On Saturday, November 15, more than 40 faithful parishioners and friends enthusiastically   participated in the spiritual workshop on Centering Prayer organized by our Christian Education Committee (CEC).  Our guest speaker, Deacon Garo Nokhoudian from Sourp Hagop Armenian Church in Montreal, was engaging throughout day as he moved seamlessly through his presentation, answering questions, sharing his experiences, and setting the atmosphere for our time practicing Centered Prayer.  As he explained, this is a method of prayer that leads to a closer union with God and becomes Contemplative Prayer as our personal relationship with God grows stronger.

 Moving between Deacon Garo’s presentation/questions and answers and time in the sanctuary during the workshop provided a welcome balance between learning and applying this method of prayer in our daily lives.  Everyone also enjoyed fellowship during a light breakfast and lunch as they shared thoughts and made new friends.  The participants were so engaged that the workshop went beyond its scheduled time of 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  There are already requests to have Deacon Garo return for another presentation.

We thank His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian for bringing this opportunity to our church and the CEC for their work over the past months to organize and bring this workshop to fruition.  Our special thanks to Deacon Garo for traveling to be with us and his inspiring introduction to Contemplative Prayer.  Please plan to join us for other upcoming CEC events.