EIGHT- DAY (SEVEN-NIGHT) SILENT CENTERING PRAYER RETREAT
Friday, August 14th, 2026 3:00 PM - Friday, August 21st, 2026 12:30 PM
In person, St. Placid Priory Spirituality Center, Lacey, Washington
500 College Street NE, Lacey, WA 98516
Deepen your Centering Prayer practice in an atmosphere of
silence and community, away from the busyness of daily life,
and allow your mind, body and spirit to surrender to
God’s presence and action within.
Description: This retreat will be an opportunity to deepen your Centering Prayer practice moving towards greater silence, solitude and simplicity. While some verbal encouragement, teaching and clarification of the interior dynamic of the practice may be offered from time to time, we will be observing “grand silence” with no interactive conversations throughout the retreat except for opening and closing sessions. Scheduled and spontaneous (as needed) check-ins with the facilitators will be available.
Each full day will feature close to four hours of Centering Prayer including short contemplative walks. It is important that one have an established practice of daily Centering Prayer for at least one year and have attended an intensive Centering Prayer retreat before attending this 8-day silent retreat.
Cost: $1,120.00. The fee includes a cozy private room and all meals. Breakfast is “make your own” with food supplied by the Priory (or bring your own). Lunches and dinners are in the Priory's silent dining room. As a Benedictine women’s monastery, the Priory offers the opportunity to join the sisters in the liturgy of the hours. You can request spiritual direction for an additional fee.
REGISTRATION: REGISTER NOW A deposit of $100.00 upon registration will secure your place in the retreat. $50.00 is refundable if you cancel before the balance due date of July 10th, 2026. Partial scholarships are available.
For more information: contact Sr. Anna-Camille Wooden at camillewooden5@gmail.com.
Facilitators:
Rev Stephan Garratt – Steve has been practicing Centering Prayer since the late 1980’s, facilitating Centering Prayer groups and teaching Centering Prayer introductory workshops. He has been active with the leadership team of Contemplative Outreach Northwest and for several years served on the national service team of Contemplative Outreach responsible for workshops introducing Centering Prayer. Steve has a rich and varied life experience – as an Episcopal Priest, former community mental health counselor, campus chaplain and probation officer. He is interested in Jungian psychology and contemplative theology and enjoys travel, opera and time with his grandchildren.
Paul Peterhans, M.Div. - Paul is a long-term practitioner of Centering Prayer. He was an original witness to the birth of Contemplative Outreach, Ltd in 1984 and was helpful in founding Contemplative Outreach Northwest in1987, serving as the Chapter’s first Coordinator. Paul continues to serve the Chapter on the leadership team and in facilitating retreats. He is a former youth minister, community organizer, remodel business owner, and high school theology teacher, among other things. Paul has a certificate in Special Education, BreathWave Conscious Connected Breathing practice and is a certified yoga teacher.
Mid-Day Meditations with Rabbi Oliver
Join us live on Zoom every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday
from noon to 12:30 PM.
You may also watch the recording afterwards below.
We will take 30 minutes together to meditate and be connected.
These beautiful moments are a quiet oasis of digital interconnectedness in the midst of a new, constantly changing world.
If you would like to participate over Zoom, please email administrator@betalef.org for the Zoom link.
Tuesdays With Merton
MARCELA RAGGIO
Merton and Latin America.
September 8, 2026, 7 PM. EST
Marcela Raggio is professor of American Literature at Cuyo National University in Mendoza, Argentina. At Argentina’s National Council for Research, she has specialized in comparative literature and translation studies, focusing on Thomas Merton and how his writings and contacts with Latin American writers are key to a fruitful dialogue between North and South America. She organized two biannual Argentine Thomas Merton Conferences and edited a bilingual volume on Thomas Merton. She is also author of the volume Thomas Merton, El Monje Traductor and has published in The Merton Seasonal and The Merton Annual, along with other academic journals. She is an international advisor to the ITMS Board.
More information and to register