ABOUT US

A Brief History of the CAC

The Center for Action and Contemplation began as a tantalizing dream of Richard Rohr's in 1986 during his first year in Albuquerque. By October of 1987 we were ready to put together a newsletter, and Pat Malcolm became the obvious choice for the artist. The cover of the first edition was a drawing of Dorothy Day, one of our many inspiratrices. The name Radical Grace was chosen because it expressed the paradoxical nature of the Center's purpose. We were trying to stand in a middle place, not a stance of mediocrity, but at the center of the cross, where opposites are held together. 

Action and contemplation were once thought of as mutually exclusive, but we believed that they must be brought together or neither one would make sense. We felt that we were trying to be radical in both senses of the word, simultaneously rooted in tradition and boldly experimental. One of the expressions of the radical nature of our work was our extensive inclusivity, bridging gaps within the spiritual and justice communities, building a rhythm of contemplative prayer and Zen meditation into our days, and even more fundamentally, believing that external behavior should be connected to and supported by inner guidance. 

Another aspect of our radical stance was our belief in the necessary link between art and justice, in an erotic and passionate commitment to life. We wanted not an elite aestheticism but a fiercely grounded faith in the power and beauty to move-and possibly save-the world.

We planted our flag and set out to do something bold and beautiful and meaningful in the world. We believed then, as we do now, that the power to be truly radical comes from trusting entirely in God's grace and that such trust is the most radical action possible. We know one thing for certain: grace has brought us to this place and grace flows in and through and among us. In our best dream, Grace itself does the work; guides our hands and our hearts', motivates our choices. We continue to realize that everything is a gift.

This article appeared in the special December 1999 Anniversary Edition of Radical Grace.

For a comprehensive history of the center, please download the history overview (pdf).