Renewal Center begins yearlong program on prayer
This fall, Precious Blood Renewal Center in Liberty, Missouri, kicks off a yearlong series introducing participants to different prayer styles and practices. “The aim is to deepen our prayer experiences,” says Dennis Coday, director of engagement at the Renewal Center, who is organizing the series.
“We all want to learn how to pray more sincerely, more intentionally,” Coday explains. “To help us do that, we are inviting practitioners of a variety of prayer styles, mostly from the Catholic tradition but also from other faith traditions to demonstrate prayers in their particular style.”
“These won’t be just lectures about praying,” Coday continues. “The idea is to give the participants an experience of a prayer style or technique.”
The fall schedule has been set:
Sept. 4: Rev. Dr. Kevin Kelley, pastor of the First Christian Church of Platte City, Missouri, will introduce us to Centering Prayer, a method of Christian silent prayer.
Oct. 2: Kathy Keary, formerly of the Renewal Center staff, will walk us through Lectio Divina, a meditative way of praying with Scripture through gentle reading and reflection.
Nov. 6: Lama Matthew Palden Gocha, the spiritual director of the Rime Buddhist Center in Kansas City, will demonstrate meditation techniques in the Buddhist tradition.
Dec. 4: Carlos Garcia Alayon, professor of New Testament at Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas, will lead the session “Reading Scripture with Our Lady of Guadalupe.”
Presentations planned for 2026 include introductions to Christian mysticism, Muslim prayer practices, Ignatian Spirituality, Kundalini Yoga and Praying with the Rosary. Visit the Renewal Center website for details and to register. Presentations will be in person and by Zoom.
“We will be looking at prayer practices used in the Catholic tradition, but also practices from other faith traditions, because we believe other traditions can help us understand our own better and vice versa,” Coday said.
He quotes an essay on Belief.net by Stephanie Hertzenberg, “What Can Christians Learn from Other Faiths?”: “There is a great deal each religion can teach the others. … Learning from another teacher does not negate another’s teachings. If anything, adherents of other religions can teach Christians how to deepen their own faith and better their own practices.”
Also this fall, Lucia Ferrara, the Renewal Center’s director of hospitality, and her husband, Michael, will lead a couple’s book study of “5 Love Languages” by Dr. Gary Chapman. The book presents a simple and effective communication approach that couples can learn to strengthen their relationships for great joy and satisfaction.
For a full list of programs offered by the Renewal Center, visit pbrenewalcenter.org/events.