silence, community, insight
Bethany House of Prayer offers ongoing programs to nourish our desire for deep stillness and connection. We draw upon ancient and contemporary practices from Christianity and other traditions to deepen our awareness of the Holy in ordinary life and to inform our actions in the world. Whether you are experienced with contemplative practices or a newcomer, we welcome you to join us in a community of encouragement for soulful living.
Words matter as does the silence out of which they come.
Contemplative Prayer
Thursdays, 10 - 11:30 am — currently meeting through Zoom. Please let us know of your interest in participating by filling out the form found HERE. Newcomers welcome each week.
There is different quality or essence in being with others in silence than alone. If you’ve wondered about maintaining or experiencing a practice of contemplative prayer, joining with others can be a source of encouragement and enrichment. Opening prayers and selected readings lead us into a time of extended silence. We regather for contemplative dialogue, mindful of continuing the balance of silence and words. Sometimes a healing insight will occur or the robin singing in the garden will be heard. We might leave changed by the word of another or the renewal that comes in beginning again.
Facilitated by Bethany Colleagues and Associates.
evening contemplative practice
2nd & 4th Tuesdays 7:00 - 8:15 pm. Offered through Zoom. Please let us know of your interest in participating by filling out the form found HERE.
A bi-weekly gathering, offered online, to explore contemplative practices through meditation, teachings, and discussion, facilitated by Christi Humphrey and Heidi Stahl. We welcome people of all experiences looking for silence in community and support in bringing mindfulness and compassion into their spiritual path.
Guided meditations and teachings will draw upon the Christian contemplative tradition, monastic spirituality, mindfulness meditation, and self-compassion practices. Newcomers welcome at each gathering.
We will continue the series for winter/spring beginning Tuesday, January 23, 2024.
Evening CHAPEL
3rd Wednesdays of the month 7:30 - 8:00 pm with an offering of silent prayer beginning at 7:15 for those who wish.
As daylight fades, we gather for a contemplative service, offering prayers, readings, images, silence, an examen practice and song to enter into the peace of night.
Our service is on Zoom. Please let us know of your interest by filling out the form found HERE.
The worship is led by Bethany Colleagues and Associates who previously led our Contemplative Eucharist. We hope to return to the quiet beauty of the candle-lit Chapel — and until then we continue to find ways to pray, honor silence with one another and seek God’s presence in our times and lives, along paths familiar and mysterious, ordinary and sacred.
Contemplative Writing Group
Fridays, 10 a.m. to Noon, September through June. (This offering is now full.)
This group is for writers who already have a practice and desire sustained community, as well as those seeking to explore writing with a contemplative approach. We will be guided by practices that draw our voices, wisdom and stories from stirrings into fully realized form, as reflections, narratives, and poems. Freshly generated material as well as finished pieces may be offered for response and care. Short craft talks will augment this time of listening to the still small voice within, giving it life on the page.
Led by Bethany Colleague: Kathleen Hirsch, M.F.A., who had a long career in narrative journalism before authoring three books of creative nonfiction, including A Sabbath Life: One Woman’s Search for Wholeness. In addition to being a spiritual director and writer, Kathleen teaches at Boston College addressing social justice and contemplative work.
“May we all grow in grace and peace, and not neglect the silence that is printed in the center of our being. It will not fail us. It is more than silence. Jesus spoke of the spring of living water, you remember.”