News From New Mexico
CONSPIRE 2021: A Grateful Look Back
February 2nd, 2022
As a trusted partner of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC), you have made a personal and/ or financial contribution to support this community of shared values. You see the deep need for integrating both action and contemplation to build a more loving, just, and connected world, and we are grateful that you
The Man in the Maze
December 17th, 2021
Father Richard and a small group of co-founders began the work of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) in a former barracks next to Holy Family Parish in Albuquerque, NM, in 1987. They hosted teach-ins for local activists and faith leaders – on topics like contemplation, liberation theology, and social
Board Summary of Investigation into Allegations Made by Teresa Mateus
December 13th, 2021
Earlier this year, Teresa Mateus, a well-known colleague, posted an open letter critical of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC). The open letter resurfaced allegations of inappropriate behavior against an individual who, while not employed by CAC, had been a collaborator and participated in CAC-sponsored
The Legacy and Impact of the CONSPIRE Conference Series
September 22nd, 2021
When the CONSPIRE conference series began in 2013, the finale seemed cast beyond the visible horizon. Yet conference by conference, CONSPIRE found its feet and together we walked the trails of the Alternative Orthodoxy towards that horizon. It was not a linear path. We could not always tell by sight or sound our exact
Creating CAC’s Financial Philosophy
September 13th, 2021
Early last year, when we first started exploring a few key questions around how the CAC stewards its financial resources, no one could have anticipated that we’d be completing a comprehensive, board-approved financial philosophy by December. Our newly adopted philosophy, which captures Fr. Richard’s theological
CAC’s Financial Philosophy: “How you do anything is how you do everything.”
September 6th, 2021
When Richard Rohr founded the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) in 1987, his vision was to provide spiritual grounding for a movement of contemplative activists and prophetic leaders—an “underground seminary” that would teach the path of praxis and prayer. Over the years, we grew from a mom-and-pop
Order, Disorder, Reorder: Embracing Disorder
September 2nd, 2021
When I was first approached about writing a piece informed by Richard’s framework, Order, Disorder, Reorder, I was both excited and perplexed. What had I demonstrated in my time at the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) that would indicate such familiarity with Disorder? Immediately, it became clear
Order, Disorder, Reorder—and Resolution
August 30th, 2021
In the 1970s, the record player was a standard fixture in many households, and our home was no exception. In fact, my first words as a toddler were “record player,” or, as I would say, “wrecka-p’ayer.” Having grown up with a “wrecka-p’ayer,” I absolutely, positively loved music—and I still do: all
CAC Executive Director Michael Poffenberger Interviewed on Contemporary Spirituality Podcast
August 26th, 2021
Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) Executive Director Michael Poffenberger was recently featured on an episode of the podcast Contemporary Spirituality.
In this episode, Michael shares how the CAC are building on Fr. Richard Rohr’s vision for the organization and its role in the future of the Christian
In Service to the Healing of our World
August 23rd, 2021
In my first post introducing this series, I spoke of how the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) was undergoing a period of disorder and reorder at this stage in our institutional journey. This period began shortly after I joined the CAC team in 2014, and our board of directors tasked us with clarifying the