Contemplative Retreat: Five-day Dual Track Centering Prayer Retreat

Contemplative Retreat: Five-day Dual Track Centering Prayer Retreat

April 21-25, 2025

Course Description: This retreat is an opportunity for Centering Prayer Practitioners to deepen their contemplative journey in the contemporary world. It is a five-day experience of integrating contemplation and action through silence, solitude, and community.

The retreat offers two tracks.

The intensive track is recommended for people who have completed the introductory workshop and who have a regular practice of Centering Prayer. It includes Thomas Keating’s videos on the Human Condition with a faith sharing after each video teaching.
The post-intensive track is for people who have previously made an extended day intensive retreat. The post-intensive offers increased silence and additional periods of Centering Prayer.

The retreat provides group experiences of silence solitude and space for optional prayer times with the monks included Mass. Afternoon includes time for walking in natures and soul friending with retreat facilitators. The retreat experience fosters an ever-deepening level of interior silence and may lead to an awareness of the presence of God in everyday life.

Location: Holy Spirit Monastery. 2625 Highway 212 SW, Conyers, Georgia 30094. Basil Pennington, OCSO, one of the architects of Centering Prayer, served as abbot at Holy Spirit Monastery in the early 2000s.

With: Leslee Anne Terpay is a spiritual director, contemplative teacher, and retreat leader from Lone Tree, Colorado. Leslee is a student of Thomas Keating (1923-2018), and Carl J. Arico, who were founding members and spiritual guides of Contemplative Outreach. Leslee has served Contemplative Outreach in many capacities over the past two decades. Currently she serves as team lead for Contemplative Outreach Retreats Service Team and is also a part of the Q&A team for their online newsletter and website. She is a commissioned presenter for both Lectio Divina and Centering Prayer.

Leslee created and facilitated the year-long program “The Contemplative Journey” in Colorado Springs. Leslee has trained and mentored many Centering Prayer retreat-leaders to serve the Intensive, Post-Intensive and other contemplative retreats. She has been practicing and teaching Centering Prayer and other Christian contemplative practices since 2002.

Leslee studied with Richard Rohr, Cynthia Bourgeault and Jim Finley at the CAC’s original Living School and received a certificate in Spiritual Direction from Benet Hill Monastery. She experienced the Eckhart Tolle School of Awakening, Michael Brown’s Presence Process, and Thich Nhat Hanh’s Rocky Mountain National Park retreat.

Schedule: The retreat starts with check-in 2:00 PM on Monday, April 21^st and concludes Friday, April 25^th at 10:00 AM.

Program Fee: $700

Housing: Included in the program fee. 4 nights stay in a single room. Bathrooms are a mix of private and shared hall bathrooms. Note that staying on Sunday night is not offered.

Meals: Meals included in program fee. Meals start with Monday dinner and end with Friday breakfast.

Additional Information: