“I gave my watches away—ain’t got no time for that!” This mantra hummed in the back of my mind every time I craved my phone, a book, or even a pen—anything that allowed me to escape into communication ...

There’s an old saying that prayer is talking to God while meditation is listening to God. While it’s an oversimplification, the statement nevertheless conveys a kernel of truth. Meditation and ...

A week in silence may sound like a dream to anyone drained by the constant stimulation of modern life. But the reality of a silent retreat can be far from what you might imagine. Beyond the immediate ...

It's dusk on a September Tuesday as two dozen people step, silently and deliberately, around a twisting brick courtyard path at St. John's Episcopal Cathedral. A few walk barefoot. Some carry candles ...

Few people have guided me through mindfulness and meditation quite like Janet Solyntjes. As a longtime silent retreat leader, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) instructor and co-owner of the ...

A few years ago I had the opportunity to work for a semester as a chaplain at a Boston jail. My primary work was helping to lead a group of inmates in the practice of silent prayer. I cannot say that ...

When asked why he seemed to be wasting his time living in a monastery, the exceptional twentieth century Christian monk and writer, Thomas Merton, replied simply, “Because I believe in prayer." Most ...