What is Centering Prayer?
Centering Prayer is a receptive method of Christian silent prayer in which practitioners sit in stillness, using a sacred word as a symbol of consent to the presence and action of God within. Unlike petitionary or vocal prayer, it cultivates interior silence, moving beyond thoughts and words into direct relationship with the Divine Indwelling. The method involves choosing a sacred word (such as “God,” “Jesus,” “peace,” or “love”), sitting quietly for 20 minutes with eyes closed, and gently returning to the word whenever one becomes engaged with thoughts, feelings, or bodily sensations. It is both a discipline and a relationship—a way of consenting to God’s presence “closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself.”
Centering Prayer is not a mantra-based practice; the sacred word is not repeated continuously but used only as a gentle anchor when the mind wanders. The aim is not to empty the mind or achieve a particular experience, but to express and deepen one’s intention to be present to God.
Origins & Lineage
Centering Prayer was developed in the 1970s at St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, by three Trappist monks: Thomas Keating, William Meninger, and M. Basil Pennington. The impetus came from young seekers arriving at the abbey asking for directions to a nearby Buddhist meditation center—a sign that Christians were turning to Eastern traditions because contemplative practices within Christianity had become largely inaccessible outside monasteries.
Responding to the reforms of Vatican II, which called for the renewal of contemplative teachings from early Christianity, Keating (then abbot) asked his monks to develop a simple, accessible method rooted in Christian tradition. Meninger drew heavily from The Cloud of Unknowing, a 14th-century English mystical text that advises using a single word to return attention to God. The practice also reflects the tradition of Lectio Divina and the writings of Christian mystics including John Cassian, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Thérèse of Lisieux, and Thomas Merton.
The term “Centering Prayer” itself references Merton’s description of contemplative prayer as prayer “centered entirely on the presence of God,” though the phrase may have originated with Merton himself. Pennington offered the first retreat to a lay audience in Connecticut, where participants suggested the name. In 1983, Keating led the first intensive Centering Prayer retreat at the Lama Foundation in New Mexico, and in 1984 the organization Contemplative Outreach was founded to support the growing network of practitioners worldwide.
How It’s Practiced
The method follows four basic guidelines established by Contemplative Outreach:
- Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within (e.g., “God,” “Jesus,” “Abba,” “love,” “peace,” “mercy”).
- Sitting comfortably with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word.
- When engaged with thoughts (including feelings, images, bodily sensations, or reflections), return ever-so-gently to the sacred word.
- At the end of the prayer period (typically 20 minutes), remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes before resuming activity.
Practitioners typically sit with the back straight, either on a chair or cushion. The sacred word is introduced gently—Keating described it as “laying a feather on absorbent cotton”—and is not a tool to suppress thoughts but a gesture of consent. Thoughts are inevitable and natural; the practice is not to judge them but to let them pass by returning to the word. Keating famously told a frustrated beginner, “Ten thousand thoughts? Ten thousand opportunities to return to God.”
The recommended practice is 20 minutes twice daily. Many groups combine Centering Prayer with Lectio Divina (sacred reading). The practice is typically ended with a slow recitation of the Lord’s Prayer or a brief prayer of thanksgiving.
Centering Prayer Today
Centering Prayer is now practiced by hundreds of thousands of Christians worldwide—both Catholic and Protestant—and is taught through Contemplative Outreach chapters in dozens of countries. Seekers encounter the practice through:
- Introductory workshops offered by local Contemplative Outreach chapters
- Weekly prayer groups meeting in parishes, homes, and online via Zoom
- Silent retreats ranging from single-day events to extended intensives
- Books including Keating’s Open Mind, Open Heart and Cynthia Bourgeault’s Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening and The Heart of Centering Prayer
- Mobile apps (free Centering Prayer timer apps in English and Spanish)
- Online courses and video instruction from Contemplative Outreach
The practice has spread beyond traditional church settings into spiritual direction programs, 12-step recovery communities, and interfaith dialogue circles. Keating himself promoted interfaith understanding, noticing convergences between Christian contemplation and meditation traditions in Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sufism.
Common Misconceptions
Centering Prayer is not a New Age practice, though it has been criticized by some Catholics as inappropriately influenced by Eastern religions. The 1989 Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on Some Aspects of Christian Meditation by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) addressed concerns about prayer methods influenced by Eastern traditions; Keating maintained the letter did not apply directly to Centering Prayer, and neither that document nor the 2003 Vatican document Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life mentions Centering Prayer, Contemplative Outreach, or Keating by name.
It is not a replacement for other forms of prayer. Keating emphasized that Centering Prayer is one practice among many and should be integrated with petitionary prayer, devotional practices, the sacraments, and acts of service. In a private conversation shortly before his death in 2018, Keating counseled a student not to abandon devotion to Jesus in his glorified humanity while pursuing union with the Cosmic Christ, advising, “I ask him for his advice in all my decisions.”
It is not a mantra practice. The sacred word is not repeated continuously as in Transcendental Meditation or japa; it is used only when one becomes aware of thoughts.
It is not quietism or passivity. The practice requires active consent—an ongoing choice to let go of thoughts and return to God’s presence.
How to Begin
The clearest entry point is Thomas Keating’s Open Mind, Open Heart, the foundational text for contemporary Centering Prayer practice. Other recommended resources include:
- Cynthia Bourgeault’s The Heart of Centering Prayer (integrates Christian mysticism with non-dual awareness)
- Contemplative Outreach’s website (contemplativeoutreach.org) for local groups, online workshops, and free instructional videos
- Introductory workshops, typically 90 minutes to half a day, offered by Contemplative Outreach chapters
- Weekly practice groups, where practitioners sit together in silence and share support
- The free Centering Prayer mobile app, which includes a timer and basic instruction
Beginners are encouraged to commit to 20 minutes once or twice daily for at least 30 days, ideally with the support of a group or spiritual director. The practice is simple but not easy; persistence and community support are essential for deepening the relationship it fosters.