The Contemplative Practice Symposium is an invitation to those who have an established practice and are ready to take the next step— to become companions and facilitators that help introduce and support the practice in parish communities.
Facilitator formation is how the School for Contemplation & Discipleship tends the long life of this work: not just teaching individuals to pray, but raising up the companions who will help to keep the practice healthy and growing throughout our Diocese for years to come.
This inaugural gathering offers three distinct paths of facilitator formation, each rooted in its own tradition and taught by practitioners who have a deep well of experience and wisdom to share: Centering Prayer Facilitator Training, Labyrinth Facilitator Training, and Rooted in Stillness: Contemplative Practices for a Faithful Public Life Facilitator Training.
Clergy, we invite you to nominate individuals or pairs from your congregation who already hold an established contemplative practice in one of these pathways and may be ready to take the next step into facilitation.
Some considerations for nomination:
● Have a sustained personal practice in centering prayer, labyrinth walking, or contemplative engagement with public life and/or strong adult facilitation skills
● Exhibit the qualities of a companion or guide for others
● Would benefit from formation alongside practitioners across the diocese
To nominate, complete the form at the bottom of this post.
After considering nominations, we will communicate directly with each nominee and sponsoring clergy to confirm registration.
Date: Saturday, October 24, 2026
Registration: Opens at 8:00 a.m.
Program: Begins at 9:00 a.m. (ending times will vary by track)
Location: St. James’s Episcopal Church, Knoxville, TN
Cost: $40.00
What is provided with registration: light breakfast and coffee, lunch, journal, pen, program materials
Facilitation Training Pathways
Centering Prayer Facilitator Training
with the Rev. Rebecca Paluzzi Limited to 10 participants
For those with an established centering prayer practice who feel called to gather others into it. Using the Contemplative Outreach curriculum, this training equips participants to lead centering prayer groups and companion others as they enter the practice of silence. Prior Contemplative Outreach Centering Prayer training is highly recommended— opportunities will be available prior to this day’s training for initial or refresher formation.
Labyrinth Facilitator Training
with the Rev. Casey Perkins Limited to 20 participants
For those drawn to the ancient path of the labyrinth and ready to guide others in walking it. This training forms facilitators to hold labyrinth walks as sacred space, attending to threshold, pace, and presence , for individuals and communities seeking a walking prayer. Parishes may want to consider sending pairs for this formation.
Rooted in Stillness: Contemplative Practices for a Faithful Public Life Facilitator Training
with the Rev. John Mark Wiggers Limited to 20 participants
For those drawn to hold space for the Church’s exploration of grounded, compassionate presence in the world. In a culture shaped by distraction, anxiety, polarization, and exhaustion, Christians are called to cultivate lives rooted in prayer, attentiveness, compassion, and justice. This training forms facilitators to invite others into a deeper integration of contemplation and public discipleship, helping communities discover what it means to engage public life faithfully, from a place of prayer rather than reactivity. This is explicitly not a space for partisan political discussion; the focus remains formation, discipleship, and faithful Christian engagement with the world. Parishes may want to consider sending clergy/lay teams for this formation.