The Contemplative Prayer Group at St. Paul's Anglican Church, meets regularly at 7:00 pm every Monday evening via Zoom. During the summer months, we try to fit in a couple of contemplative walks of the labyrinth at the Bethlehem Centre in Nanaimo. If you would like to participate, please contact the church office at 250.753.2523 or contact our Parish Administrator, Alicia at [email protected]
To practice Contemplative Prayer a set format is used. We begin with a selection of music as we centre ourselves into silence. We hear the Gospel selection read aloud and when the reverberation of the Singing Bowl dies away …. Silence …. 20 minutes pass and the music draws us out of the silence, the Gospel is read again, and we close with the Lord’s Prayer.
Sometimes there is short reflection on what we have heard in the reading or we spend a little time catching up on one another’s lives. All are welcome to join us in this oasis of peace for this contemplative time.
“Contemplative prayer is not so much the absence of thoughts as detachment from them. It is the opening of mind and heart, body and emotions – our whole being – to God, the Ultimate Mystery, beyond words, thoughts and emotions.” (Thomas Keating).
You can learn more about the history of contemplative prayer in our Diocese (and other parts of the world) by visiting the Contemplative Society website.
