Contemplative Practices

" Communauté des Frères de Taizé", Emmanuel Cattier, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons For decades, the small village of Taizé in Burgundy, France, has been a pilgrimage site for those seeking the "springs of faith." What began as a refuge during wartime has blossomed into a global movement of reconciliation and peace. The Taizé style of worship is defined by its contemplative rhythm. It invites participants to enter a "common prayer" that requires no hymnal or sermon to u

Archives des jésuites de France, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons What happens when you want to offer Mass but have no bread, no wine, and no altar? This was the reality for Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881–1955), the Jesuit priest and paleontologist, during a scientific expedition in the Gobi Desert. Lacking the elements for the Eucharist, he realized that the world itself (its work, its suffering, its evolution), could be his offering. He composed The Mass on the World

" Fresco of Virgin Orans in conch of apse in Church of the Theotokos Peribleptos in Ohrid, Macedonia", Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Centering Prayer teaches us how to release thoughts in the safety of silence. But what happens when we leave the chair? How do we maintain that sense of surrender when life hits us with frustration, pain, or even overwhelming joy? This is where The Welcoming Practice begins. At The Contemplative Society, we view this as the essential c

Chant leader at The Contemplative Society Retreat (2022) For many of us, prayer is something we do with our minds (thinking) or our hearts (feeling). But in the Christian Wisdom tradition, prayer is also something we do with our bodies —specifically, through the vibration of our own voices. This practice is found at the heart of all sacred traditions worldwide, and for very good reasons. At The Contemplative Society, Sacred Chant is a core practice. It is not a performance.

" Side altar in a Christian church in Tunisia" Dr. Ondřej Havelka (cestovatel), CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons For many of us, reading the Bible can sometimes feel like a study session, a search for historical facts, theological arguments, or moral rules. But there is another way to approach the text, one that is less about information and more about transformation. This way is called Lectio Divina . At The Contemplative Society, we cherish this ancient practice as a way t

Festival of Faiths from Louisville, United States, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons In a world defined by noise, productivity, and the constant demand for our attention, silence can feel radical. Yet, it is in silence that the Christian wisdom tradition has always found its deepest connection to the Divine. At The Contemplative Society, Centering Prayer is one of the core practices we support. It is a method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contempla

Ivan Kramskoi , Christ in the Wilderness (1872), Public Domain Contemplation is the heartbeat of the Christian wisdom tradition. It is a word that carries the weight of centuries of prayer, silence, and the earnest search for union with God. Yet, even for dedicated practitioners, its precise meaning can sometimes remain elusive. Is it simply deep thought? Is it different from meditation? For The Contemplative Society, contemplation is not a fleeting trend, but the anchor of