Welcome!
Contemplative Outreach of New Jersey is a community of individuals and prayer groups who practice centering prayer. We teach centering prayer and offer events and educational programs to support those who practice centering prayer. We also teach other practices that promote a deepening of our relationship with God and support all of us attempting to live the contemplative dimension of the Gospel in daily life. All are welcome at our gatherings whether in person or on Zoom. We are a chapter of Contemplative Outreach, Ltd., a global interdenominational spiritual network founded by Fr. Thomas Keating, Fr. Carl Arico, and others.
2026-27 Enrichment Season
Entrances and Vestibules –Transitions in Prayer and Life
October 2026–April 2027, 3rd Saturday of Each Month
In Person October, November, December, March, April: 9 am to 2 pm
On Zoom January and February: 9 am to 11:30 am
Overview: Our busy lives often do not include time to transition into prayer or other activities. This season will explore how allowing time for transitions in prayer and life impacts how and what we do, as well as how we can embrace transitions.
October 17: Entrances and Vestibules for Centering Prayer
November 21: Living with Gratitude
December 19: Advent Day of Prayer with Fr. Carl Arico
January 16: Ignatian Discernment of Spirits part 1 (Zoom)
February 20: Ignatian Discernment of Spirits part 2 (Zoom)
March 20: Entrances and Vestibules in Daily Life
April 17: Transitioning to the Next Stage of Life
Where: In-Person at St. Walburga Monastery/Benedictine Sisters of Elizabeth, 851 N. Broad Street, Elizabeth, NJ. There is ample free parking.
Zoom: https://tinyurl.com/jnxym7x9
Format: In-person days generally include four 20-minute periods of Centering Prayer and two conferences or activities led by the topic presenter. In-person participants are welcome to join the Sisters for 8 am Mass and midday prayer. Zoom mornings generally include two 20-minute periods of Centering Prayer and one or two conferences or activities led by the topic presenter.
Cost: All are welcome regardless of ability to pay. No fee is requested from members of vowed religious communities. Zoom events are free of charge. We request $20 per in-person event or $82 for all 5 in-person events. Registration is requested but not required. You may register on site or via postal mail (Barbara Sherry, 1189 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Bayonne, NJ, 07002). Online registration to come.
Lunch: Please bring lunch. Coffee, tea, and some food will be provided.
Questions? Email coordinator@centeringprayernj.com.
The Path of Holy Unknowing
First Saturdays on Zoom, 8 am to 9:15 am
Format: Two 25-minute prayer times separated by time for an optional contemplative walk, followed by Lectio Divina on passages from Reflections on the Unknowable by Father Thomas Keating. Registration is not required. No fee; just come and pray.
Please enter in silence, with volume muted. Link to join: https://tinyurl.com/cs944brn.