Dom John Main

Dom John Main - the founder of the modern Christian Meditation movement. John Main rediscovered the authentic practice of mantra-based christian meditation by studying the ancient works of John Cassian.

WCCM website

Visit - the World Community for Christian Meditation website.

‘Maranatha’ is an Aramaic word from the time of Jesus, meaning 'Come Lord'. It can be found in Revelation 22.20 (the penultimate verse in the New Testament) and has been used as a prayer word since earliest days of Christianity. When meditating, use it simply as a focus for your attention, without thinking about the meaning of it.

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Bere Island: The birth place of Laurence Freeman's mother and a place to which he has returned from time to time for periods of prayer and solitude. In his book “Jesus, the Teacher Within”, Laurence uses his rediscovery of the island as an allegory of the search for personal identity and the gradual separation of reality and illusion we all need to make in order to grow spiritually.

Books and CDs by Laurence Freeman: The London Centre has a wide range of books and CDs by Laurence Freeman and other experienced meditators. Telephone 020-7278-2070 (Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm) or email welcome@wccm.org to find out whether they have the product you want in stock, its price in £ and the postage rate.

WCCM Bookshop: The London Centre has a wide range of books and CDs on all aspects of Christian Mediation from a wide range of authors, including John Main, Laurence Freeman, Richard Rohr, Bede Griffiths, Paul Harris, Margaret Rizza and many others. Telephone 020-7278-2070 (Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm) or email welcome@wccm.org to find out whether they have the product you want in stock, its price in £ and the postage rate.

Margaret Rizza: The London Centre has a wide range of music CDs by Margaret Rizza, an experienced meditator and meditation conference speaker. Telephone 020-7278-2070 (Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm) or email welcome@wccm.org to find out whether they have the product you want in stock, its price in £ and the postage rate.

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Scenes from Guildford: The historic town of Guildford is located between the rolling North Downs and the winding River Wey. It has an interesting past that hails back to Saxon times.

Hove: scenes from the sea front.

Laurence Freeman: a Benedictine monk and priest of the Congregation of Monte Oliveto, and director of WCCM. He is also the founder and director of the John Main Center for Meditation and Inter-religious Dialogue at Georgetown University, and author of many books and articles for the Tablet particularly, and a member of the Board of Medio Media.

Central London, viewed from Greenwich Observatory. Can there be space for quiet contemplation in a city like this? Well yes actually! Saint Marks Church in Islington, hosts the London Christian Meditation Centre. Cockfosters Retreat Centre also offers a range of meditation retreats throughout the year, and further meditation events take place at St Peter’s Centre for Meditation and Peace, at Vauxhall, and at Westminster Cathedral

Views, from Loweswater Village Hall. Usually, once a year in the summer, the Cumbrian Christian Meditation group meet here. The hall provides one of the most panoramic views in the Lake District looking up the valley that holds Crummock Water and Buttermere, to Great Gable, which is wreathed in cloud on this occasion.

The Newsletter is released quarterly and is the main source of information for many many members of the Community. In it you will find sections covering news of the Community's leaders, forthcoming retreats and events and a message from Father Laurence Freeman. Contact Saint Mark's Church if you want to receive it. There are details at the foot of this webpage.

North Staffordshire includes the City of Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme and their surrounding areas. There are currently three groups in the area: May Bank (Newcastle), Longton (Stoke) and Stone.

Benedictines: John Main, the founder of the World Community for Christian Meditation, and Laurence Freeman, the Community's current leader; a sketch of the former Christian Meditation Retreat Centre at Cockfosters and one of the corridors at the monastery of Monte Oliveto.

The Open Gate: a retreat house run by the Community of Aidan and Hilda on Lindisfarne, Northumberland. Courses and retreats on many aspects of christian spirituality are provided each year.

Oxford: Britain's oldest university town.

Portsmouth Catholic Cathedral was built in 1882 and is situated close to the City centre and the home of the Royal Navy.

Waterfall, in the grounds of Rydal Hall, near Ambleside. Meetings organised by the Cumbrian Christian Meditation group often take place here. The mountains of the Lake District make an inspiring backdrop to the grounds of the hall and remind us that although the path of meditation can sometimes appear rather steep and craggy, there is a way to the summit.

Autumn Colours, in the grounds of Rydal Hall, near Ambleside. Meetings organised by the Cumbrian Christian Meditation group often take place here. The mountains of the Lake District make an inspiring backdrop to the grounds of the hall and remind us that although the path of meditation can sometimes appear rather steep and craggy, there is a way to the summit.

Shrewsbury: typical half timbered houses in the town and plate glass windows in the cathedral

Lindisfarne Slakes, in the fading light of a late February afternoon. The tranquility of the sea and sky on this day, might remind us of our quest for tranquility of mind and spirit during meditation.

Staffordshire Moorlands at the southwestern end of the Pennines, provides an opportunity for solitude. The Staffordshire Peak District is distinctly quieter than its more famous Derbyshire neighbour!

Scenes from Surrey famous for its gardens and picturesque villages, and also an area where WCCM UK is very active, with a good number of groups and local events

Painted Ceiling, in one of the corridors of the Vatican Museum, leading to the Sistine Chapel.

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John Main, Laurence Freeman, Cockfosters, Monte Oliveto A variety of books on sale from the WCCM bookshop in London Scenes from Bere Island A variety of books and CDs  by Laurence Freeman on sale from the WCCM bookshop in London A variety of CDs  byMargaret Rizza on sale from the WCCM bookshop in London

Young Meditators Programme

The young meditators programme is designed to help young adults to find a community of peers who also meditate, or are interested in meditation. The age span for 'young meditators' isn't very strict, and the idea is simply to encourage an atmosphere of solidarity amongst those who are perhaps nearer the beginning of their meditation journey than the end. As well as encouraging younger meditators to go along to all-age events, there are also a few events designed to give younger people a chance to spend time together and to learn from those at a similar time of life. Have a look below, and contact Philip Seal if you are interested in anything.

Young Meditators

 

Young Adult Meditators Group

As well as the larger annual retreats, there are opportunities for “the young and contemplative” to get together regularly at the Meditatio centre in Kensington, London. 

Wednesday Meditation and Yoga  Group

Every Wednesday at 6:00 pm  the young adult meditators group meets at the Meditatio house in Kensington. The evening begins with meditation at 6:00 pm followed by a yoga session at 6:45. Then there is supper provided afterwards for people who want to stay.

All are welcome. Please call the house to let them know if you would like to stay for the supper so they know how many people to prepare for. A small donation towards the cost of food and the yoga session is appreciated.
Please note that due to a series of Lent talks planned at the nearby church in Kensington, the weekly group will not meet 27 April 2011. 

Monthly Retreat Days

As well as meeting each Wednesday, a retreat day is organised each month which is on the 3rd week of the month. The retreat day is sometimes held at the Meditatio centre. Time is given to meditation, Lectio, discussion and reflection.  The retreat days are organised on a month by month basis and information about them will be uploaded in this section when they have been confirmed. 

As there is a week’s retreat planned for April on Bere Island, there will be no day retreat in April and watch out for details for the next retreat day in May. 
For more information about the Holy Week Retreat in Bere Island, please see the  ‘retreat’ section of the website.  

For more information on the Young Adult Meditators Group please contact Vince on : 07932 583 544.

The contact details for the Meditatio Centre in London are:

 Meditatio, 
17 Pembroke Gardens, 
Kensington, 
London W8 6HT

Tel: 020 7602 8098

Email: meditatio@wccm.org


10th - 12th June: WCCM National Conference

This was held at the Hayes Centre, Swanwick, Derbyshire.

Patrick Woodhouse will be speaking on meditation in a world of multiple overwhelmings, which can only be relevant to the often stressful university and work environments lots of us find ourselves in today. The programme includes times for meditation, workshops, and celebratory readings from the great contemplative pioneers Etty Hillesum and Thomas Merton. There will be a workshop for younger meditators specifically, as well as a very reasonable reduced overall price of £80.

You can find out more about the conference here


26th - 29th August: Greenbelt Festival

This will be held at Cheltenham racecourse.

We are looking for a team of volunteers to help us run events in a yurt (a.k.a. an 18 foot tent) at Greenbelt this year. As well as helping out with putting up the yurt, daily meditation sessions, and the general running of the WCCM presence at the festival, this will be a chance to form a temporary community, attend some of the talks and music events Greenbelt has to offer, and deepen your own practice. See www.greenbelt.org.uk if you're unsure of what Greenbelt is all about.

For further information, or if you are a young meditator and interested in setting up a group (particularly in a University setting), please contact Phil Seal.

Click here to email Philip


Past Young People's Retreats

Bere Island Young Peoples Retreat 2010/11

New Year on Bere Island

From 29th December 2010 to 4th January 2011, nine young meditators and contemplatives made their way to Bere Island for a week of community, silence, and New Year's celebrations. The discussion point for the week was 'Love, Sex, and Relationships'. Each afternoon the group gathered to discuss experiences and ideas in an atmosphere of shared seeking. Provocative questions included:

  • How can we be 'independent yet together' in romantic relationships?
  • How can we 'fill each other's cup' but not 'drink from the same cup,' as Kahlil Gibran puts it?

For pics and testimonies click here.

 

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Updated: 24-11-2011