Seekers of Silence-SOS- Knoxville

02/28/2026

Our quarterly meeting will be March 14th from 8:30 to 12 at the Church of the Ascention Parish Hall downstairs.

The Theme is: "Seeing Through: The Invitation of the Sacred."
From Symbol to Source, From Metaphor to Mystery.

Our Speaker, Bill Toth, PhD, has given several talks for us on topics related to the Contemplative Path.

We have a rhythm of coffee and gathering at 8:30 - 9, an opening 20 minute sit, 2 presentations with a break, a closing 20 minute sit, and then a potluck for all who would like to stay and visit further.

11/20/2025

Dear fellow Seekers of Silence,
We have a great program lined up for our last meeting of the year.
Mark Pace, who recently retired as organist/choirmaster at First Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, will speak about his long and successful career in religious music. Mark and Tracy are returning from a month-long stay in Portugal.
We also will have several choral numbers by Marco Madrigals musical group directed by Paul Barrette. The group performed for us once before.
Finally, we will have our usual Christmas carol singalong with Teresa Gross at the piano.
I hope as many as possible will try to make it to this meeting.

We will meet at the Church of the Ascension, 800 S. Northshore Drive, Saturday, December 6. Doors will open at 8:30 a.m. and the program will begin at 9:00 a.m. with our usual 20-minute silent prayer. We will end at noon following a second 20 minutes of silent prayer.
All are invited to stay for our potluck lunch. Bring a dish if you can but come even if you can't. There's always plenty to go around.
As many of you know, the Coordinating Committee decided in August to begin meeting quarterly rather than monthly. We hope that this will help increase our attendance.
We also are reverting to our former format of having a guest speaker and we have gone back to our previous timetable.

Please make an effort to come to this meeting and invite friends, particularly those interested in church music.
Wishing all of you a blessed Thanksgiving

08/22/2025

We will be moving to quarterly meetings. Our next meeting will be the first Saturday in December.

06/02/2025

Dear fellow Seekers of Silence,
For our June meeting this Saturday the 7th we are going to have an open roundtable discussion about silent prayer, the fundamental reason for the founding of Seekers of Silence in 2003. As most of you know, we were an offshoot of the periodic workshops offered by Paulist priest Father Terry Ryan. Father Terry's workshops were not only about centering prayer, but also about the lives of holy people of many traditions who practice silent prayer in many forms.
SOS has never espoused any particular form of silent prayer, leaving it to individual participants to practice meditation, contemplation or whatever form of silent prayer they choose. We will take a look at some of the types of silent prayer and the floor will be open for participants to discuss their own ideas.
We also may take a look at the trend of those who eschew organized religion, saying they are "spiritual" not "religious." Does an ecumenical/interfaith group such as SOS provide a forum for spiritual growth?
Our meeting at Church of the Ascension, 800 S. Northshore Drive, will begin at 9:30 a.m. and end at noon followed by a potluck lunch. Please join us for lunch after the program. Bring a dish to share if you like. Doors will open at 9 a.m. for coffee and conversation.
Hope to see you there.

04/17/2025

Next meeting:

Saturday May 3, 2025

Topic: Streams of Living Water:

The Charismatic Tradition: Discovering the Spirit-Empowered Life

Presenter: Carol Mullen

Carol Mullen, a Spiritual Director in the Knoxville area since 2015 and 0wner of Soul’s Sanctuary Spiritual Direction and Coaching, will lead our discussion of the Charismatic Tradition based on the third chapter of author and theologian Richard J. Foster’s book Streams of Living Water. “While the Holiness Tradition centers upon the power to be, the Charismatic Tradition centers upon the power to do,” Foster writes in the introduction to the chapter referring to the Holiness Tradition covered in the previous chapter of his book. He explains further that “the Charismatic Stream of Christian life and faith focuses upon the empowering charisms or gifts of the Spirit and the nurturing fruit of the Spirit. This Spirit-empowered way of living addresses the deep yearning for the immediacy of God’s presence among his people.”

Carol, a longtime SOS participant, says that it has been her “great joy and privilege to have journeyed with her clients toward greater wholeness, purpose, interior freedom and a deeper relationship with the Divine as well as a growing awareness of the Spirit’s presence and activity in their lives.”

Carol received three years of Spiritual Direction training, one of them as an Ignatian Spiritual Director. Carol is also certified as a Life and Spiritual Coach and over the years has offered a variety of retreats and workshops to businesses, churches, and and groups.

While the book chapters will inform and guide our discussions, you do not need to be familiar with Streams of Living Water to participate. All are welcome to come and learn new insights, ask questions, and share their ideas and experiences. Join us on May 3.

Our meeting at Church of the Ascension in the downstairs Fellowship Hall, 800 S. Northshore Drive, will begin at 9:30 a.m. and end at noon, followed by a potluck lunch. You are welcome to stay for the potluck and can bring a dish to share. Doors will open at 9 a.m. for coffee and conversation.

Our time is like a morning retreat with silent meditation/prayer at the beginning and end. 😃

03/24/2025

We will meet for our April 5 meeting at the Church of the Ascension, 800 South Northshore Drive.
We will continue our discussion series based on the six faith traditions that author and theologian Richard J. Foster presents in his book, "Streams of Living Water." We'll explore chapter 3, the Holiness tradition. Foster suggests that growing in holiness involves developing habits that transform the heart, so that we can become "response-able" to the demands of everyday life. We'll look at examples from Scripture and history, and share ideas about holiness and spiritual growth.
While the book chapters will inform and guide our discussions, you do not need to be familiar with "Streams of Living Water" to participate. All are welcome to come and learn new insights, ask questions, and share their ideas and experiences.
As usual, we begin gathering a 9 a.m. in the basement conference and the meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. Bring a dish to share for our potluck lunch after the meeting.
Join us on April 5!

02/26/2025

Dear fellow Seekers of Silence,

We finally have confirmation that we can meet Saturday March 1st at the Church of the Ascension, 800 South Northshore Drive. If you are driving south on Northshore it is on the left across from the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

As usual, we will begin gathering at 9 a.m. and the program will start at 9:30.

We will have a roundtable discussion on “Streams of Living Waters,” by Richard J. Foster. Teresa Gross introduced us to this important new book at our February meeting and several of those who attended want to go into more depth on Foster’s idea.

The book describes six faith traditions. At
Saturday’s meeting we will have a brief review of the various traditions and take a deeper look at Contemplative tradition.

While the book chapters will inform and guide our discussions, you do not need to be familiar with “Streams of Living Water” to participate. All are welcome to come and learn new insights, ask questions, and share their experiences related to contemplative practices. Teresa will moderate the discussion.

Thanks to Pam Douglass for arranging for us to meet at Ascension. She will be there to show us where to go on Saturday.

Here are some more details about our Saturday meeting:

1. We will be able to have our potluck lunch so please bring a dish to share.
2. We will meet in the Parish Hall which is in the basement.
3. The church sits atop a hill across from the Sacred Heart Cathedral. Take the driveway up the hill and go to the right around the church to the back of the property. The three glass doors are the main entrance.
4. Inside you may go down the stairs or take the elevator to the basement.

01/20/2025

Meeting: Saturday February 1, 2025, 9-12

Church of the Savior, 934 N. Weisgarber Road

We will gather as usual at 9 a.m. for coffee (or tea) and conversation. The program will begin at 9:30 with a 20-minute period of silence. We will also have our usual 20-minute period of silence at the end of the meeting. All are welcome. Participants are invited to stay after the meeting ends at noon for a potluck lunch. Bring a dish to share.

Presenter: Fr. Ragan Schriver

Topic: “The Meaning of My Transformation

Fr Ragan Shriver is a clinical professor at the university of TN College of Social Work
as well as the Director of the MSSW Program, Knoxville Campus.

He teaches clinical and leadership courses in the MSSW program
and previously served as Special Assistant to the President of Catholic Charities, USA
and as Executive Director of Catholic Charities of East Tennessee for 15 years.

He earned his MSW from Washington University in St. Louis, MO and became a licensed social worker in 2001.

He earned his Doctor of Psychology degree in 2016.

Fr Shriver, formerly a Catholic priest, is to be ordained as an Episcopal priest on January 25, 2025.

For more information on Seekers of Silence visit our website at:

https://www.sosknoxville.org/


Next Scheduled Meeting: Saturday, March 1, 2025

Church of the Savior, 934 N. Weisgarber

An ecumenical group seeking closer communion with God through silence

01/01/2025

Meeting: Saturday January 4, 2025, 9-12

Church of the Savior, 934 N. Weisgarber Road

Presenter: Teresa Gross

Topic: “Streams of Living Water”

Celebrating the Great Traditions of the Christian Faith


Richard J. Foster is a Christian theologian in the Quaker tradition and the author of several books on spiritual formation. In “Streams of Living Water,” he says, “As Jesus walked this earth, living and working among all kinds of people, he gave us the divine paradigm. . . important clues for our living . . . the river of life in its most complete form.”

Foster identifies six dimensions or “streams” in this river of life, and shares stories of people who demonstrated each in their time. At our January meeting, we’ll learn about each dimension – perhaps a particular tradition will reflect part of your spiritual journey. Join us as we consider all the “streams of living water” together.

Teresa Gross has been a participant in Seekers of Silence for several years. She works in public relations/communications and has had the privilege of serving numerous congregations as a church organist and pianist.

12/03/2024

Meeting: Saturday, December 7, 2024

Church of the Savior, 934 N. Weisgarber Road

Presenter: Edgar Miller

Topic: The Songs of Advent and Christmas and Their Stories

This year's program will be a discussion on Advent and Christmas music and the stories behind some of the carols.
Christmas music will soon be coming at us from loudspeakers in stores and restaurants as well as on the radio and TV.
Some religious traditions discourage the use of Christmas carols until Christmas Eve. What is your opinion on this?

Edgar Miller is a longtime participant in Seekers of Silence. He was the founding editor of The East Tennessee Catholic and was a lecturer in journalism at the University of Tennessee until 2010.

He and his wife, Ghislaine, are currently parishioners at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus


Next Scheduled Meeting: Saturday, January 4, 2025

Church of the Savior, 934 N. Weisgarber Road (?)

09/04/2024

Meeting: Saturday, September 7, 2024
9-12
Potluck lunch after

Church of the Savior, 934 N. Weisgarber Road

Presenter: Mary Jane Keim

Topic: A Modern Day Mystic: Howard Thurman and the Relevance of the Civil Rights Movement for the Present

07/22/2024

No August meeting. We will resume Saturday September 7th at 9:30 at Church of the Savior, Weisgarber Rd. Check back for our program. 😃