Centering Prayer - Official Home of the Episcopal Church of the Ascension

Episcopal Church
of the Ascension
3600 Arlington Loop
Hattiesburg, MS 39402
(601) 264-6773

Centering Prayer - Episcopal Church of the Ascension, Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Where:	Church of the Ascension Sanctuary
When:	Tuesdays, 2-3 p.m.
Who:	Anyone who is interested (we are a small mixed denomination group)
Contact:	Church Office

What is Centering Prayer? We most often think of prayer as thoughts or feelings expressed in words. Rarely do we think of prayer as simply resting in or quietly “being with” God. Centering Prayer is a method for “being with” God, a form of Contemplative Prayer which is the opening of mind and heart to God beyond thought, words and emotions. It is at the same time a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship.

The actual method is deceptively simple but potentially far reaching in its long term effect. One chooses a sacred word as the symbol of intention to consent to God’s presence and action within. One sits comfortably with eyes closed and introduces the sacred word. It is not repeated as a mantra but when thoughts begin to engage one’s mind, one returns gently to the sacred word. At the end of the prayer period, usually 20 minutes, one sits quietly a few minutes. It is designed to be a daily discipline.

What Happens at the Group Meeting? At the moment we are reading and discussing a brief Scriptural passage chosen by a different person each week. It is not academic study but rather what the individual hears in the passage and what it speaks to him/her for current life. In the past we have read books about Contemplative Prayer, a chapter a week, and discussed them. We then have a 20 minute session of Centering Prayer.

*Resources:*	The Practice of Prayer. (1998). Guenther, Margaret. Cowley Publications: Cambridge, Massachusetts.
	Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening. (2004). Bourgeault, Cynthia. Cowley Publications: Cambridge, Massachusetts.