Thomas Keating, O.C.S.O. (March 7, 1923 – October 25, 2018) was an American Catholic

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

and priest of the

Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance ( la, Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a ...

(also known as Trappists). Keating was known as one of the principal developers of Centering Prayer, a contemporary method of contemplative prayer that emerged from

St. Joseph's Abbey St. Joseph's Abbey is a Trappist monastery in Spencer, Massachusetts. It is known as a center of prayer and monastic work. Jams and beer produced by the monks are particularly popular. The monastery is also known as one of the origins of the cent ...

Spencer, Massachusetts Spencer is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,992 at the 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Spencer, please see the article Spencer (CDP), Massach ...

Life

Keating was born in New York City in March 1923 and attended

Deerfield Academy Deerfield Academy is an elite coeducational preparatory school in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1797, it is one of the oldest secondary schools in the United States. It is a member of the Eight Schools Association, the Ten Schools Admi ...

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

, and

Fordham University Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...

. In 1984 Keating, along with Gustave Reininger and Edward Bednar, co-founded Contemplative Outreach, Ltd., an international and ecumenical spiritual network that teaches the practice of Centering Prayer and ''

Lectio Divina In Western Christianity, ''Lectio Divina'' (Latin for "Divine Reading") is a traditional monastic practice of scriptural reading, meditation and prayer intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God's word. In the v ...

'', a method of prayer drawn from the Christian contemplative tradition. Contemplative Outreach provides a support system for those on the contemplative path through a wide variety of resources, workshops, and retreats. Keating died at St. Joseph's Abbey, Spencer, Massachusetts on 25 October 2018, aged 95 years old.

Centering Prayer

Keating was one of three principal developers of Centering Prayer, a contemporary method of contemplative prayer that emerged from St. Joseph's Abbey in 1975.

William Meninger William Austin Meninger, O.C.S.O. (August 29, 1932 – February 14, 2021) was an American Trappist monk and priest who was a spiritual teacher and a principal developer of Centering Prayer, a method of contemplative prayer. Early life Meninger w ...

and

Basil Pennington M. Basil Pennington O.C.S.O. (1931–2005) was an American Roman Catholic Trappist monk and priest. He was a leading spiritual writer, speaker, teacher, and director. Pennington was an alumnus of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas '' ...

, also

trappist The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance ( la, Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a ...

monks, were the method's other principal developers. When the concept was first proposed by Keating, Meninger started teaching a method based on the 14th century spiritual classic ''

The Cloud of Unknowing ''The Cloud of Unknowing'' (Middle English: ''The Cloude of Unknowyng'') is an anonymous work of Christian mysticism written in Middle English in the latter half of the 14th century. The text is a spiritual guide on contemplative prayer in the ...

''. Meninger referred to this as the "Prayer of the Cloud" and taught it to priests at the retreat house. Pennington gave the first retreat to a lay audience in Connecticut where the participants suggested the term "Centering Prayer". Since

Thomas Merton Thomas Merton (January 31, 1915 – December 10, 1968) was an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, mystic, poet, social activist and scholar of comparative religion. On May 26, 1949, he was ordained to the Catholic priesthood and g ...

had been known to use the term prior to this, it has been suggested the phrase may have originated from him.

Panentheist views

In his 1993 article, ''Clarifications Regarding Centering Prayer'', Keating suggests that Jesus describes a

panentheistic Panentheism ("all in God", from the Greek grc, πᾶν, pân, all, label=none, grc, ἐν, en, in, label=none and grc, Θεός, Theós, God, label=none) is the belief that the divine intersects every part of the universe and also extends be ...

rather than

pantheistic Pantheism is the belief that reality, the universe and the cosmos are identical with divinity and a supreme supernatural being or entity, pointing to the universe as being an immanent creator deity still expanding and creating, which ha ...

view of God:

Bibliography

Books

*''Crisis of Faith'' (1979) *''Finding Grace at the Center'' (1979) *''Heart of the World'' (1981) *''And the Word Was Made Flesh'' (1982) *''Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel'' (1986) *''The Mystery of Christ: The Liturgy as Spiritual Experience'' (1987) *''Heart of the World: Spiritual Catechism'' (1988) *''Mystery of Christ'' (1988) *''Awakenings'' (1990) *''Kundalini Energy and Christian Spirituality: A Pathway to Growth and Healing,'' by Philip St Romain, illus. Intro. by Thomas Keating (1991) *''Reawakenings'' (1991) *''Invitation to Love: The Way of Christian Contemplation'' (1992) *''Intimacy with God'' (1994) *''Loving Search for God: Contemplative Prayer and "The Cloud of Unknowing,",'' with William A. Meninger (1994) *''Crisis of Faith, Crisis of Love'' (1995) *''Active Meditations for Contemplative Prayer'' (1997) *''The Kingdom of God is Like...'' (1997) *''Centering Prayer in Daily Life and Ministry'', co-edited with Gustave Reininger (1998) *''The Diversity of Centering Prayer'' (1998) *''The Human Condition: Contemplation and Transformation'' (Wit Lectures) (1999) *''Journey to the Center: A Lenten Passage'' (1999) *''The Better Part: Stages of Contemplative Living'' (2000) *''Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit'' (2000) *''St. Therese of Lisieux: A Transformation in Christ'' (2000) *''Divine Indwelling: Centering Prayer and Its Development,'' with George F. Cairns, Thomas R. Ward, Sarah A. Butler, Fitzpatrick-Hopler (2001) *''Sundays at the Magic Monastery: Homilies from the Trappists of St. Benedict's Monastery'' with William Meninger, Joseph Boyle, and Theophane Boyd (2002) *''Transformation of Suffering: Reflections on September 11 and the Wedding Feast at Cana in Galilee'' (2002) *''The Daily Reader for Contemplative Living: Excerpts from the Works of Father Thomas Keating, O.C.S.O. : Sacred Scripture, and Other Spiritual Writings'' (2003) *''Foundations for Centering Prayer and the Christian Contemplative Life: Open Mind, Open Heart, Invitation to Love, Mystery of Christ'' (2003) *''Manifesting God'' (2005) *''Active Prayer: On Retreat with Father Thomas Keating'' (2005) *''Centering Prayer: On Retreat with Father Thomas Keating'' (2005) *''Lectio Divina: On Retreat with Father Thomas Keating'' (2005) *''Welcoming Prayer: On Retreat with Father Thomas Keating'' (2005) *''Divine Therapy and Addiction: Centering Prayer and the Twelve Steps'' (2009) * ''Reflections on the Unknowable'' (2014)

Audio and video

*''Contemplative Prayer'' (Audio, 1995) *''The Contemplative Journey'' (Audio, 1997) *''The Contemplative Journey,'' Vol. 2 (Audio, 1997) *''Searching for God in America'' (Video, 1997) *''The Contemplative Journey'' (Audio CD) (2005) *''Contemplative Prayer: Traditional Christian Meditations for Opening to Divine Union'' (Audio CD) (2005)

References

External links

Contemplative Outreach websiteFather Thomas Keating Collection at Pitts Theology Library

ONE: The Movie
Participation in ONE: The Movie
Thomas Keatings' booksSt. Benedict's Monastery
*

by ReadTheSpirit.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Keating, Thomas 1923 births 2018 deaths Writers from New York City Clergy from New York City Deerfield Academy alumni Trappists American abbots American Roman Catholic religious writers 20th-century American Roman Catholic priests 21st-century American Roman Catholic priests American spiritual writers Centering prayer Yale University alumni Fordham University alumni