Letter from Jim McElroy
Dear Friends,
Thomas Keating told us that the Centering Prayer movement would grow after he made his transition. Attending the 40th Anniversary Celebration in Atlanta made me reflect on those words. There were many great presentations throughout the conference and these will be available on the Contemplative Outreach YouTube Channel. The talks included Fr. Bill Sheehan telling the story of how he ended up at the first Llama retreat in New Mexico, where Father Thomas Keating gave his original teachings on Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina. Netanel Miles-Yepez D.D. who is Chair of Religious Studies and Director of the Keating Schachter Center for Interspirituality at Naropa University, spoke about the two pillars of Thomas Keating’s work, Centering Prayer and Inter-spiritual dialogue. Many other interesting workshops and talks were given by groups such as the Young Contemplatives, New Monastics, Prison Ministry, Extension Contemplative Internacional, and two 12-Step Speakers. Director Dr. Bo Adams, Brandon Wason, Dr. Brett Opalinski from the Pitts Theology Library and Candler School of Theology at Emory University spoke about the curation, research, and legacy of the Keating and Contemplative Outreach documents that are now housed there. Contemplation and Theological Education is growing. Brett said that Contemplative Outreach is helping contemplative wisdom and contemplative practice to become more visible in the world. These were all sectors that Thomas supported and gave of himself during the last 10 years of his life.
The Board and Staff of CO Ltd facilitated talks and a discussion of the new Council of Servant Leadership that will become operational in the first quarter of 2025. The change was based on Thomas’ desire to rely on the Holy Spirit expressed in servant leadership and transitions COL from being a hierarchical based leadership model to a collaborative and consensus model. The makeup of the council will be “Connectors” or representatives, discerned in each of the 11 Teams that represent various areas of service and volunteers that make up the organism. Here is the link for the CO LTD 40th Anniversary Celebration Conference Videos https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBE6fmRmYU8iWCFqm8buhHbXYv8Suym8J&si=WwTxwbdPATNCAmYt “40 Years of Celebrating Consent”
Since its inception in 2005, 12 Step Outreach has become an integral part of Contemplative Outreach. Our mission is to teach Centering Prayer as an 11th Step practice for people in 12 Step recovery programs and offer a diverse selection of workshops and retreat information. The 12 Step Outreach Website, cp12stepoutreach.org, is a wonderful resource for people looking for 11th Step Meetings for group meditation, as well as 12 Step Centering Prayer groups for those looking to study meditation related topics with other people in recovery. We offer formation to those interested in becoming 12 Step Introductory Workshop presenters and if you are interested, please contact us on the website.
I’m especially grateful for all the programs being sponsored by Contemplative Outreach of St. Louis. Among those was the new EnLIGHTenment Series created by Susan Komis and Susie Brent. Their team did a fantastic job preparing and delivering enriching monthly gatherings with the help of the Holy Spirit. There was a speaker for each of the daylight savings months who offered fascinating topics related to spiritual growth and meditation. It seemed that each presentation built on the previous ones. It was a great opportunity to hear experienced presenters speak on fascinating and well researched subjects, and also gave newer presenters an opportunity to develop their skills. The St. Louis Chapter Coordinator, Susie Brent, and her team, have brought new life to the St. Louis Chapter with its offering and loving support to so many in this region. Thank you, Susie and your Team!