2022 Year in Review
Nothing Stands Alone
Welcome
We are living in a time of emerging discoveries into the mystery, complexity, and interconnectedness of our world. Even when our communities feel increasingly polarized, fractured, and separated, we are being invited into a deeper understanding of the interdependence of all things and a mystical union with God and all creation. Modern scientific advancements are revealing what theology has always tried to say that nothing stands alone.
Nothing Stands Alone is the theme for our 2022 Year in Review. This theme offers a reminder that religion is not meant to be a private enlightenment journey, but rather a loving and participatory relationship with ourselves, each other, and with God.
This 2022 Year in Review provides highlights, updates, and some lessons learned from each program area of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC), as well as an overview of our financial and operational stewardship. We are grateful for your contributions, partnership, and support in advancing our mission of introducing Christian contemplative wisdom and practices that support transformation and inspire loving action.
2022 Year in Review: A conversation with Michael Poffenberger, Executive Director and Ben Keesey, Development & Partnerships Director.
“It was a complicated strategic process, of course, but more than that, it was a beautiful, heartfelt process of honoring Fr. Richard whose work has had a deep and profound impact on all of us.” -Michael
“The very nature of our lifestyle and our church teaching must say from the beginning what the goal is—the communion of saints, a shared life together as family, the trinitarian life of God, the kingdom—here!”
– Father Richard RoHR
Entrance to Tepeyac House, the CAC’s main offices and visitor center in Albuquerque, NM.
Our Programs
The CAC seeks to awaken a more loving world by introducing Christian contemplative wisdom and practices through 7 core program areas: Daily Meditations, Online Education, Publications, Podcasts, Events, Movement Partnerships, and the Living School. Each program is designed to help support transformation in a way that is easy to understand and applicable to daily life.
2022 CAC Programs: A conversation with Tisha Ford, Managing Director of Production & Outreach and Ben Keesey, Development & Partnerships Director.
“As you can imagine, a founder transition is a pivotal movement for any organization. A lot of unknowns and questions arise. There have been many elements that have gone into making this a successful transition.” – Tisha
Daily Meditations
The Daily Meditations are email reflections featuring Richard Rohr and the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) faculty, as well as guest teachers and authors, reflecting on the wisdom and practices of the Christian contemplative tradition.
In 2022 we shared 365 meditations with our community of 375,000 daily readers and 420,000 weekly readers. Weekly themes included reflections from Brian McLaren’s book Do I Stay Christian?, the Future of Christianity online summit, and Father Richard’s theme of solidarity with suffering to speak resonantly to the war in Ukraine.
In our survey of Daily Meditations subscribers, we discovered that many readers lose track of the annual theme as the year passes. To help with this we are creating quarterly videos on the theme with our faculty. We also learned that many readers use the Daily Meditations as part of a daily practice. To support them and encourage more readers into regular practice, we have begun to feature a collection of practices on our website.
We invite you to explore three of our most widely read meditations that were read by more than 245,000 readers combined through our website and email.
A Ripening Mind and Heart
The word “ripening” helps us move beyond any exclusive concern with physical aging, because our concerns are much more than that.
Stay where the pain is
Jesus on the cross and Mary standing near him are powerful witnesses to transformative spirituality.
A Change of Consciousness
We cannot sincerely love another or forgive another’s offenses inside of dualistic consciousness.
“I look forward to each morning’s hopeful words shared in the Daily Meditations. I am grateful for the challenges that sometimes arise as I ponder the weekly topics. The meditations are lessons in re-examining my moral compass as I continue to tread the sometimes turbulent waters of life.”
– Tanya H., Daily Meditations Subscriber
Singing bowl with well-used books during a live event.
Online Education
The CAC’s online courses give everyone the opportunity to discover the wisdom and practices of the Christian contemplative traditions and support participants with incorporating them into their daily lives.
In 2022 we offered eight unique courses to over 7,300 participants. We also increased the frequency of our course offerings to two times each year. We came close to meeting our enrollment and revenue projections and we were able to offer over $175,000 in scholarships to students who were unable to afford the cost of the course. We are grateful for the CAC friends and donors who support this scholarship fund.
In March we launched Mystical Sobriety, a new course featuring James Finley as part of our Early Access program, which allowed us to assess new material with a select group of students before public release. Their feedback helped us to refine the course before launching last November with almost 1000 students participating.
“We all share God’s bounty in this wonderful creation we call Earth. Father Richard’s course on the Franciscan Way opened my eyes to see the trees and flowers as our brothers and sisters, as well as the pebble I kick down the street and the slug in my bird fountain. I am truly blessed to be one of God’s children.”
– Russell C., online learning student
CAC staff walking together during a staff retreat.
Publications
CAC Publications offers books and other resources that serve as a gateway to the contemplative path, providing spiritual wisdom and guidance to support inner and outer transformation.
In 2022 we released Saint John of the Cross: Luminous Darkness by Mirabai Starr, which invites readers to experience his quintessential guidance for navigating the journey to union with Love Itself. We published two issues of our biannual journal, ONEING. The fall issue of ONEING: Nonviolence was curated by CAC friend and Nobel Peace Prize nominee John Dear. We also sent out approximately 200,000 physical copies of the Mendicant, the CAC’s quarterly development newsletter, to our supporters in 2022. Articles offered a transparent look into key programmatic areas and highlighted the 35th anniversary of the CAC.
We invite you to read one of the featured articles from the 2022 Mendicant newsletter by clicking the link below:
“James Finley’s and Richard Rohr’s writings have been a revelation to me. I am finding a re-cognition and a rekindled desire to more fully realize my belonging in God’s love.”
– Vince R., Daily Meditations subscriber
Copy of Richard Rohr’s book Just This.
CAC Podcasts
Our podcasts are intentional audio conversations featuring CAC faculty members and guests that serve as gateways to the contemplative path. Each of our podcasts are designed to be accessible to the next generation of spiritual seekers worldwide.
2022 was the first year the podcast network operated without a podcast led by the CAC’s founder, Richard Rohr. All active shows saw a year-over-year growth in listenership. Notably Turning to the Mystics, which focused on The Cloud of Unknowing and Julian of Norwich, saw a 14% increase in audience growth.
Last year our podcasts received just over three million downloads from people across 188 countries and territories worldwide. Click the podcast links below to listen to our favorite episodes from 2022:
Turning to Julian of Norwich
Turning to the Mystics
In this episode from season six, Mirabai Starr returns to the show covering the person and life of Julian of Norwich and how we can work with her teachings to transform our lives. Throughout this season, we will work with the text, The Showings.
Christianity is many things
Learning How to See
In this first episode from season three of Learning How to See, host Brian McLaren goes straight to the heart of these questions and more.
Losing Your Way Generously
The Cosmic We
On this episode of season two, Bayo Akomolafe joins Dr. Barbara Holmes and Donny Bryant for this episode of The Cosmic We.
Mindful Living and Conscious Capitalism
Love Period
On this fourth episode, Rev. Jacqui Lewis speaks with Kerry Docherty, Chief Impact Officer of Faherty Brand, to explore how each aspect of our lives has the potential to transform and strengthen our communities.
CAC staff with a mosaic of Saints Francis and Clare.
CAC Events
The CAC offers a variety of educational events throughout the year to teach contemplative practices that inspire compassionate action in the world.
In 2022 we hosted two highly successful online events. The first was The Future of Christianity, a virtual discussion on the current state and future of the Christian religion featuring CAC faculty members Brian McLaren, Barbara Holmes, James Finley and Richard Rohr. A portion of this event was streamed to YouTube for free and has been watched by over 78,000 people. The second event was the Turning to the Mystics Virtual Retreat, a 4-day immersive experience with James Finley teaching 2,970 participants how to integrate mystical wisdom and contemplative practice into their daily lives.
In celebration of our 35th Anniversary, and in honor of our founder, Richard Rohr, we hosted a series of live Virtual Sit Meditations on our YouTube channel in October and November, which averaged between 2,000 and 3,000 participants each. These virtual sits provided opportunities to practice contemplation together, which Father Richard describes as the practice of being fully present to what is in a way that allows you to creatively respond and work toward what could be.
Click the links below to watch the replay from the Future of Christianity Summit and one of our Virtual Sits from 2022.
“The silent sessions have enabled me to be kinder to myself and to accept that God holds nothing back from me even though I am not a perfect being. Pray for me to touch those around me with the same care as I experienced in the retreat and through all the CAC’s other forms of teaching.”
– Memory M., CAC event attendee
Brian McLaren, CAC Living School Dean, speaks with Jennifer Tompos, Living School Program Manager, at a student event.
Movement Partnerships
In 2022 we continued to deepen partner relations with organizations whose work is both deeply aligned and complementary to the CAC’s mission. We did this by supporting the AYNI Institute and several other partners in their effort to build a contemplative action community model. We also deepened our relationship with Wisdom & Money as they collaborated with Be Present in preparation to offer the first-ever Trail Blazing Institute in Fall 2023.
We regularly feature our partners and their work in We Conspire, our monthly email series featuring stories from the emerging Christian contemplative movement. Michelle Dunne from Franciscan Action Network shared how her spirituality moved her to participate in the Poor People’s Campaign March on Washington. Carlos Rodriguez, Executive Director of Happy Givers, explored encountering the divine in ‘the other’ through an unlikely friendship. Rev. Seifu, Zen Buddhist Priest and Executive Director at Spiritual Directors International reflected on the power of deep listening to God’s great emerging story.
Subscribe to We Conspire and discover your place in the Great Story Line connecting us all in the One Great Life.
“At this stage in my life, I plan to continue teaching as I am able, but my desire is to make more space for others in our community to carry the mission forward. . . . There is so much we still can and must do together in service to compassion and healing in our world.”
– Father Richard Rohr
The fountain in the courtyard of CAC’s campus in Albuquerque, NM.
The Living School
The Living School, CAC’s signature formation program, exists to nurture the conditions for inner and outer transformation by equipping students with tools, teachings, and experiences to work together for a more just and connected world.
2022 was a pivotal year for the Living School as we supported two cohorts of over 320 students.
We delivered an in-person symposium in Albuquerque for the 2022 and 2023 cohorts, who were joined by Father Richard Rohr, James Finley, Brian McLaren, Dr. Barbara Holmes, and guest teacher Mirabai Starr. This was the first in-person experience for these Living School students since 2019, and a total of 169 students were “sent.”
The Living School team also made significant progress in 2022 designing a new Living School experience for future students. The program will now have three parts, each with its own structure and focus. Though this work has not been without its challenges, we are looking forward to continuing this process in 2023 and 2024. More details are available on our website and will be released as they become available.
“After dabbling in different spiritual traditions and teachings, I feel like I have finally found “home” — a return to the teachings of Jesus, a re-awakening of the Christ Consciousness in me, and a community of like-minded and like-hearted spiritual siblings. These are the deepest longings of my heart: to be still and to be of service.”
– Elaine P., Daily Meditations Subscriber
CAC staff reading Falling Upward in CAC’s courtyard.
CAC Operations
The CAC has been preparing for Fr. Richard’s transition from active leadership responsibilities for several years, and in 2022, Fr. Richard formally retired as both Dean of our Core Faculty and as a voting member of the CAC’s Board of Directors to assume the role of Core Faculty Emeritus. He will continue to participate in some programming as his energy allows, but Father Richard will no longer assume any new or ongoing teaching commitments.
This Year in Review highlights key operational updates about our digital products team, staff and culture, financial team, and an overview of the CAC’s finances.
2022 CAC Operations: A conversation with Chris Zezza, Managing Director of Operations and Technology, Yahnia Rodriguez, Staff Director, Cindy Kroll, Managing Director of Finance & Business Analytics, and Ben Keesey, Development & Partnerships Director.
“This is what we call “the work of work.” How can we be in a state of continual improvement for planning and project management? It’s an exciting time at CAC for those activities.” – Chris Z
Digital Products
In 2022 the Digital Products Team implemented a new online fundraising platform to create a smoother donation experience for our donors and our staff.
The end of the year marked a milestone for the Digital Product Team with a new Managing Director, Chris Zezza, who has served as a consultant for CAC for many years. He and the Digital Products team are excited to explore a number of solutions, including a new online learning platform and online bookstore experience improvements, among other priorities and innovations in the coming years.
“When we let go, the only constants are God’s love and God’s promise that we will never be left alone. We let go of our public persona and our striving and pursuits. Sometimes it takes a crisis to remind us that we are not in control. This space that I name contemplative is a place of breaking, relinquishment, and waiting.”
– Dr. Barbara Holmes, CAC Faculty
CAC Staff
In 2022 the CAC took many steps forward towards its 5-year strategic goal of building a mission-driven team. We adopted Community Engagement Agreements to provide shared language to communicate with each other and co-create a culture where all staff can thrive. The Community Engagement Agreements support our work around race, power, equity, and belonging.
We held two in-person all-staff retreats to help our remote team connect more deeply with the mission and goals of the CAC. We also conducted an annual staff engagement survey and received an overall increase in staff engagement, satisfaction, and a significant increase in staffs’ understanding of the CAC’s mission and how their role works in service to it.
This year, we hired a Programs Director to oversee the Living School, Publications, Daily Meditations, Podcasts, and Virtual Events. This new role will help with the planning, development, and implementation of our program areas as we continue to grow and scale.
“An ethical and moral life is about letting go of indifference and learning how to see. It’s about waking up to love ourselves, love our posse, and love our world. Imagine love as our shared spiritual practice, binding us to one another, enabling us to see our connection—that we are kin.”
– Jacqui Lewis, CAC Guest Teacher
CAC Faculty in conversation at the 2022 Living School Symposium.
Finance Team
The CAC financial philosophy commits us to aligning our financial practices with our values, including how we generate, invest, and spend our financial resources. Our financial philosophy also includes an on-going commitment to discernment, which was an active part of our work around program pricing this year.
In 2022 we took the additional step of offering some of our programming with tiered pricing options to further reduce financial barriers to participation. A total of 11,389 people participated in our fee-based programs supported by $429K in scholarship funds. Less than 25% of our total support and revenue were generated through registration fees, with over 70% being provided by strong donor support.
We take care to carefully steward and accurately account for every financial contribution made. In 2022 we once again received a clean, unqualified audit opinion, which attests to the quality of our financial controls and accuracy of our financial statements.
“Money becomes evil when rights are not balanced by responsibilities, and responsibilities are not balanced by rights. When these are balanced, money can do a great deal of good—both for the giver and the receiver, and hopefully for others.”
– Father Richard Rohr
Attendees connect with one another during an in-person event.
CAC 2022 Financials
We are grateful for the 40,000 people from across the world who gave to CAC in 2022. With an average donation of $72.12, our donors helped us raise close to eight million dollars in support of our mission. Our recurring donor community grew by 412 members this year, bringing the total number of recurring donors to 5,372. This was an 8% increase in new recurring donors from the previous year.
Comprehensive and independently audited financial statements are also available on our Stewarding our Financial Resources webpage.
| Sources of Funds | |
| Donations | $7,928,575 |
| Webcasts | $276,659 |
| Living School | $603,250 |
| Royalties | $219,965 |
| Online Education and Bookstore | $1,646,719 |
| Investment & Other Income | $192,721 |
| Total Support and Revenue | $10,867,889 |
| Use of Funds | |
| Program Services | $6,927,816 |
| Management and general | $2,956,815 |
| Fundraising | $699,504 |
| Total Expenses | $10,584,135 |
| Total Net Assets | $14,217,169 |
Father Richard walks alongside CAC colleagues at the Norbertine Community in New Mexico.
2023 and Beyond
In the coming years, some of our priorities will be aligning our organizational goals and structures to support our 5-year strategic plan and enhancing our programming to continue to serve as a gateway to the contemplative path of transformation. To stay up-to-date on our educational opportunities and other events from the CAC, you can follow us on social media, sign up for our monthly News from New Mexico newsletter, or find the latest updates on our website.
From the very beginning, Richard Rohr founded the CAC as a “school for prophets” to support inner and outer transformation. Now, 35 years later, we remain committed to this same inspiring vision as we work toward advancing our mission of introducing Christian contemplative wisdom and practices to support transformation and inspire loving action. As we look ahead, we believe our world needs transformed people working together for a more just and connected world, and we are grateful for your support and participation in shaping our shared future, together.
“In the next few years, we have the opportunity to expand and diversify our faculty and to honor Richard’s legacy in profound ways. Most of all, we want to emulate Richard’s example, caring about what he has cared about for all these years: integrating contemplation and action, rooted in Christ, for the good of our beloved, fragile, fractured world.”
– Brian McLaren, Dean of the Core Faculty and CAC Faculty member
Support
The work of the Center for Action and Contemplation is possible only because of friends and supporters like you. By introducing seekers to the Christian path of transformation, we believe that the CAC can become a catalyzing force for change of consciousness within Christianity and in each of our communities. The CAC is not sustained by any large institution, foundation, or corporation; we exist because of thousands of people around the world who participate and give freely because this work has impacted them.
Your financial support of the CAC’s mission allows us to make the contemplative path more accessible — introducing more people to the wisdom and practices of the Christian contemplative tradition, many for the very first time.
To support the CAC or consider making a legacy gift, visit cac.org/support.