Opening Minds, Opening Hearts

On this episode, we welcome Mary Dwyer who has been practicing Centering Prayer for over 30 years. In the early 1990’s she lived in Chrysalis House, a contemplative community experiment blessed by Father Thomas, which became an incubator of practice and programs in the early years of growth for Contemplative Outreach and Centering Prayer. She attended Georgetown University and majored in economics...

In today’s episode, we welcome Father Justin Lanier, a Priest in the Episcopal Church. He was born in Louisiana and grew up in Delaware where he went to Methodist, Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches. Early in his formation, Father Justin entered the St. Benedict’s Trappist monastery community in Snowmass under Abbot Joseph Boyle where Father Thomas Keating was resident. Fr. Justin was under the...

Welcome back to season two of Opening Minds, Opening Hearts. We are your hosts, Colleen Thomas and Mark Dannenfelser and our hope this season is to open the door for you to explore more deeply this powerful practice of Centering Prayer. Each week we will talk with a guest from the contemplative community and unpack Father Thomas Keating’s principle: “Contemplative Outreach is an evolving community...

Welcome back to season two of Opening Minds, Opening Hearts. Co-host Mark Dannenfelser and Colleen Thomas framed their conversation around one of Thomas Keating's guiding principles: “Contemplative Outreach is an evolving community with an expanding vision and deepening practice of Centering Prayer that serves the changing needs of Christian contemplatives.” Throughout the season, Mark and Colleen...

Today, on this final episode of the first season of Opening Minds, Opening Hearts, our guest is Mark Kutolowski. He is an oblate of Saint Benedict and a Centering Prayer instructor committed to supporting the revitalization of Christian contemplation. Mark and his wife are the co-directors of Metanoia of Vermont, a lay contemplative homestead and ministry that seeks to nurture the way of Christ th...

On Today’s episode of Opening Minds, Opening Hearts, we welcome internationally acclaimed speaker, author, poet and translator of spiritual texts, Carmen Acevedo Butcher. Today she shares her thoughts on Centering Prayer practice, self-compassion, community with others, and how trauma can be turned into connection through meditation and contemplation. To connect further with Carmen Acevedo Butcher...

On this episode of Opening Minds, Opening Hearts, Pastor Tia Norman, shares her perspective on incorporating gentleness during the practice of Centering Prayer, the relationship flow between prayer and the divine, and her thoughts on being a woman of color in the contemplative community. Tia is a teacher and guide specializing in the spirituality and practices anchored in the mystical teachings of...

On this episode of Opening Minds, Opening Hearts, we are excited to welcome a friend of Contemplative Outreach, Father Adam Bucko. He shares how Father Thomas Keating helped shape his work and inspired him to write his new book Let Your Heartbreak be Your Guide: Lessons in Engaged Contemplation. We discuss how trauma can change how one practices Centering Prayer and the discernment that comes with...

On this episode of Opening Minds, Opening Hearts, we are excited to welcome a friend of Contemplative Outreach, Dr. Lerita Coleman Brown. She walks us through how we can center down during our contemplative time so that we can focus on the silent space where we can hear from God instead of the chatter that pulls us away from stillness. She also encourages us to have an accurate self portrayal of o...

On this very first episode of Opening Minds, Opening Hearts, we speak with author and spiritual leader, Carl Mcloman. Carl walks us through a deeper understanding of the relationships and distinctions between mystical traditions, Christian meditation, contemplation and Centering Prayer. He also helps us accept our humanness while building a healthy daily practice using silence, sacred words and th...

Are you seeking to deepen your interior life through the practice of Centering Prayer? Do you have a desire to develop a closer connection to the divine as well as those around you? Opening Minds, Opening Hearts is a podcast for both the curious meditator and long-time practitioner of Centering Prayer. On each episode, hosts Colleen Thomas and Mark Dannenfelser will reflect on the method of Center...