Every Monday night in the Catholic Chapel, men of all faiths come together to practice the art of centering prayer. The guidelines are as follows:
1. Light a candle to represent God’s presence.
2. Sit in a comfortable position; close your eyes and relax.
3. Choose a word as a connection to the divine. Focus the mind on your word. Let go of thoughts, worries or cares. If the mind wanders, gently return the focus to the sacred word and your attention to connect with God.
4. At the end of a 20-minute prayer period, the Lord’s Prayer is recited. Do a slow meditative walk around the chapel. Sit for another 20 minutes, followed by a discussion on the practice.
The aim of centering prayer is to sit in quiet contemplation with open hearts listening to God’s still, small voice.
“Centering prayer is a birth of good works; insight into spiritual things and a path to resting in God as we cease to toil and struggle,” said Mike Erwin, a member of the group. “I also do centering prayer twice a day in my cell. I find that the more I empty myself, the more I gain a Christ-like mind; which is the desire of my heart. Centering prayer strengthens my concentration, my focus and my ability to let go. These skills translate into being able to induce stillness by will; and in stillness, I am in close union with God.”
“This in turn enables me to relate to ‘things’ and people in my world in a Godly way. My actions and service of love for others will be as God desires,” Erwin said.
“Prison can be a very violent, chaotic and stressful place. The extreme overcrowding compounds this. Fortunately, San Quentin offers some solutions, which lay at the root of the problem (the hearts and minds of men). We have educational, self-help and spiritual programs that facilitate change and growth in our lives.
“I came here from old Folsom where programs/opportunities like this are virtually non-existent. The result is a violent prison with riots and long lockdowns that constitute untold costs to the taxpayers, not to mention unnecessary suffering of the prisoners.”