Beth MurphyOur Saviour’s Catholic Church, Cocoa Beach9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.Rosemary Van PeltHoly Name of Jesus Church in Indialantic9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.Lelia MullisSt. George Episcopal, The Villages9 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.Irene BabineauSacred Heart Church, New Smyrna Beach
Fr. Arico is known for his humor and his ability to bridge the linguistic gap between the clergy and laity. He credits this ability to the positions he held following his ordination as a diocesan priest for the Archdiocese of Newark, NJ in 1960. From 1960 to 1969, Fr. Arico served as a parish priest at a suburban church in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. He also served as a part-time teacher from 1960 to 1971 at Union Catholic High School, an all-girls school in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, where his students officially recognized him as an “honorary one-of-the-girls.” Between 1969 and 1979, Fr. Arico was actively involved in the marriage and family ministry in the Archdiocese of Newark and the Province of New Jersey. He returned to life as a parish priest in 1979 and soon was named the Director of Priest Personnel for the Archdiocese of Newark in 1980. In 1986, he took a sabbatical for further studies and to co-author a book, Living Our Priesthood Today, with Fr. Basil Pennington. When he returned from his sabbatical, Fr. Arico accepted the full-time responsibility of becoming a staff member of Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. at the request of Fr. Thomas Keating and with the permission of Archbishop McCarrick.
Fr. Arico is honored to have known Fr. Keating since 1969 and believes whole-heartedly in the purpose of Contemplative Outreach, which Fr. Keating has outlined. As testament to his faith in the power of contemplative prayer, Fr. Arico has practiced Centering Prayer since 1975 and taught the prayer since 1978. He also was present for the first intensive Centering Prayer retreat that Fr. Keating offered at the Lama Foundation in San Cristobal, New Mexico in 1983, which many founding members of Contemplative Outreach attended. Fr. Arico has seen Contemplative Outreach develop from a wish to the organization it is today. “The growth that has taken place in Contemplative Outreach,” he observes, “is a miracle of God’s grace and the power of prayer.”
At the Day of Prayer participants are often asked for a $10.00 donation. Half goes to CO National to defray the costs of the Day of Prayer materials and half goes to the COCFL scholarship fund to make conferences and workshops available to as many as possible regardless of ability to pay.
The following Centering Prayer Group Facilitators have volunteered to hold and host a United in Prayer Day. You are invited to contact the one nearest you to join them. The 30-minute video segment “Words”, from the new Centering Prayer: A Way of Life DVD with Fr. Carl J. Arico is the suggested spiritual enrichment for group and individual retreats. Many of these groups will be using this video from Fr. Arico. Fr. Arico will be COCFL’s fall retreat leader in November 4-6, 2016.
Please contact the facilitator below to check times and meeting space.