Thomas Keating
Thomas Aquinas Keating OCSO (born March 7, 1923 in New York - † October 25, 2018 in Spencer , Massachusetts ) was an American Trappist monk and abbot and one of the co-founders of Centering Prayer .
Life
Thomas Keating studied philosophy and theology at Yale University and Fordham University after attending Deerfield Academy . In December 1943 he finished his studies . Keating joined the Trappist Order in January 1944 in Valley Falls , Rhode Island. In 1958 he was elected Superior of St. Benedict's Convent in Snowmass , Colorado . In 1961 he became abbot of St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts . After resigning as Abbot of Spencer in 1981, he returned to Snowmass, where he conducted a specific form of ten-day intensive retreat , with an emphasis on the practice of centering prayer .
He was one of the three co-founders of this form of prayer , which is a newer method of contemplative prayer. It was created in 1975 in St. Josephs Abbey. William Meninger and Basil Pennington , both also Cistercian monks, were the other co-founders. The concept was first proposed by Father Keating. William Meninger began with a method of prayer based on the 14th century spiritual classic The Cloud of Ignorance . He calls this the prayer in the "cloud" (of ignorance) and taught it to the priests on retreats. Basil Pennington was the first to share the prayer with a lay audience in Connecticut , where participants suggested the term " centering prayer ". Thomas Merton had used the term before.
In 1984 Thomas Keating founded Contemplative Outreach Ltd. together with Gustave Reininger and Edward Bednar . , an international ecumenical spiritual network that aims to help spread the practice of Centering Prayer and Lectio divina . These are methods of prayer from the Christian contemplative tradition. Contemplative Outreach offers help for believers who have taken the contemplative path, e.g. B. Retreats and workshops . Keating published 28 books, many on prayer.
In 2014 a documentary film "Thomas Keating: A Rising Tide of Silence" was released. Keating was also President of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue and Temple of Understanding .
Thomas Keating lived at St. Benedict's Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado until March 2018 and died at St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts on October 25, 2018.
Publications
- The crisis of faith . Johannes-Verlag, Leutesdorf am Rhein 1975, ISBN 3-7794-0611-X .
- The prayer of gathering. Introduction and accompaniment of contemplative prayer (1st volume of the trilogy). Vier-Türme-Verlag, Münsterschwarzach 1987; Revised edition 2010, ISBN 978-3-89680-474-7 .
- The contemplative prayer (2nd volume of the trilogy). Vier-Türme-Verlag, Münsterschwarzach 2012, ISBN 978-3-89680-554-6 .
- Contemplation and worship. Liturgy as a spiritual experience (3rd vol. Of the trilogy). Vier-Türme-Verlag, Münsterschwarzach 2012, ISBN 978-3-89680-813-4 .
- Where are you my god Ways out of the crisis of faith . Münsterschwarzach 2013, Vier-Türme-Verlag, ISBN 978-3-89680-830-1 .
Web links
- Literature by and about Thomas Keating in the catalog of the German National Library
- Short biography
- Interview with Thomas Keating on Youtube
- Obituary ( English )
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Keating, Thomas |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Keating, Thomas Aquinas (full name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American Catholic priest and Trappist |
DATE OF BIRTH | March 7, 1923 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | new York |
DATE OF DEATH | October 25, 2018 |
Place of death | Spencer , Massachusetts |