BIDDEFORD — A nationally known retreat director will hold a day of prayer at the Marie Joseph Spiritual Center in Biddeford on Saturday, April 2, and all are welcome to attend.

“A Day of Prayer” will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the center and will be hosted by Fr. Bill Sheehan, OMI. The event will feature periods of Centering Prayer; an exploration of the insights of Fr. Thomas Keating, OCSO, on Centering Prayer; and a discussion on the wisdom of the practice and contemplative living. The suggested donation to attend is $55 and includes a warm lunch. To register, email Eric Vaughan, information coordinator for Contemplative Outreach of Maine at eric.vaughan@coome.org.

Centering Prayer is a method of silent prayer through which participants seek to open their whole beings to God by clearing away temporal distractions. It is a simple method of Christ-centered silent prayer, a renewal of an ancient Christian contemplative practice updated for our time. It can lead to a deeper prayer life, personal healing, spiritual transformation, and a closer union with God.

“Centering Prayer has been freeing and comforting in my life experience,” said Deacon Darrell Blackwell, a retired deacon who still assists at Holy Spirit Parish in Wells and Kennebunk. “It has enabled me to deal with life situations better and more calmly.”

The concept of Centering Prayer is not meant to replace other kinds of prayer but, instead, it is intended to add depth of meaning to all forms of prayer.

Fr. Sheehan is a member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) and was present at the very first Centering Prayer retreat offered by Fr. Keating in 1983. He holds a master’s degree in formative spirituality from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and now lives in the Oblate House of Prayer in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Contemplative Outreach of Maine was formed in January of 2021 to offer Centering Prayer, assist in the formation of Centering Prayer groups, and provide support to facilitators and members of those groups. For more information, visit www.coome.org.