis Prayer Group

13-15 Xavier High School Senior Retreat

28-30 PA Men’s 12-step Group

A P R I L ' 0 8

4-6 Contemplative Outreach 9-month Program

11 Catholic School Principals Retreat Day

25-27 Contemplative Outreach 9-month Program

M A Y ' 0 8

2-4 Roberts Recovery Group/St. David’s Church Women’s Group

23-25 Contemplative Outreach 9-month Program

30-June 1 Pro-Sanctity Movement Retreat

31-June 1 Youth Ministry Certification,
Archdiocese of NY

J U N E ' 0 8

25-July 2 Contemplative Outreach of Orange County Retreat

A U G U S T ' 0 8

15-24 Resources for Ecumenical Spirituality Retreat

Hosted Programs

The Mission of Contemplative Outreach of Orange County is to teach the method of Centering Prayer and to offer practices that bring its fruits into daily life. Contemplative Outreach identifies with the Christian contemplative heritage from which Centering Prayer is drawn. The organization recognizes this heritage to be a common ground of unity. Mature fruits of Centering Prayer are a deeper caring response to the needs and rights of the human family and a deeper respect for the integrity of all creation.

Contemplative Outreach is sponsoring a Six-Day Intensive/Post-Intensive Centering Prayer Retreat, February 10-15, and a Formation for Contemplative Outreach Service Retreat, June 25-July 2. For information, please visit their website, www.centeringprayernys.org

Resources for Ecumenical Spirituality, a non-profit organization located in MN and established to foster mutual understanding among religious faiths through shared spiritual practice and dialogue, is sponsoring its first retreat at Bethany.
For information, please visit their website, www.resecum.org

August 15-16 (Metta) and August 15-24 (Silence and Awareness)
Fr Kevin Culligan OCD • Mary Jo Meadow OCDS

The S & A Retreat Develops
• Knowledge of the teachings of Christian Mystics, especially St. John of the Cross
• Skill in Insight (Vipassana) Meditation Practice
• The ability to manage intense experience
• Enhanced skills for Daily Living

Vipassana enables participants to empty themselves of roles, voluntary experiences, and other “trappings” of ordinary daily life to be available to God. It helps meditators to be receptive to the purification and self-knowledge that mystics taught as necessary for spiritual growth, and eventually enables practitioners to “see” God.

No previous meditation experience is needed to attend. Practitioners of many traditions find this practice helpful to deepen self-knowledge and spiritual growth.

The retreat is preceded by an optional day of Loving-Kindness (Metta) Practice.

Each day offers: two meditation instruction sessions, Eucharist, group sitting meditation, walking practice, an integrative conference, communal Reconciliation, and question and answer sessions.

Individual interviews with retreat staff are available daily to clarify meditation instructions or to offer consultation, reconciliation, and guidance. Retreatants do not interact during the retreat so that deep stillness and awareness may be fostered.