Offerings by Shalem Graduates

Church of the Wild

Dates: Meets monthly, usually the first and third Sunday of the month
Time: 3 PM
Place: Locations vary; Washington, DC Metro area
Cost: No charge but please check in to register and to get directions
Details: A program of the Center for Spirituality in Nature, Church of the Wild gathers monthly to honor the mutual indwelling of the Divine with the Earth and all of its beings, remembering our sacred interconnection and interdependence through multi-traditional spiritual practices, music, and solo or group wanderings. All are welcome.
Leaders: Rev. Sarah Anders (UCC), is a 2007 graduate of Shalem’s Transforming Community: Leading Contemplative Groups & Retreats Program and Beth Norcross is founding director of the Center for Spirituality in Nature.
Contact: For more information, please visit: https://www.centerforspiritualityinnature.org/church-of-the-wild

Still Place: An Urban Retreat

Date and Time: Can be arranged as desired
Place: Still Place: An Urban Retreat in Mt. Rainier, Maryland
Cost: $10 per individual per hour or $30 per day
Food, facilitation or other services are available for an additional fee. Sliding scale is always possible and may be negotiated for each individual or group.
Details: Still Place is a space to nurture the body and spirit; a place for quiet, rest, solitude, and prayer in the middle of our city. Still Place welcomes individuals and small groups of up to 10 people to our home and garden for daytime accommodation. We can help you plan your day here or you can use your time as you wish. We can provide healthful, homemade snacks, soups, salads, and breads or you may bring your own food.
Leader: Judy Walsh-Mellett is the host of Still Place. She is a graduate of Shalem’s Transforming Community: Leading Contemplative Prayer Groups & Retreats. She has a long association with Dayspring Silent Retreat Center as a retreat leader.
Contact: Judy Walsh-Mellett at: stillplacemd@gmail.com or 301-927-2015

Wellspring Retreat and Conference Center

Date: Ongoing
Time: Weekends or weekdays
Place: Germantown, MD
Cost: Weekend Retreats are Friday evening through Sunday Lunch = $300; Weekday gatherings without food – $35 a person
Details: Are you leading a small group for prayer/meditation or a retreat and need a location to hold it? Check out the Wellspring Conference Center https://wellspringconference.org/
Contact: Catalina Conneally-Salazar, Administrator at Wellspring  (Shalem Graduate from the Spiritual Guidance Program 2014) 

A Weekly Centering Prayer Group

Dates: Ongoing
Time: 6:30 PM, Fridays
Place: St. James the Apostle Episcopal Church, 1803 Highland Hollow Drive at Texas 105 West, Conroe, TX (north of Houston)
Cost: Free
Details: This ongoing group provides the chance to come together weekly for centering prayer.
Leaders: Pamela Lewis, a graduate of Shalem’s Nurturing the Call: Spiritual Guidance Program, has led and co-led retreats for years, and is co-leader of the Spiritual Formation Committee at St. James the Apostle Episcopal Church. She is co-leading this group with the Rev. Deacon Phyllis Hartman.
Contact: For more information: gotyacovered45@yahoo.com; 936-520-8004 (cell).

Church of the Wild: Two Rivers

Dates: Meets monthly, usually on the first Sunday of the month
Time: 3-5PM
Place: Outdoors in nature preserves and on the grounds of retreat centers near Shepherdstown, WV
Cost: Free; register via Facebook or website
Details: Church of the Wild: Two Rivers is an emerging community, meeting in the midst of and sharing with the abundant life all around us. Our intent is to deepen our connection to the Sacred by being more open, present and available in each moment. We learn from the earth and trees, the skies and water, and all living beings in the web of the natural world. Located in a region where the winding Shenandoah meets the majestic Potomac River, we are nurtured in silence, beauty, and connection.
Leader: Leah Rampy is a graduate of Shalem’s Living in God: Personal Spiritual Deepening and Transforming Community: Leading Contemplative Prayer Groups & Retreats as well as the former executive director of Shalem. She serves on the staff of Transforming Community: Leading Contemplative Prayer Groups & Retreats and co-leads Shalem pilgrimages.
Contact: churchofthewild2rivers@gmail.com; www.churchofthewild2rivers.com; FB @churchofthewild2rivers

Kairos Platzl

Dates: Ongoing
Time: Mondays and Fridays from 8-9 PM for meditation in the chapel. Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10-11 AM and 8-9 PM.
Place: 5505 Mhlbach am Hochknig, Mandlwandstrasse 437 AUSTRIA
Cost: Free. Please call or email for a place. The seating is limited. You may also make a private appointment.
Details: Kairos Platzl is a special place where individuals are invited to come and be, to enjoy nature, inhale the fresh mountain air, be reconnected with nature, listen to the voice within, and recharge their batteries. Locals are often blind to what is in front of them, and Kairos Platzl offers an opportunity to experience their environment in a new way. For visitors to the region, this is a unique welcome to begin their holiday: to prepare their bodies, minds, and spirits for the energy and radiance of Hochkoenig. It is an invitation to live more fully into this experience of nature as they hike, rest, and enjoy this mountain lifestyle. This special Platzl offers rest, time to be, words of encouragement and reflection. Come and join us in this informal and relaxed atmosphere as we breathe in this Kairos. Discover who you are and where you are being led.
Leader: Clair Ullmann is a graduate of Shalem’s Nurturing the Call: Spiritual Guidance Program and a past Shalem board member.
Contact: Cell: +43 664533 3530; Home: +43 6467 20 107; Email: revclair@gmail.com

Contemplative Fire Gatherings

Dates: 4th Sunday of the month (except July)
Place: St. Leonard’s Anglican Church, 25 Wanless Avenue, Toronto, ON Canada
Cost: free-will offering
Details: This is the monthly worship of our alternative contemplative community. It is an experiential, eclectic, contemplative engagement with scripture and includes communion. There is spaciousness, stillness, and storytelling. It has a different flow, visual images and eclectic music each month depending on the theme.
Leader: Anne Crosthwait is an Anglican priest and Community Leader of Contemplative Fire. A graduate of Shalem’s Transforming Community: Leading Contemplative Groups and Retreats Program, she is a retreat and spiritual director, artist and art-journaler.
Contact: 416-834-3400 www.contemplativefire.ca

Abide in Me

Date: Weekly online contemplative prayer group
Time: Wednesdays, 12:30-1:30 pm EST
Cost: Free
Details: The theme of this drop-in group is “Abide in Me.” Each session begins with body prayer followed by a brief guidance that introduces a contemplative prayer practice. After a time of silence punctuated by a contemplative walk, we end with a brief time for participants to offer intercessions for those who are in need and for the world. No prior experience with contemplative practices is needed. All are welcome.
Leader: Robert S. (Robin) Seiler, Jr., a graduate of Shalem’s Transforming Community: Leading Contemplative Prayer Groups & Retreats Program, has led meditation and contemplative prayer groups for over 25 years. He is a clinical social worker in private practice in College Park, MD.
Contact: For questions and information about how to access the group sessions: rsseilerjrmsw@gmail.com or 917-745-6135.

Closer Than Breath

Date: Ongoing
Time: Ongoing, 6-week, self-paced course
Cost: $75
Details: Closer Than Breath is a 6-week, self-paced meditation course grounded in opening to God as closer than the air we breathe. Closer Than Breath is a self-paced course offering an interfaith approach to the meditation method of Centering Prayer.
Leader: Keith Kristich, a graduate of Shalem’s Transforming Community: Leading Contemplative Prayer Groups and Retreats, is a certified meditation teacher and commissioned presenter of Centering Prayer. Keith currently serves on the Board of Directors with Shalem. You can see more about Keith’s work here: http://keithkristich.com/
Contact: See http://closerthanbreath.com/ for details, to register, or to get on the wait list.

Discovering the Sacred in the Ordinary: A Busy Person’s Virtual Retreat via ZOOM – 3 consecutive Wednesdays in October

Date: 3 Sessions:  Oct 7, Oct 14, Oct 21 on Zoom
Time: 6:30 to 8:30 pm EST
Cost: $100 choose this level if you have the privilege of financial security; $75 standard level; $50 scholarship level
Details: The Spirituality Network is pleased to host a virtual retreat experience that takes place within the ordinary dailyness of life. Over the course of these three weeks, you will make special time each day for prayer, reflection, and silence. On Wednesdays we will gather in online community, and you will meet —for about an hour—with an assigned spiritual director to reflect on your daily practice of prayer and the ways in which you are noticing God’ s presence in your daily life. This is an excellent opportunity to get a ‘taste’ of how spiritual direction might enrich your spiritual journey.
Leader: Bianca DeMaria & Amanda Stone Cushing
Contact: For more information, email Bianca DeMaria at bvm.demaria@gmail.com

Essence Meditation Made Easy

Date: Ongoing online course
Time: You can move through the course on your own time frame and book your private sessions with Kimberly respecting your schedule. There is unlimited access to the material for as long as it exists.
Cost: $280
Details: This course offers you six preparation videos; eight weeks of video instruction; five new meditation techniques per week (totaling 40); a private session with Kimberly Braun (more available as you wish); integration exercises; and multiple videos to help you integrate the course daily. The training provides insightful guidance in how to maintain and build physical, emotional, and psychological health, balance, focus, stamina, peace and joy using meditation and meditation techniques. Check out the details and two FREE videos here.
Leader: Rev. Kimberly Braun, M.A., a graduate of Shalem’s Nurturing the Call: Spiritual Guidance Program, is a spiritual director, author and international speaker, retreat leader, meditation coach, former Carmelite nun and fellow mystic and friend.
Contact: For questions and comments: Kimberly@kimberlybraun.com, 941-284-3036.

Pilgrims on a Journey: Spiritual Direction Groups

Dates: Ongoing (three group options)
Time: Every other Tuesday (10am central) or Wednesday (9am central)
Cost: $20 per gathering
Details: Groups meet for six months at a time for prayer, contemplative practices, silence and discernment. The groups are open to contemplatives, clergy, chaplains, therapists, spiritual directors and ministry professionals.
Leader: Rev. Jeana Martin is a graduate of the Shalem’s Nurturing the Call: Spiritual Guidance Program. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, spiritual director and leads pilgrimages on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. To learn more visit: https://www.pilgrimsonajourney.org/online-group-spiritual-direction
Contact: jeanamartin22@gmail.com or 512-359-8755

Radical Nourishment

Date: 3rd Wednesday, monthly
Time: 7:00 – 8:15 pm, EST
Location: online via Zoom (link will be provided)
Cost: $240 for 4 monthly meetings, including online chat, individual sessions w/ group leader as needed
Details: This is an eight-month small group program, limited to six participants, focused on merging health goals with contemplative mind-body-spirit practices and topics, ie, inner wisdom, transformation, True Self, liminal space, and grief. Meetings include group discussions, goal-setting, personal goal clarification, and sharing experiences. Participants have access to an online discussion group, access to session recordings, and support materials. For more info: https://www.susanmoorerd.com/radicalnourishment
Leader: Susan Moore, MS, RD is a graduate of Shalem’s Personal Spiritual Deepening Program: Living in God. She works with both individuals and groups providing spiritual direction, and is a registered dietitian-nutritionist. You can find more about Susan’s work at https://www.susanmoorerd.com/
Contact: Susan Moore, MS, RD susanmoorerd@gmail.com for details, to register, or to get on the wait list.

Soul Stirring Conversations: Divine Feminine Energy as Inspired by Mary Magdalene’s Gospel

Date: Thursday Oct 1, 2026 on Zoom
Time: 7-8:30 pm (AST)
Cost: FREE
Details: Who we are: a collection of open-minded, affirming, authentic people associated with the Anglican Church of NS and PEI. All peoples are welcome to this important conversation in a trusting and safe environment.

What: We are hosting an on-line conversation about Divine Feminine Energy as inspired by Mary Magdalene’s Gospel.

Where: This gathering will occur on Zoom. You may register at this address (soulstirringconversations@gmail.com) and the Zoom link will be e-mailed to you.

Why: The character of Mary Magdalene was denigrated by the early Church and her written Gospel disappeared for over fifteen hundred years. Today there is mounting Feminine Divine Energy flourishing worldwide and the spirit of Mary is emerging like a phoenix out of the ashes to support our love for God and relationship with Yeshua/Jesus, and to empower women’s spirituality and spiritual authority. This topic is likely to spark lively conversation and encourage self-reflection of our own sacred wisdom.

What to bring: your experience; an open mind and heart; a willingness to explore deep topics. Please know that this is a safe place to have an honest, authentic conversation about our emotions.

Ground Rules: Be kind; be respectful; be supportive of each other; be authentic; take care of yourself; honor confidentiality.

This event is supported by the Prospect Road Recreation Association.
Speaker: Linda Longmire, Spiritual Director, Barat Spiritual Centre, Halifax
Contact: soulstirringconversations@gmail.com

Standing Strong and Happy in the Storm

Date: Ongoing online course
Time: You can move through the course on your own time frame and book your private sessions with Kimberly respecting your schedule. There is unlimited access to the material for as long as it exists.
Cost: $297
Details: Do you believe it is possible to stand strong and happy in any storm that happens around you? Let Kimberly Braun show you perspectives and practices that have helped her cultivate living from her center where all strength and all happiness reside in fullness. This course includes eight weeks of teaching and practices designed to make meditation an easy and enjoyable part of your life. Kimberly has four free videos shedding light upon this topic: https://kimberlybraun.thinkific.com/courses/standing-strong-and-happy-in-the-storm
Leader: Rev. Kimberly Braun, M.A., a graduate of Shalem’s Nurturing the Call: Spiritual Guidance Program, is a spiritual director, author and international speaker, retreat leader, meditation coach, former Carmelite nun and fellow mystic and friend.
Contact: For questions and comments: Kimberly@kimberlybraun.com, 941-284-3036.

Tending Heart, Mind, and Body: Cultivating a Practice of Meditation

Date: Online, via Zoom beginning Saturday, October 3 through November 7
Time: 9-10:30 a.m. Eastern 
Cost: $150.00
Details: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.
– Isaiah 30:15

Through the centuries, people have cultivated practices to help them navigate the challenges of being human. In times like these, finding ways to tend our heart, body, and mind is vital. When we can find and regularly connect to our own center, our peace heals us and radiates into the lives of those we encounter.

This six-week course will introduce contemplative practices from multiple faith traditions that help us listen to and be with life as it is, not as we wish or fear it to be.

The invitation in meditation is to draw the attention inward, becoming aware of the flow of ever-changing experiences in each moment. Resting the attention on a home base; the breath, bodily sensation, or other anchor, mindful meditation nurtures the quieting of the mind. Thoughts continue to be part of the flow, but our relationship to them is changed.

All we can do in prayer is to position ourselves; the rest is in the power of the Spirit who leads us.
– St. Teresa of Avila

Over the six weeks, we will explore and practice mindfulness of breath, thought, emotion, and body. We will also spend time exploring loving kindness and compassion. Each session includes guided practice, brief teaching, and discussion. This class is open to all levels of contemplative practice. Meditation offers real steadiness for navigating uncertain times, and works best as one part of a broader web of support in your life.The course will encourage and support you as you nurture a practice of being still and meeting what comes.
Leader: Heidi Stahl, SGP ‘25 and Christi Humphrey 
Contact: https://www.bethanyhousearlington.org/tending-heart-mind-and-body

Within Two Hearts: Teresa and Yours

Date: Ongoing online course with private group page for sharingTime
Time: This course can be taken on your own time with private sessions booked per your schedule. There is unlimited access to the material for as long as it exists.
Cost: $257
Details: Let Teresa of Avila become one of your best friends. Join Rev. Kimberly Braun in a five-week immersion in Teresa’s life and writings, geared to the enrichment of your own heart. The course offers: weekly meditation, videos, integration exercises, webinars and a private session with Rev. Kimberly. https://kimberlybraun.thinkific.com/courses/within-two-hearts-teresa-and-yours
NOTE: Enjoy 10 FREE videos on the landing page of the course, per the link above.
Leader: Rev. Kimberly Braun, M.A., a graduate of Shalem’s Nurturing the Call: Spiritual Guidance Program, is a spiritual director, author and international speaker, retreat leader, meditation coach, former Carmelite nun and fellow mystic and friend.
Contact: For questions and comments: Kimberly@kimberlybraun.com, 941-284-3036.

Angelica, Jade C. Where Two Worlds Touch: A Spiritual Journey Through Alzheimers Disease, Skinner House Press, 2014.
A helpful resource for any director working with an Alzheimers/dementia caregiver as directee or for any director or directee who has a loved one with Alzheimers/dementia

Buckwell, Brenda K. The Advent of God’s Word: Listening for the Power of the Divine Whisper, SkyLight Paths, October, 2015.
Offers a daily retreat experience to help you get in touch with the hope, love, mystery, and joy of Advent

Brown, Lerita Coleman. When the Heart Speaks, Listen: Discovering Inner Wisdom,
Black Rose Writing, January 2019
Emphasizes the use of inner listening in coping with a heart transplant and other medical ordeals

Carter, Nancy Corson. A Green Bough: Poems for Renewal, Resource Publications, 2019
Poems that celebrate the natural world and call for its repair

Carter, Nancy Corson. Martha, Mary, and Jesus: Weaving Action and Contemplation in Daily Life, Wipf and Stock, 2020
A reprint of The Liturgical Press edition, 1992, with new Discussion Guides included in Afterword. Weaving as metaphor evoking creative alignment of our lives with Creation

Flinchbaugh, Nancy. Awakening: A Contemplative Primer on Learning to Sit, Higher Ground Books & Media, 2020
A how-to manual of contemplative practices

Flinchbaugh, Nancy. Letters from the Earth, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2018
A fresh voice of Gaia/God, who calls us to slow down and take time to appreciate the miraculous nature of all and to awaken to needed changes to avoid environmental destruction

Flinchbaugh, Nancy. Revelation at the Labyrinth, eLectio Publishing, 2017
A fictional account of personal healing and redemption

Freeman, Sharon. Spiritual Perspectives: Gifts of a Prayerful Life, Basswood Press, 2016
A book of poetry

Longmire, Linda M. Deepening a Sense of the Sacred: Contemplative Inspiration in Times of Need, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, December 2016
Contemplative poetry written from mindfulness practices in relation to a sense of the Sacred

Marshall, Bruce T. In Later Years: Finding Meaning and Spirit in Aging, Skinner Press, 2017
Questions of meaning and Spirit re-assert themselves as we age

Matthews, Westina. Dancing from the Inside Out: Grace-Filled Reflections on Growing Older,
Church Publishing, October 2019
A collection of essays about ordinary events that invites the reader to reflect on how God can be found in the season of aging

Maxwell, Joan. Soul Support: Spiritual Encounters at Life’s End, Resource Publications, 2017
Memoir of a hospital chaplain

Meyer, Gail. Celebrate Spirit! A Whimsical Journey Through a Woman’s Life, Celebrate Spirit Publishing, 2017
An invitation to journey in the company of Kathi Kurth’s miniature figures

Naylor, Ruth. Faith Talk: A Spiritual Memoir Inviting Reflection and Dialogue, WestBow Press, 2019
Stories about her life of faith

Rains, Joy. Meditation Illuminated, Whole Earth Press, 2013
Simple ways to manage your busy mind

Scott, Susan. Still Praying After All These Years: Meditations for Later Life, Upper Room, 2019
Meditations that encourage readers to realize that their lives still have meaning and that aging holds opportunities for spiritual growth

Srubas, Rachel M. The Desert of Compassion: Devotions for the Lenten Journey, Westminster John Knox Press, January 2023
Written in language both relatable and reverent, The Desert of Compassion provides daily Lenten sustenance inspired by sacred Scripture, present-day teachings, and personal experience

Taylor-Stinson, Therese (Ed.). Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around: Stories of Contemplation and Justice, Church Publishing, 2017
Collection of essays that bear witness to the necessity of a marriage between contemplation and action

van Balen, Mary. Reflections for Advent and Christmas: A Grace in the Moment Book, Biblio Publishing, 2019
A collection of columns on the themes of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany that invite reflection while living in the midst of a busy world

Weyrauch, Shirley. Following the Bread Crumbs, Balboa Press, 2017
Prayer stations with photographic images

Whitcomb, Holly W. The Practice of Finding–How Gratitude Leads the Way to Enough, Wm B. Eerdman’s Publishing Co., 2019
Explores the spiritual practice of finding as the antidote to chronic seeking

Are you a graduate offering programs in your area or have other offerings?

Email your listing to Michelle Geuder at michelle@shalem.org.

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