About

Cynthia Bourgeault is an Episcopal priest, writer, and internationally known retreat leader. She is the original creator of the Wisdom School and has been organizing and teaching schools since 1999. Founding director of the British Columbia-based Contemplative Society and the Aspen Wisdom School, she has now returned home to the East Coast to divide her time between Wisdom teaching, writing, and solitude at her small hermitage on Eagle Island in Maine.

Matthew Wright is an Episcopal priest, writer, and retreat leader working to renew the Christian Wisdom tradition within a wider interspiritual framework. He has been a student of Cynthia Bourgeault’s since 2010. Alongside his practice of Christianity, Matthew has worked with teachers from Islamic Sufi and Vedanta lineages. He writes a monthly column, Belonging, for Contemplative Journal and serves as priest-in-charge at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church in Woodstock, NY. Matthew lives with his wife, Yanick, alongside the brothers of Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, NY. You can learn more about his work through the Center for Spiritual Resources.

In 2013 the Reverend Bill Redfield retired as rector of Trinity Church, Fayetteville, New York, after nearly 20 years. Besides being an Episcopal priest, he is also a licensed clinical social worker and has worked in private practice in Central New York and Maine. He has had a lifelong interest in the intersection of the spirituality and the inner life. He is the creative force behind the birth of Wisdom House, Fayetteville, New York. Bill was introduced to Centering Prayer by Cynthia Bourgeault 25 years ago and has been an advanced student of hers for nearly a decade. You can learn more about Bill’s practice at Wisdom’s Work.

Sister Lois Barton, a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet, holds basic and advanced certificates from the Spiritual Direction Mentoring Program of the Spiritual Renewal Center in Syracuse, NY, and a Master’s Certificate in Pastoral Ministry from the Loyola Institute for Ministry Extension Program of Loyola University, New Orleans. Sister Lois is an experienced teacher and spiritual director. Along with Bill, Lois has a long-established practice of Centering Prayer and also has been a student of Cynthia Bourgeault’s since 2006. She is the program director of The Sophia Center in Binghamton, NY and lives in community at the Spiritual Center in Windsor, New York. You can learn more about Lois’s practice at The Sophia Center for Spirituality.