Centering Prayer
The Church of St. Ignatius Loyola hosts a Centering Prayer group that offers an opportunity to learn and practice this form of prayer. This group meets weekly on Mondays and Thursdays at 6:30 PM in the Parish House. Beginners as well as advanced practitioners are welcome, but we ask that beginners come about 20 minutes ahead to receive some background and introduction of the method.
Guidelines for Centering Prayer
- Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within.
- Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word as a symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within.
- When you become aware of thoughts return ever so gently to the sacred word.
- At the end of the 20 minute prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.
For further information about Centering Prayer, please feel free to go Contemplative Outreach, Inc.’s website at http://www.centeringprayer.com/. For more information about Centering Prayer at St. Ignatius, please feel free to call Tracy Andrés at 212.716.6148 (w) or Tissa David at 212.288.4165 (h).
Related Links
Contemplative Outreach:
http://www.contemplativeoutreach.org
- Weekly articles by Fr. Thomas Keating, OSCO
- Information about local events
- Locatons of Centering Prayer Programs
- Information about Centering Prayer Resources
Contemplative Outreach of New York City:
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~centeringnyc/