Contemplative Ministries
Christian Contemplative Ministries at St. Barnabas are about diving deep into the Heart of Divine Reality.
Everyone has the capacity to engage in contemplation and grow deeper in their relationship with the Cosmic Christ.
A tiny mustard seed transforms through time and nourishment to become a plant with branches of incredible strength. In the same way, we seek ways to grow our faith so that it becomes stronger and fuller over time. Several sources of spiritual food are available at St. Barnabas.
We invite you to learn how to live into the non–dual Reality of Divine Love. This ability is developed through conscious, intentional practice that we engage in together, and follow individually when we are apart. Our practices engage heart, mind, and body—the three centers of knowing for human beings.
Contemplative Ministries:
Centering Prayer
St. Barnabas hosts a Centering Prayer gathering every Tuesday at 9 a.m. in the Sanctuary. Our time together features an opening body prayer, a chant, twenty minutes of silence for Centering Prayer or other meditation, a reading (presently reading Meister Eckhart’s Book of Darkness and Light: Meditations on the Path of the Wayless Way) followed by an opportunity for reflections.
We invite you to gather in the sanctuary and experience the peaceful, centering energy of this ministry. Body, mind, and spirit are incorporated into this reflective practice which is facilitated and supported by priests among us and lay leadership. The Rev. Patricia Rome Robinson reflects “This is important work, developing and awakening of the spiritual heart and body awareness that is embedded in all human beings but often lies dormant.”
All are most welcome, even if you have no experience with Centering Prayer or Meditation. Come, sit in the envelope of silence and absorb the Presence. Your presence is your gift.
Contemplative Wisdom
Our world is full of busy-ness as we are inundated each day with more stimuli than we can process with any kind of understanding and meaning, frequently leaving us depleted and unable to be present to the abiding love of God.
The prayer of the contemplative is, essentially, an attention to the omnipresence of the God who is Love. God/Love is omnipresent not as a theological doctrine, but as the great silence that is present in every moment—but from which we are usually distracted by an overactive mind that refuses to wait in a humble unknowing for a pure wisdom from above.
Our monthly gatherings are open to all who want to expand and deepen their spiritual practice. This popular ministry includes both parishioners and a number of people from the greater Bainbridge community. In this time together we exercise the body, the heart and mind through Centering Prayer, chant, a body prayer, open discussion, and small group sharing. In addition, each year a classic or contemporary spiritual book is selected for participants to read, slowly digest, sit with and discuss at the gatherings. Recent books are Meister Eckhart’s Book of Darkness, Light, Living Presence: The Sufi Path to Mindfulness;, and The Cloud of Unknowing. The book for 2026 is Silence by Robert Sardello.
This winter/spring, our gatherings will occur monthly on Saturday mornings, beginning on January 10, 9:30 a.m.–Noon. All gatherings include intentional body practice, chant, silence for meditation, and small and whole group discussion.
For dates and planned readings for each gathering, please register with The Rev. Patricia Robertson. Please join us, even if you have never done so before. Discover the gift of wisdom and love that emerges in silence, and expand loving Presence in the world.
Labyrinth
A labyrinth is a path of prayer, contemplation and pilgrimage—was a long hoped–for addition to the church grounds. During Covid, in late 2020, a member of the church was asked to lead the project. Shortly thereafter, a labyrinth was installed and blessed on the grounds of St. Barnabas, adjacent to the lower patio next to the parish hall (also called the Close), and is available for walking meditation at your convenience. There will be group opportunities for learning and walking provided periodically. Check here for any upcoming events.
From The Rev. Patricia Rome Robertson
I am so grateful to the rector of St. Barnabas Church for inviting me to focus on the spiritual work that has meant so much to me for many years. I’ve been a regular practitioner of Contemplative Wisdom since 1998 when Thomas Keating came to the parish where I was serving for a weekend of teaching and practice of Centering Prayer. That practice, along with engagement of Wisdom School teachings with Cynthia Bourgeault, started me on the road of learning about the transformation that spiritual practice brings about in individuals and communities and yes, I believe, the world. This is important work, developing and awakening of the spiritual heart and body awareness that is embedded in all human beings but often lies dormant. Please feel free to email me with questions about this ministry. Join us for a deepening of your life in Christ!