In this two-year program, participants ground the rhythms of their lives in contemplative awareness of God, the self, and others.  By doing this together, we aim to root Plymouth’s congregational life in sacred awareness.

Christian contemplative practices provide a variety of pathways beyond creed and dogma to direct connection with the Mystery we call God.  These practices fuel our actions with love, compassion, and justice.  Administered by the Partnership for Contemplative Discipleship and funded by the Lilly Foundation through the University of St. Catherine, the Contemplation in Action cohorts nourish the seeds of practice in community and support the formation of mature Christian practitioners.  Participants experience a deepened sense of awareness of and connection to the Holy in their lived experience.  It is our hope that this program will inform the spirit of our congregation as we seek together to be the Body of Christ in the world.

A trained facilitator from the Partnership for Contemplative Discipleship will guide three groups through various contemplative prayer practices over nine months of the next two years.  Participants are asked to commit to the entire two-year program and engage in these practices independently between sessions—ideally daily.  The practices introduced in the first year invite participants to “go inward,” drawing closer to God.  The second year deepens these individual practices and introduces collective practices for use in our congregation.  Grounded in divine love, connected in practice, we are better able to serve others with clarity, freedom, agency, and compassion.

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Year 1

• Lectio Divina
• Deep Listening
• Prayer Journaling
• Examen
• Lovingkindness
• Centering Prayer
• Forgiveness
• Ignatian Contemplation/Imaginative Prayer *
• Labyrinth *

Year 2

• Jesus Prayer
• God in All Things
• Fears and Lamentations
• Attachments and Authenticity
• Hospitality
• Cultivating Discernment
• Vocation
• Communal Discernment
• Gratitude and Moving Forward

* A few practices in the first year can be chosen by participants.

About our facilitator

Susan Stabile is an experienced spiritual director and retreat director trained in the Ignatian tradition.  She offers retreats and other programs of spiritual formation in parishes, retreat houses, and other venues around the country.  Susan teaches at the Sacred Ground Center for Spirituality program for training spiritual directors and for training directors to lead the Spiritual Exercises.  She previously served as Director of the Office of Spirituality at the University of St. Thomas, where she is a Professor Emerita, and co-directed a Lilly Grant secured by St. Catherine University to bring contemplative practices to congregations and parishes.  She continues to serve as a contemplative practice leader for that grant. Susan is the author of numerous publications, including Growing in Love and Wisdom: Tibetan Buddhist Sources for Christian Meditation. (Oxford University Press 2013).

Cohort dates & times

Sundays: In person at Plymouth, 12:30-2:30 (maximum 20 participants)*

2026-27               2027-28

9/13                             9/12

10/4                             10/17

11/8                             11/7

12/6                             12/12

1/10                             1/9

2/7                               2/6

3/7                               3/12

4/4                               4/9

5/2                               5/7

 

Register for the Sunday cohort here

Mondays: Online, 6:30-8:30 (maximum 12 participants)

2026-27                       2027-28

9/14                             9/13

10/5                             10/11

11/9                             11/8

12/7                             12/13

1/11                             1/10

2/8                               2/7

3/8                               3/13

4/5                               4/10

5/3                               5/8

Register for the Monday cohort here

Thursdays:  In Person at Plymouth, 6:30-8:30 (maximum 20 participants)*

2026-27               2027-28

9/10                             9/9

10/8                             10/14

11/12                           11/4

12/10                           12/9

1/7                               1/6

2/4                              2/3

3/4                               3/9

4/8                               4/6

5/6                               5/4

 

Register for the Thursday cohort here

 

* Need childcare?  Let us know. Please email Kate Taber at katet@plymouth.org

You can learn more about the Partnership for Contemplative Discipleship here: https://sites.google.com/stkate.edu/contemplativediscipleship/home.

Register here for: stkate.edu/spiritualityinpractice for the event A Day For Contemplative Practice: Grounding our Service in God on Saturday, August 1st, 2026 at St. Kates

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