Contemplative Outreach

Matt. 6 30

Now if that is how God clothes the grass in the field ... will he not much more look after you? Matt. 6 30

Contemplative Outreach in the East and Southeast of England is affiliated to the worldwide organisation Contemplative Outreach which was founded in the USA by the Cistercian monk Father Thomas Keating. We are a global community committed to living the contemplative dimension of the Gospel in everyday life.

Contemplative Outreach is dedicated to transmitting the living tradition of the Christian contemplative heritage through the teachings of Thomas Keating and his disciples. While we encourage every practice leading to contemplative prayer, our principal purpose is to share the method and conceptual background of Centering Prayer. We are an evolving community with an expanding vision and deepening practice, serving the changing needs of Christian contemplatives whatever their background. We offer programs that deepen and enrich contemplative practice through retreats, conferences, audio, video and online courses, teleconferences and a mobile app.

After 30 years of activity we have 120 active chapters and volunteers in 53 countries. Each year we introduce over 15,000 people to Centering Prayer and associated practices through locally hosted workshops.

We seek to listen to and address the cries of our common suffering and divided world.
We seek to listen to the promptings of the Spirit and to respond accordingly.
Most importantly, we seek relationship with Ultimate Reality through listening to God's first language: Silence.