Prayer Group Facilitator Resource Page
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Welcome Prayer Group Facilitators!
This page provides Prayer Group Facilitators with content, links and resources that are aimed at helping you better serve your Prayer Group. As we become better organized, we also intend to offer you a place to post your questions which we'll research and respond to as soon as we're able. We also intend to provide Facilitator Training opportunities and other forms of outreach to the local prayer groups we support. We often get requests from folks in our area who are looking to join Prayer Groups so we encourage all groups to register at our Prayer Group page. Also please communicate your needs to us on our Contact page. |
Successful Prayer Groups become small Christian Contemplative communities devoted to Centering as a part of the deepening spiritual journey. A Prayer Group incorporating the methods and teachings of Contemplative Outreach minimally includes a 20 - 25 minute period of Centering Prayer. It is normal to also include a period of Lectio Divina following Centering Prayer. Certain groups find it helpful to incorporate a Contemplative video teaching followed by a brief period of contemplative dialogue or the group may include study and contemplative sharing of a book that supports the growth of their Centering Prayer practice. Some groups have also included other Contemplative practices such as Welcoming Prayer and Chanting as part of their meetings. Groups may also want to provide opportunities to provide guidance and support to their members who are having questions about their practice.
It's often helpful for groups who have frequent guest and new members, that they establish a time for newcomers orientation outside of normal group meeting times that permits facilitators to provide an introduction to the method of Centering Prayer or any other practices your group follows as well as to the flow of the evening.
It is a good practice to have groups that are co-facilitated or if if there is a backup facilitator and that groups establish a standard meeting time and place. Group facilitators should be faithful practitioners of all the practices used by the group and should be committed to their own Contemplative Spiritual growth and enrichment. It is helpful if group facilitators occasionally visit other prayer groups to see how they function and to get ideas for their own group. It is also helpful for facilitators to attend Events, Retreats and obtain Training as a formal way of Contemplative Enrichment. There are numerous Contemplative Events in the local area.
Groups with change and grow over time to meet the needs of those attending. They tend to remain faithful for a long period of time if their meetings don't involve extensive sharing and if they avoid problem solving sessions, doctrinal discussions , theology seminars or bible study. Participants need to feel received into a welcoming, non-judgmental , supportive and prayerful environment. From this imitation of the monastic charism, we all emerge enriched and inspired.
The following topics taken from the Contemplative Outreach of St Louis Faciltator's Corner web page may be particularly helpful:
The following are other helpful links taken from Contemplative Outreach of Minnesota:
Several people have found Fr Carl Arico's Q&A Series of Articles on the Contemplative Outreach site helpful as well as the brief document entitled Guidelines for Forming a Centering Prayer Group.
We'd also like to highlight the following sections from the 2013 Contemplative Outreach Facilitator’s Handbook:
Guidelines for sharing in Centering Prayer groups:
These guidelines are important to the community as they come together to share.
It is helpful to print copies of the agreement for each member and to have on hand some copies to give to new members.
The guidelines are suitable for personal sharing about the effects of Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina reflections, as well as discussions of the “Spiritual Journey Series” and books by Thomas Keating.
The Group Covenant:
As a member of this community:
I listen to others from my heart.
Within each person is a core of goodness, of strength, and of love.
I put aside superficial feelings for other persons and their opinions.
I try to understand the heart of what others are sharing.
I listen to others with a non-judgmental attitude.
I try to hear the other’s perception of reality. I may not agree with it,
but I can affirm that person’s right to a different point of view.
I listen to others with love.
With the grace of God, people have within themselves all they need to discover truth and life.
My loving concern can assist that discovery for both of us.
I listen to others with respect for their freedom.
This group does not exist to give advice, but to encourage growth and insight.
We do not have to be of one voice or of one mind.
I listen to others with shared trust.
A basic level of trust encourages conversation to extend beyond the superficial
knowing that personal thoughts will be kept confidential.
I speak from my own unique experience.
I will use the pronoun “I” when I share my point of view.
I will learn to trust that what I have experienced is important and worth sharing with the group.
Together we seek understanding, not agreement.
We will help one another use and act on what we have come to understand.
No one can act for anyone else. But we can see creative possibilities because we have shared.
It's often helpful for groups who have frequent guest and new members, that they establish a time for newcomers orientation outside of normal group meeting times that permits facilitators to provide an introduction to the method of Centering Prayer or any other practices your group follows as well as to the flow of the evening.
It is a good practice to have groups that are co-facilitated or if if there is a backup facilitator and that groups establish a standard meeting time and place. Group facilitators should be faithful practitioners of all the practices used by the group and should be committed to their own Contemplative Spiritual growth and enrichment. It is helpful if group facilitators occasionally visit other prayer groups to see how they function and to get ideas for their own group. It is also helpful for facilitators to attend Events, Retreats and obtain Training as a formal way of Contemplative Enrichment. There are numerous Contemplative Events in the local area.
Groups with change and grow over time to meet the needs of those attending. They tend to remain faithful for a long period of time if their meetings don't involve extensive sharing and if they avoid problem solving sessions, doctrinal discussions , theology seminars or bible study. Participants need to feel received into a welcoming, non-judgmental , supportive and prayerful environment. From this imitation of the monastic charism, we all emerge enriched and inspired.
The following topics taken from the Contemplative Outreach of St Louis Faciltator's Corner web page may be particularly helpful:
- The purpose of prayer groups
- Respecting Individuals
- The Facilitator’s Practice
- Is your group open or closed?
- Selecting material for discussion
- Facilitating dialogue
The following are other helpful links taken from Contemplative Outreach of Minnesota:
- 82 Centering Prayer Sessions This compilation of 82 centering prayer sessions provides facilitators with ready-to-use formats for leading their groups in prayer. Compiled by the Rev. Dr. Shawn Kafader, it includes useful suggestions and a personal introduction to the practice. To download, click here.
- Contemplative Outreach Newsletters In this Fall 1992 Contemplative Outreach Newsletter, Father Thomas Keating responds to the specific allegation from the time suggesting that Centering Prayer was a "New Age aberration." It is followed by a helpful article on the "Role of the Facilitator."
- In this Spring 1993 Contemplative Outreach Newsletter, Keating's opening article further clarifies Cardinal Ratzinger's "Letter to the Bishops ... [on] Christian Meditation," separating Centering Prayer from Eastern meditation practices, and situating it within the context of the monastic tradition of Lectio Divina.
- For an archive of Contemplative Outreach Newsletters from 1986 to Present, click here.
Several people have found Fr Carl Arico's Q&A Series of Articles on the Contemplative Outreach site helpful as well as the brief document entitled Guidelines for Forming a Centering Prayer Group.
We'd also like to highlight the following sections from the 2013 Contemplative Outreach Facilitator’s Handbook:
Guidelines for sharing in Centering Prayer groups:
These guidelines are important to the community as they come together to share.
- We accept one another as we are.
- We do not give advice.
- We do not criticize what others share.
- We listen attentively and without interruption when someone else is speaking.
- We keep the sharing in the group absolutely confidential.
- We share experiences from our own lives, not abstract ideas.
- We gather to care, not to cure or remove the crisis or pain. God does the healing.
- We decide among ourselves how much time we will devote to sharing, making sure that each person who wants to share will have a chance to speak.
- We are always free to remain silent if we wish.
It is helpful to print copies of the agreement for each member and to have on hand some copies to give to new members.
The guidelines are suitable for personal sharing about the effects of Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina reflections, as well as discussions of the “Spiritual Journey Series” and books by Thomas Keating.
The Group Covenant:
As a member of this community:
I listen to others from my heart.
Within each person is a core of goodness, of strength, and of love.
I put aside superficial feelings for other persons and their opinions.
I try to understand the heart of what others are sharing.
I listen to others with a non-judgmental attitude.
I try to hear the other’s perception of reality. I may not agree with it,
but I can affirm that person’s right to a different point of view.
I listen to others with love.
With the grace of God, people have within themselves all they need to discover truth and life.
My loving concern can assist that discovery for both of us.
I listen to others with respect for their freedom.
This group does not exist to give advice, but to encourage growth and insight.
We do not have to be of one voice or of one mind.
I listen to others with shared trust.
A basic level of trust encourages conversation to extend beyond the superficial
knowing that personal thoughts will be kept confidential.
I speak from my own unique experience.
I will use the pronoun “I” when I share my point of view.
I will learn to trust that what I have experienced is important and worth sharing with the group.
Together we seek understanding, not agreement.
We will help one another use and act on what we have come to understand.
No one can act for anyone else. But we can see creative possibilities because we have shared.
The following are useful links that provide resources and further helpful information:
