53 Mill Street, Westfield, MA, USA
January 1 - December 31, 2026
About this Retreat
Fr. Bill Sheehan is a priest and a member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), and has a Masters Degree in Formative Spirituality from Duquesne University. Fr. Sheehan was present at the first Centering Prayer retreat offered by Fr. Thomas Keating, OCSO,at the Lama Foundation in 1993. Since that time, he has led many Centering Prayer workshops and retreats world-wide.
Mark S. Burrows is much sought-after as a retreat leader and speaker on mysticism and poetry as well as spirituality and the arts. In 2021, he founded and continues to lead a popular online program, “the Julian Circle,” with monthly Zoom gatherings that encourage participants to live into the wholistic wisdom of Julian’s “showings.” A teacher, scholar and award-winning poet and translator of German poetry, his recent popular books include three collections of meditative poems inspired by Eckhart’s writings, most recently Meister Eckhart’s Book of Darkness and Light (winner of the 2024 Nautilus Book Awards Gold Medal). Other recent publications include You Are the Future: Living the Questions with Rainer Maria Rilke, co-written with Stephanie Dowrick (2024). A member of the Iona Community, he lives and writes in Camden, ME. For more about him: www.soul-in-sight.org
Anne Simpkinson has been practicing Centering Prayer (CP) since 1996. In 1997, she interviewed Fr. Thomas Keating, one of the developers of and principal advocate of the Centering Prayer method. That same year, she sought to deepen her practice in a 10-day intensive in Snowmass, CO. While living in New York City, she trained as an Introductory CP Introductory Workshop facilitator, served as co-coordinator of the New York chapter of Contemplative Outreach for three years, and facilitated CP groups at St. Bartholomew and St. Ignatius Loyola Churches. For several years, she was the Communications Director at Mercy by the Sea. She currently facilitates Centering Prayer retreats and, with Claire Rusowicz, contemplative prayer retreats in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
(Prayer Retreats)
Joe's spiritual journey unfolds as a rich tapestry, interwoven with threads of faith, love, and a deep connection to all of creation. As a self-described ragamuffin, Secular Franciscan, and beloved child of God, he embraces life's mysteries with an open heart and a contemplative spirit. His path has led him to experience the Divine as an infinite wellspring of love, shaped by personal encounters, the teachings of Jesus, and the wisdom of cherished mentors and companions.
Central to Joe's philosophy is the recognition of the profound interconnectedness of all beings and the natural world. This eco-spiritual perspective informs his approach to life, fostering a deep reverence for the Earth and all its inhabitants. Through contemplative practices, he cultivates a heightened awareness of this universal bond, finding the sacred in the ordinary and the extraordinary alike.
With a deep-seated passion for accompanying others on their spiritual quests, Joe believes in the power of shared experiences and mutual learning. He finds profound beauty in creation and human connection, emphasizing the transformative potential of being fully present in each moment. This mindful approach allows him to discover joy and freedom even amidst life's challenges, embodying the spirit of companionship Living the Way.
Joe's journey towards spiritual wholeness is an ongoing process of integration, bringing together mind, body, and spirit in harmony with the natural world. He invites others to join him in this exploration, recognizing that each person's path to wholeness is unique yet interconnected with all others. Through this lens, he sees every encounter as an opportunity for growth, healing, and the expansion of love in the world.
Details of this retreat
“God is nearer to us than our own soul, for God is the ground in which our soul stands.” *
The Contemplative Living Immersion Experience is a year-long invitation to deepen into the stillness and spaciousness of God’s presence. Through silence, prayer, and sacred attentiveness, participants are gently guided into a more grounded experience of life in the Spirit. This journey unfolds across a series of retreats that weave together wisdom from the Christian contemplative tradition and the lived grace of daily practice.
Each season opens a doorway into greater awareness: awakening to the heart’s deeper knowing, learning to rest beyond the ego’s patterns, and discovering the healing beauty of presence. Through the companionship of trusted teachers—Fr. Bill Sheehan, OMI; Anne Simpkinson; Mark Burrows; and Joseph Krans, OFS—participants are invited to explore practices that nurture the contemplative life from the inside out.
The ongoing rhythm of Heart-Centered Meditation supports this immersion, offering time and space to anchor insights in quiet prayer. Whether encountering the mystics, walking silently in nature, or writing from the heart, participants awaken to the sacred that breathes within and around all things.
The Contemplative Living Immersion Experience is not simply a program—it is a pilgrimage into stillness, a year of returning to the heart, and a way of embodying contemplative awareness in every moment of life.
Program Content and Schedule **
The Contemplative Living Immersion Experience unfolds over the course of 2026, integrating six transformative retreat programs led by experienced contemplative teachers, alongside ongoing opportunities for daily practice in our Heart-Centered Meditation group.
Upgrading the Heart: Living Beyond the Egoic Operating System
With Fr. Bill Sheehan, OMI
January 30 - February 1, 2026
Heartwork for Daily Life: An Invitation to Journey with Christian Mystics
With Mark Burrows
March 27 - 29, 2026
Present to Presence: A Centering Prayer Retreat
With Anne Simpkinson
May 22 - 24, 2026
Presence, Prayer, and Writing from the Heart: A Contemplative Writing Retreat
With Anne A. Simpkinson
October 2 - 4, 2026
Finding Wholeness in the Midst of Everything with Julian of Norwich
With Mark Burrows
November 20 - 22, 2026
Optional programs offered at reduced cost:
Access Your Inner Room with Centering Prayer
With Fr. Bill Sheehan, OMI
October 29 - November 1, 2026
Mindful Transitions: A Contemplative Year End Retreat
With Joseph Krans, OFS
December 30, 2026 - January 2, 2027
This rich series of programs is designed to gradually deepen participants’ contemplative experience, inviting exploration of the heart, prayer, mysticism, and embodied presence. The Heart-Centered Meditation group meets regularly to support daily centering prayer practice, fostering ongoing integration throughout the year.
Program Cost: $1,795
Program Start Date: January 2026
* Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love
** The Contemplative Living Immersion Experience brings together, in one package, a series of Contemplative Living programs from the Genesis calendar. You can learn more about each program offering by visiting each programs description on the “Our Programs” page.
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