WNC: Cathedral Crossroads Program

Join us for an evening offering
of contemplative practices
music and reflection

Last Tuesday of the month, 6–8:45 pm

On the last Tuesday evening of each month, the Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage at Washington National Cathedral presents Cathedral Crossroads, an evening of contemplative practice that is free and open to the public. Participants come to walk the labyrinth, attend the Centering Prayer gathering, receive healing from a laying on of hands or simply sit in the twilight quiet of the nave listening to the strains of harp and Native American flute music that accompanies the labyrinth walks.

As part of each evening, special programs are presented at 7:30 pm that create opportunities for engaging with diverse aspects of spiritual practices or interfaith devotions.

The evening concludes with a brief time of night prayers in the Great Choir. Cathedral Crossroads is free and open to the public.

6–7 pm	Centering Prayer in the Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage
6:30–8:45 pm	Labyrinth Walk accompanied by harpist in the nave
6:30–8:45 pm	Laying on of Hands for Healing in Holy Spirit Chapel
7:30–8:30 pm	Special Program in Bethlehem Chapel
	April 29: Art in Nature with the Rev. Mary Norton
	May 27: Drama for Your Spirit: Acting Faithfully with Deryl Davis
	June 24: Chant with Trinitas
8:45 pm	Compline in the Great Choir

April 29: Art in Nature with the Rev. Mary Norton
In this program, we will use an arts activity, prayer and poetry, to contrast the bounty of God’s created world with the scarcity that is also abundant in this country and throughout the world. In our activity, we will use leaves, which are vastly abundant in nature, where they adorn, protect and help nourish tree and plant life. Participants are asked to bring a leaf (fresh and flexible, preferably found rather than plucked) which each will print on a collective surface. Participants will also be asked to offer verbal prayers and hopes regarding the scarcity in the world today.

May 27: Drama for Your Spirit: Acting Faithfully with Deryl Davis
Renowned English stage director Peter Brook calls theatre “the holy art.” Indeed, drama and religion have much in common, from ritual to role-playing, community-building, and matters of trust and empathy. Join Deryl Davis and explore the ways drama can be used as a tool for healing and ministry through improvisational exercises, role-playing, and the enhancement of listening and observational skills.

For more information and inquires about the Cathedral Crossroads program, please contact Terri Lynn Simpson at (202) 537-5246 or e-mail tsimpson@cathedral.org.
The Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage offers pilgrimages to the Cathedral or to sacred sites abroad. To request more information, please contact the Pilgrimage Assistant at (202) 537-2373 or e-mail pilgrimages@cathedral.org.

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Centering Prayer Program

Tuesdays, 6–7 pm
Wednesdays, 8–8:30 am

We may think of prayer as directing our thoughts and feelings to God in words. But this is only one expression. Centering prayer is an opening of mind and heart—our whole being—to the Holy One, beyond thoughts, words and emotions. We open our awareness to the divine presence that we know is within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than choosing—closer than consciousness itself.
—Father Thomas Keating

Come learn and practice this ancient way of Christian meditation on Tuesday evenings from 6 to 7 pm in the Cathedral Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage. The keystone of a full commitment to Christianity’s contemplative dimensions, Centering Prayer is an exercise in letting go. With regular practice, Centering Prayer will release you from the expectations and preconceived notions of your false self so that you may be fully receptive to God. You will be transformed by a new and palpable tranquility that you feel living within you. Through the discussion of spiritual classics, you will learn to rest in the interior silence that is the root of all prayer. Come share in this devotional journey into the unknown. Led by the director of the Center, the Rev. Eugene Sutton.

Wednesday morning sessions are held immediately following the 7:30 am Eucharist in the Cathedral Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage.