Featured in the Newsletter
- COCO Morning Retreat, Mar 7, Bend, in-person
- Sacred Chant – In person only
Trinity Cathedral, Portland, on March 10 & 24, 2026. - Register Now for our United in Spirit Interfaith Retreat
- Lectio Divina, third Wednesday of the month
- Watch Now: From Holding on to Letting Go
- United in Prayer, United in Silence – March 6-7, 2026
- Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop, April 25th
- Mini-Retreat: Celtic Spirituality on March 21st
- COOP Newsletter Service Team Needs Help
- No Frills Second Sits – Zoom
- Forever Zoom morning sit, Mon-Fri, 7-7:30 am, online
- Sunday Soup and Contemplation In-Person Every Sunday
- Centering Prayer for 12 Steps, Spring Spirituality Series Part One
- Meditation Chapel
- Retreats 2026 and beyond
(COCO) free morning retreat of Centering Prayer,
Contemplative Outreach of Central Oregon (COCO) invites you to a free morning retreat of Centering Prayer, learning about and participating in walking the labyrinth, and chanting the Psalms with leaders from the Order of St. Luke.
Saturday March 7, 2026, 9:00 am to 12 noon
Doors open at 8:45 am
Holy Communion Church
1245 SE 3rd Street
Labyrinth
Suite C10
Bend, Oregon
Rev. Sharon Edwards, Associate Pastor at 1st Presbyterian Church of Bend, will present a teaching on the tradition and practice of the labyrinth.
The Order of St Luke, whose members include clergy, healthcare professionals, chaplains, and lay people, will present the tradition of chanting, a style of sung prayer which is reverent, simple, and calm.
Whether you are a seasoned practitioner, or a beginner to centering prayer, we hope that experiencing new contemplative practices will inspire and enrich your ordinary, everyday lives.
For more information, contact Michele McCall at michele@contemplatives.us
Sacred Chant - In person only Trinity Cathedral, Portland
March 10 & 24, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:15 AM PST
Every 2nd & 4th Tuesday. In person only. Led by Pat Zimmer.
Join us in sacred chant—a practice of prayer through song. Each week, we’ll chant the Psalms (in both traditional and Nan Merrill translations), along with Taizé, Gregorian, contemporary, and Songs of the Presence. This contemplative practice offers a space to quiet the mind and connect with the Spirit.
Free to attend, but registration is required. Always open; join anytime!
Register Now for our United in Spirit Interfaith Retreat
Saturday, March 14th
10 am to 3:30 pm
Contemplative Outreach of Puget Sound North
Spend an enriching day participating in the United in Spirit retreat March 14th at the Center for Peace and Spirituality in Bellevue. Our presenters will guide us into a deeper encounter with the contemplative practices of their faith traditions, share the inspiring historical figures that exemplify a creative and affirmative balance between contemplation and action, as well as personal mentors they treasure from their personal faith journeys and how the lessons of those mentors can uplift our own spiritual practices.
Lectio Divina: A Time for Sacred Reading & Prayer
3rd Wednesdays monthly
10 – 11:30 am
Mar 18, Apr 15, May 20 . . .
Franciscan Spiritual Center
3159 Furman Drive
Marylhurst, OR
The event is free, but please RSVP through the title link.
Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash
Watch Now: Prison Contemplative Fellowship dba Praestolari
Michael is a centering prayer practitioner, currently living in Eugene. In this conversation, we sit down with Michael, a member of the Outside the Walls community, for a heartfelt reflection on presence, prayer, and inner transformation.
Michael speaks with honesty and humility about how Centering Prayer has shaped his life, inviting him into a practice of letting go, listening, and learning to live from a deeper place of trust and acceptance. Through the silence, he has found inner freedom, a fresh perspective, and a deeper understanding of who he truly is. We are deeply grateful to
Michael for his vulnerability and courage in sharing his journey. His story is a powerful reminder that transformation often unfolds quietly, through stillness, community, and grace, and that contemplative practice has the potential to change lives in profound ways.
United in Prayer, United in Silence
Please join in the global community for the 34th annual United in Prayer Day, an 18-hour Centering Prayer vigil via Zoom on March 6-7, 2026 (March 7 is Thomas Keating’s birthday). This event is free, and all are welcome.
The schedule and details are in the title link.
Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop
Saturday, April 25, 2006
10 am – 2 pm, in-person
St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church
2036 SE Jefferson St.
Milwaukie, OR
Cost: free, with a suggested donation of $35.
Bring your own lunch; coffee and tea provided.
Email aphnp1@gmail.com to register or for additional information.
Photo by Mark Valentine on Unsplash
Mini-Retreat: Celtic Spirituality
Saturday, March 21, 2026
9:00 am – 12:00 pm – In person
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Morrison Room
147 NW 19th Ave
Portland, OR 97209-1901
Celtic Spirituality
In person only. Led by the Celtic Evensong Team of Trinity Ashland.
Discover the hallmarks of Celtic spirituality: reverence for God in creation, recognition of “thin places” where the human and divine meet, harmony with nature’s seasons, and a contemplative approach to worship.
Through teaching, meditation, and Celtic prayer practices, we’ll explore this ancient tradition and its living expression today.
Photo by Adrian Moran on Unsplash
COOP Newsletter Service Team Needs Help
We have two volunteers and need a third.
COOP emails a newsletter to 500 people every month that highlights centering prayer opportunities, especially local events.
We are seeking someone who is not daunted by computers and either knows MailChimp or is willing to learn.
After training, time commitment would be about 6 hours every 3 months.
Questions? Contact us at Lgarciapdx@gmail.com.
Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash
No Frills Second Sits
Mondays through Fridays
(sometimes we need help with that second sit)
Mondays through Fridays
4:30-5:00 pm (Pacific)
No chit-chat, no extras.
All are welcome.
Drop in any time.
Contact councilcoordinating@gmail.com for login information.
Photo by photo: Chewy on Unsplash
Forever Zoom
Need a little support for your morning sit?
Forever Zoom is a no-frills online group
No chit-chat, no extras. All are welcome. Drop in any time.
Mondays through Fridays
7:00 – 7:30 am
Contact councilcoordinating@gmail.com for login information.
Photo by Hana Oliver on Unsplash
Centering Prayer for 12 Steps
Monthly Speaker Meeting, Online
1st Wednesday, 5 pm Pacific Time
Discover How Centering Prayer Can Deepen Your 12 Step Journey
Discover how Centering Prayer can deepen your 12-Step Journey.
Free
Request the Zoom link by emailing info@cp12stepoutreach.org
Meditation Chapel
Visit the Meditation Chapel website for lots of information in their current newsletter.
To the Contemplative Outreach Community
The donate button below will take you to our PayPal donation page.
Small amounts are most welcome.
COOP is a volunteer association without 501c3 non-profit status. Donations are not tax-deductible.
“Our most important boundary is very simple: Kindness. We are kind to each other. Whatever we think in our minds, we act in kindness when we are together and when we’re communicating by email. We act in kindness.”
– From Rod McDow from St. Gabriel’s Episcopal adult education
Photo by Claudio Testa on Unsplash
Contemplative Outreach of Portland Newsletter
Contemplative Outreach National Newsletter