08/21/2026
Fr. William Meninger (1932-2021) was a Trappist monk whom, with Fathers Thomas Keating and Basil Pennington, embarked on a journey to experiment in developing a method of contemplative prayer for laypeople. In the spirit of Vatican II, the three brothers wished to bring this prayer out of the monasteries and into the hearts of people. This experiment would grow to become Contemplative Outreach.
Through his extensive study of the 14th-century anonymous work of Christian mysticism, "The Cloud of the Unknowing," as well as other contemplative literature, Fr. Meninger developed a simple prayer method he called "The Prayer of the Cloud."
Along with Fr. Keating and Fr. Pennington, "The Prayer of the Cloud" was taught to the brothers of the Spencer, Massachusetts monastery and to the laypeople on retreats. One such retreat, a retreatant, alluding to Thomas Merton's description of prayer as "...centered entirely on the presence of God...", the prayer became what we now know as Centering Prayer.
Fr. Meninger was a dear friend of many at Contemplative Outreach of Colorado and The Center for Contemplative Living in Denver. He remains a strong figure to our organization, and contemplative prayer across the globe.
