Notre Dame Spirituality Center, Ipswich, MA: Centering Prayer

Notre Dame Spirituality Center, Ipswich, MA: Centering Prayer

Pillars & Foundations documents an exploration of communities, as well as faith through religious institutions. My intent is to share experiences, and spread the positivity that I observe. 


How I Stumbled Upon Notre Dame Spirituality Center

Over the past year some of you may know that I've engaged in this journey exploring different churches, denominations, and faiths. Through this I've attended courses on Buddhist Meditation at the Tibetan Buddhist, Kurukulla Center in Medford, Massachusetts. I've also on occasion attended Zen based meditation through Reading Unitarian Universalist Church. Most recently prior to this I attended a Centering Prayer group at Melrose Highlands Congregational Church. From reading Seven Storey Mountain and Thoughts in Solitude, by Thomas Merton, to Thich Nhat Hanh's Living Buddha Living Christ, and Peace in Every Step, I've been quite curious about mindfulness, meditation, as well as contemplative Christian tradition. I've been searching for some local Centering Prayer related activities and was pleasantly surprised to find a monthly group at Notre Dame nearby. Having been raised in the Catholic Faith, I was unfamiliar with these practices related to my own roots, and was eager to learn more.

What the Center Offers

Notre Dame offers not only workshops like the one I attended, but multi-day overnight retreats on their campus set in the serene rural setting of Ipswich, Massachusetts. Some of the workshops are free with donations welcome, such as Centering Prayer, being offered Saturdays, Jan 19, Feb 16, Mar 9, Apr 13, May 18, and June 8, from 9:30 am. It is requested that prospective attendees register through the website. Other activities such as the Celtic Day of Prayer, taking place on Saint Patrick's Day, have modest fees. 


The Center

The spirituality center is part of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur Convent in Ipswich Massachusetts. Various locations of this congregation of Sisters was founded by Sister Julie Brilliart, dating back to 1804. Saint Julie was canonized in 1969. The congregation has a 200 plus year history fighting for social justice, and helping those in need. 


Centering Prayer Workshop

Centering Prayer is a type of quiet, contemplative, Christian reflection based in historical Contemplative Christian tradition. One of its most prominent founders Fr. Thomas Keating, who only recently passed away, described it as being "more heartfulness rather than mindfulness. It is rooted in the Christian tradition, which emphasizes the relationship with Christ which is its source." The hour and a half session I attended was led by Sister Ellen Keane, who warmly welcomed a sizable group. Some of the attendees seemed like regulars, others such as myself attended for the first time.


The activity was divided into two parts. Initially there were introductions, and the activities were briefly explained in advance. The first portion was "Centering Prayer," lasting 20 minutes, inviting participants to focus on their sacred word of choice. Following this was a brief break where participants mingled. I traded notes myself on good books to read with another person in the workshop. The last section was a variant of an activity known as Lectio Divina. Simple in structure this consists of reading, meditating, praying and contemplation. A modification of this activity called Audio Divina was engaged in. A piece of classical music (Morning Mood by Edvard Grieg) was played, Sister Ellen mentioned this could be any piece, and even one with words/lyrics. The piece is played three times. The first time participants are called to follow and savor feelings and images rising up. During the second hearing, participants should reflect, they should become more deeply aware of what the music evokes. The third hearing requires a response, a contemplation of how God is speaking through the music. A couple of handouts were passed around on Audio Divina, one such handout states "For many of us, music is often a transcendent experience, lifting us above the worries and distractions of daily life. Consider using music as a doorway into prayer and cultivating your ability to listen with the ear of your heart."



Bell tower, the backside of the building was still in shadow as it was early enough in the morning where the sun was not high in the sky

Conclusion

Notre Dame's Centering Prayer workshop was deeply enjoyable and I look forward to returning and perhaps exploring other offerings of the organization.

Text and photographs by George Parks
Sources are embedded in links


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Our Lady of the Rosary, Sabattus, Maine

Image
Our Lady of the Rosary, Sabattus, Maine At the end of 2017 I decided to set out on a personal journey to explore and experience the services of many different churches and faith based organizations, predominantly near where I live in Massachusetts. These institutions are important, often overlooked and even misjudged centers of our communities that seek to make a positive impact on their participants as well as others through their generosity and public service. I knew from the outset  of this project that eventually I would make my way home to Our Lady of the Rosary , my childhood church. It probably has been 20 years, maybe more since I stepped through those doors which played such a crucial role in my childhood. This church was my community, it contributed to my moral compass, and many of my earliest memories have this pillar of Sabattus, Maine woven into them. I went to school here up until the 3rd grade, and I had my first communion and confirmation at this church. Somewher
Read more

Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, West Hartford, CT: Lectio Divina

Image
Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, West Hartford, CT: Lectio Divina Pillars & Foundations documents an exploration of communities, as well as faith through religious institutions. My intent is to share experiences, and spread the positivity that I observe.  Campus Description Holy Family Retreat Center is located in a bucolic suburb of Hartford Connecticut. Still decidedly urban the monastery and an expansive, mostly wooded grounds is seated amongst an idyllic upper middle class neighborhood. Forty-eight acres of grounds offer a refuge from the bustle to visitors as well as the people in the community, to which it is open. Trails meander through the forest, and visitors can appreciate thoughtful landscaping and features that include the stations of the cross, grottos and various statues of saints and Christ. One particularly striking feature on the property is a large landscaped labyrinth located on a clearing in the forest. I found it covered in snow on my visit, and I
Read more

First Congregational Church, UCC, Melrose, Massachusetts

Image
First Congregational Church, UCC, Melrose, MA Pillars & Foundations was started as an effort to explore my surrounding communities through their religious institutions, and to share my experiences at them with my neighbors and beyond. These organizations that are both social and spiritual, leave lasting impressions on the communities that they are in, and I find in my experiences that I've taken them for granted, and I suspect I'm not alone. What strikes me what all of these institutions strive to do is make a difference, and they do, regardless if it is one person looking for hope & community, or a with recipient of their charitable work. Building & History People who pass by the low profile octagonal church in Melrose should not be fooled by the contemporary campus. This organization has a long history ( information on FCCM website ) in the community dating back to 1848. The new building was constructed in 1970 following a fire tha
Read more

Old South United Methodist Church, Reading, MA

Image
Old South United Methodist Church, Reading, MA Pillars & Foundations documents an exploration of communities, as well as faith through religious institutions. My intent is to share experiences, and spread the positivity that I observe. The hope is to provide a window into these organizations allowing those who might not other wise venture in to appreciate these thoughtful, often intimate groups in our midst. Faith centers embody a drive to make a difference which they deliver upon, regardless if it is with one person looking for hope & community, or a recipient of their expansive charitable work. Building & History Old South United Methodist Church sits in the Common Historic District of Reading on the corner of Main and Salem St. It is one of the most distinctive buildings in the town, and a sign inside the foyer states that it was constructed in 1817. The National Register of Historic places , which the church is listed with, describes the building as a Feder
Read more

Porter's Burial Ground, Danvers, Massachusetts

Image
Porter's Burial Ground, Danvers, Massachusetts On another one of my weekend walks I stopped into Danver's town center, did some exploring and took a break for a drink. While wandering around I came upon Porter's Burial Ground , which is also known as High Street Cemetery. This cemetery is the resting spot for veterans of several wars including the French & Indian War, Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War, and the Spanish-American War.  Information on some of these older cemeteries is actually quite extraordinary. People have taken time to catalogue graves, photograph them, and occasionally write some details about the individuals. Sites such as Findagrave, and Gravematter provide links to these. Next time I am in a cemetery with history such as this, I really should take time to do research while I'm there. In a google search to find discussion points for this posting I came across one interesting story about a lost Revolutionary War Grave of Army P
Read more