Mark and Lisa Kutolowski and Metanoia of Vermont hosted a webinar on the Welcoming Prayer practice on March 27, 2020. The description of it is below.
At the start of the session Mark gave a twelve minute introduction that briefly puts the practice in the context of the coronavirus pandemic and social and economic upheaval we are going through and then gives a succinct, insightful and extremely useful overview of the steps.
Mark shared that introduction with me and I immediately asked if I could share it with the congregation because we have been talking about it in our Zoom gatherings. Mark was kind enough to say yes, so you will find the audio recording at the end of the description.
Please let me know if you would like to learn more about the Welcoming Prayer. I can’t think of a better spiritual practice for this time.
Welcoming Prayer Online Support & Discussion
Friday, March 27th, 2020 from 7:30pm – 8:30pm
The Welcoming Prayer is a simple yet powerful tool to prayerfully respond to emotional distress as it arises. This practice helps to release us from the grip of afflictive emotions, and to open to God and to reality more fully in the present moment. In times of both personal and societal upheaval, the Welcoming Prayer is one way to transform the perceived ‘obstacle’ of painful emotions into greater freedom in God.
Online resources:
+ Overview of the Welcoming Prayer practice from Contemplative Outreach
www.contemplativeoutreach.org/welcoming-prayer
+ 35-minute talk by Cynthia Bourgeault
www.wisdomwayofknowing.org/resource-directory/the-welcoming-practice
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How to prepare:
If you plan to come to the discussion, look over the brief overview of the Welcoming Prayer practice (link above)and read the accompanying brochure.
Please try the practice at home before the discussion. This will allow us to focus our time on questions that have arisen after trying the practice.
If you have more time, we also invite you to watch the 35 minute talk by Cynthia Bourgeault on the Welcoming Prayer-or ‘Welcoming Practice’ as she calls it. (link above)
Thanks and we look forward to seeing you!
United Church of Strafford, Vermont 