Thomas Keating

Thomas Keating, O.C.S.O. (March 7, 1923 – October 25, 2018) was an American Catholic monk and priest of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (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, Spencer, Massachusetts. [1] [2]

For the art forger of the same name, see Tom Keating.
For the American football player of the same name, see Tom Keating (American football)
Thomas Keating in 2012

Life

Keating was born in New York City in December 1923 and attended Deerfield Academy, Yale University, and Fordham University.

Keating entered the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance in Valley Falls, Rhode Island, in January 1944. He was appointed Superior of St. Benedict's Monastery, Snowmass, Colorado, in 1958, and was elected abbot of St. Joseph's Abbey, Spencer, Massachusetts, in 1961. He returned to Snowmass after retiring as abbot of Spencer in 1981, where he established a program of ten-day intensive retreats in the practice of Centering Prayer, a contemporary form of the Christian contemplative tradition.

He 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 and Basil Pennington, also trappist 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. 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 had been known to use the term prior to this, it has been suggested the phrase may have originated from him.

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, 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 also helped found the Snowmass Interreligious Conference in 1982 and was a past president of the Temple of Understanding and of the Monastic Interreligious Dialogue among other interreligious activities.

Keating died at St. Joseph's Abbey, Spencer, Massachusetts, on 25 October 2018, aged 94 years old.

Bibliography
Silence is the language God speaks, and everything else a bad translation, Fr. Thomas Keating

Books
  • Crisis of Faith (1979) ISBN 0-932506-05-4
  • Finding Grace at the Center (1979) ISBN 0-932506-00-3
  • Heart of the World (1981) ISBN 0-8245-0014-8
  • And the Word Was Made Flesh (1982) ISBN 0-8245-0505-0
  • Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel (1986) ISBN 0-8264-0696-3
  • The Mystery of Christ: The Liturgy as Spiritual Experience (1987) ISBN 0-8264-0697-1
  • Heart of the World: Spiritual Catechism (1988) ISBN 0-8245-0903-X
  • Mystery of Christ (1988) ISBN 0-916349-41-1
  • Awakenings (1990) ISBN 0-8245-1044-5
  • Kundalini Energy and Christian Spirituality: A Pathway to Growth and Healing, by Philip St Romain, illus. Intro. by Thomas Keating (1991) ISBN 0-8245-1062-3
  • Reawakenings (1991) ISBN 0-8245-1149-2
  • Invitation to Love: The Way of Christian Contemplation (1992) ISBN 0-8264-0698-X
  • Intimacy with God (1994) ISBN 0-8245-1588-9
  • Loving Search for God: Contemplative Prayer and "The Cloud of Unknowing,", with William A. Meninger (1994) ISBN 0-8264-0682-3
  • Crisis of Faith, Crisis of Love (1995) ISBN 0-8264-0805-2
  • Active Meditations for Contemplative Prayer (1997) ISBN 0-8264-1061-8
  • The Kingdom of God is Like... (1997) ISBN 0-8245-1659-1
  • Centering Prayer in Daily Life and Ministry, co-edited with Gustave Reininger (1998) ISBN 0-8264-1041-3
  • The Diversity of Centering Prayer (1998) ISBN 0-8264-1115-0
  • The Human Condition: Contemplation and Transformation (Wit Lectures) (1999) ISBN 0-8091-3882-4
  • Journey to the Center: A Lenten Passage (1999) ISBN 0-8245-1895-0
  • The Better Part: Stages of Contemplative Living (2000) ISBN 0-8264-1229-7
  • Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit (2000) ISBN 1-930051-21-2
  • St. Therese of Lisieux: A Transformation in Christ (2000) ISBN 1-930051-20-4
  • Divine Indwelling: Centering Prayer and Its Development, with George F. Cairns, Thomas R. Ward, Sarah A. Butler, Fitzpatrick-Hopler (2001) ISBN 1-930051-79-4
  • Sundays at the Magic Monastery: Homilies from the Trappists of St. Benedict's Monastery with William Meninger, Joseph Boyle, and Theophane Boyd (2002) ISBN 1-59056-033-7
  • Transformation of Suffering: Reflections on September 11 and the Wedding Feast at Cana in Galilee (2002) ISBN 1-59056-036-1
  • 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) ISBN 0-8264-1515-6
  • Foundations for Centering Prayer and the Christian Contemplative Life: Open Mind, Open Heart, Invitation to Love, Mystery of Christ (2003) ISBN 0-8264-1397-8
  • Manifesting God (2005) ISBN 1-59056-085-X
  • Active Prayer: On Retreat with Father Thomas Keating (2005) ISBN 0-8264-1783-3
  • Centering Prayer: On Retreat with Father Thomas Keating (2005) ISBN 0-8264-1780-9
  • Lectio Divina: On Retreat with Father Thomas Keating (2005) ISBN 0-8264-1782-5
  • Welcoming Prayer: On Retreat with Father Thomas Keating (2005) ISBN 0-8264-1781-7
  • Divine Therapy and Addiction: Centering Prayer and the Twelve Steps (2009) ISBN 978-1-59056-144-7
  • Reflections on the Unknowable (2014) ISBN 978-1590564370

Audio and video
  • Contemplative Prayer (Audio, 1995) ISBN 1-56455-324-8
  • The Contemplative Journey (Audio, 1997) ISBN 1-56455-537-2
  • The Contemplative Journey, Vol. 2 (Audio, 1997) ISBN 1-56455-538-0
  • Searching for God in America (Video, 1997)
  • The Contemplative Journey (Audio CD) (2005) ISBN 1-59179-335-1
  • Contemplative Prayer: Traditional Christian Meditations for Opening to Divine Union (Audio CD) (2005) ISBN 1-59179-306-8

References
  1. Bale, Miriam (April 10, 2014). "Breaking Silence on a Monk". New York Times. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  2. Seelye, Katharine Q. (October 28, 2018). "Rev. Thomas Keating, Pioneer in Contemplative Movement, Dies at 95". New York Times. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
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