Centering Prayer with Mary Dwyer

In the early 1990’s, she lived at Chrysalis House, a contemplative live-in community experiment blessed by Fr. Thomas.  Her housemates included Mary Mrozowski, David Frenette and Cathy McCarthy.  The community lived according to a rule of life, and became an incubator of practice and programs in the early years of Contemplative Outreach’s growth.  It was her experience at Chyrsalis House – what she refers to as her “inpatient” or “residential treatment time” – that proved to her that a life of prayer, consent and practice is real, stable and deeply rewarding.  Mary Mrozowski taught her that a devoted life of prayer was the real work of life; what we did the rest of the time was just how we made a living.

Mary received her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University in economics and spent some time as a banker and college administrator.  After a few years at Chrysalis House, she…