Look at the beaming eyes and smiles of Father Keating and Rabbi Schachter and that is all you need to know about this new Center in their honor. A contemplative soul is a joyful soul, empowered for the demanding work our times require, work that flows from a deep place of both solitude and caring. May this center and all who attend it radiate with joy and justice and courage. — Father Matthew Fox
The Keating-Schachter Center for Interspirituality was established to support the study of the world’s wisdom traditions in higher education. It honors the interspiritual legacies of Father Thomas Keating (1923-2018) and Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (1924-2014)—two of the most significant spiritual teachers of the past hundred years, pioneers in interreligious dialogue, and mentors to Charis’ founders.
The Keating-Schachter Center organizes interspiritual residencies, classes, dialogues, retreats, and other learning opportunities, as well as gatherings with presidents, deans, and university-wide stakeholders to facilitate broad educational change. Our flagship center can be found at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado.
The Keating-Schachter Center works to secure the spiritual legacies of Father Thomas Keating and Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi in Christian Centering Prayer and Jewish Renewal, providing opportunities for further learning each year.
Donate to the Keating-Schachter Center for Interspirituality at Naropa University!
See our Keating-Schachter Center YouTube channel for video content related to the center!
In particular, The Keating-Schachter Center is dedicated to bringing genuine spiritual wisdom into education, with a concentration on higher education (at both the undergraduate and graduate levels), creating opportunities for university students to meet and interact with genuine wisdom holders from the diversity of the world’s spiritual traditions. In this way, we hope to influence future leaders through integrated experiences of wisdom. Thus, we have begun a relationship with Naropa University to fulfill this mission. Current activities include:
Convening and facilitating "Bringing Wisdom into Higher Education" dialogues with broad-based university stakeholders, including presidents, academic deans, DEI directors, and professors (our first dialogue was held at the Fetzer Institute in August 2022);
Developing undergraduate and graduate courses in contemplative education with an emphasis on interspirituality at Naropa University, including a course on “Interspiritual Dialogue,” with the help of a grant from the Fetzer Institute;
Bringing genuine wisdom holders from the world’s spiritual traditions to meet with students at Naropa University, and to give public talks;
Offering interspiritual meditation practices (Charis Meditation) and interspiritual community practice opportunities (Charis Circles) at Naropa University;
Sponsoring one Master of Divinity student per semester as its Interspiritual Student Chaplain on the campus of Naropa University in fulfillment of the requirements of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE).
Sponsoring the Naropa Wisdom Traditions Collective, an alumnx association for graduates of Wisdom Traditions programs at Naropa University.
The Naropa Interspiritual Student Chaplain will fulfill the requirement of 18 hours of chaplaincy activities and offerings per week under the direct supervision of the Director of The Keating-Schachter Center for Interspirituality. These activities and offerings will include, but are not limited to: open interspiritual student chaplaincy hours offered on campus under the supervision of The Keating-Schachter Center director; instruction in and practice sessions of Charis Interspiritual Meditation on campus; facilitation of Charis Circles: Interspiritual Communities of Practice on campus; facilitation of public events associated with or sponsored by The Keating-Schachter Center; various administrative tasks associated with the running of The Keating-Schachter Center.
The Fall 2023 Interspiritual Student Chaplain at Naropa University will be 2024 M.Div. candidate, Cooper Sims-West.
The purpose of the Naropa Wisdom Traditions Collective (NWTC) is to support graduates and current students of Naropa University’s Department of Wisdom Traditions by providing them with information on relevant resources and opportunities related to their studies and chosen profession, collegial and sponsored learning opportunities, a vehicle for the promotion of their various initiatives, and new scholarships and sponsored activities for Naropa Wisdom Traditions students.
The Naropa Wisdom Traditions Collective is a member-only group for graduates of Naropa University Wisdom Traditions programs (i.e., Religious Studies, Master's of Divinity, Yoga Studies, Traditional Eastern Arts, etc.).
The Naropa Wisdom Traditions Collective is supported by the Immeasurables shop on Etsy, which donates a percentage of its sales to NWTC!