Come join us for a Silent Meditation Retreat right here at home. On Saturday, September 19, 2026, join Father Hendree and the Contemplative Church Team in the worship space for a day of contemplative teaching and silence.

The theme of this retreat is Jesus and the Contemplative stance, featuring teachings from the Sermon on the Mount.

The day will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a brief welcome, introductions, and notes on the structure of the retreat.  We will then enter into silence which will be maintained all day long.  The teachers will speak when offering their teaching at appointed conference times, beyond that all will remain in silence throughout the day.  Lunch will be provided in the undercroft.  The retreatants will maintain silence during lunch while a contemplative text is read and a brief lesson on the text is offered.  This is in keeping with the monastic tradition of the reading of sacred texts during meals.

The retreat is in four movements.  Morning, lunch time, afternoon, and late afternoon.  You may come to one, two, three or all four of the movements.

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This is a great retreat opportunity for people who have never experienced a silent retreat to do so without leaving town.  It is also a wonderful chance for people who have a meditation practice to get a retreat experience right here at home in the midst of the busyness of life. 

Please note that although Centering Prayer is the practice method used by many of us at Good Shepherd, it is not a retreat requirement. Should you like to learn the method, it may be learned in a group setting at the start of our regularly scheduled Centering Prayer offering at 5pm on Mondays in the worship space. Should that time not work for your schedule, Good Shepherd parishioner, Woody Snowden, would be happy to schedule a mutually convenient time to introduce the practice to you.