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.

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 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 Waterfall and pool at Rydal Hall Ceiling paintings in the Vatican Museum WCCM Doves

Meditation in the Media

Audio Downloads

Be patient - these are large files and will take several minutes to download. You can then open them with any MP3 player, e.g. Windows Media Player, iTunes, etc., or save them onto your iPod!

Radio Shropshire 03/01/2010

Jon Kille and Les Glaze talk to Mike George on the subject of Christian Meditation on the Mike George Sunday Breakfast. You can listen to the interview here.


Aylesbury Event 21/10/2009

You can download MP3 audio files of Father Lawrence's recent talks at Aylesbury below. You will need to download both files to listen to the whole event.


Cobham Event 14/06/2009

What on earth does “spirit” mean?

The evening was hosted by the Elmbridge Multi-Faith Forum, at Sacred Heart Church, Cobham, Surrery. You can download a PDF report on the multi-faith evening evening event led by Fr Laurence Freeman OSB in Cobham here.

You can also download MP3 audio files of the event below. Some of the files are quite large, so be prepared to wait while they download:


June 14 2009, Laurence's interview BBC Southern Counties Radio

Some older recordings

In the following four broadcasts Fr Laurence outlines various aspects of Christian Meditation in response to interviewer's questions:

Sunday Feature, Radio 3, Sunday 22nd February 2009 - Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, explores the realms of silence, its spiritual qualities and significance in human life. In conversation with people of different backgrounds and experience, the Archbishop reveals the elusive state of silence, with its risks, fears and rewards. Featuring Evelyn Glennie, Sara Maitland, the Chief Rabbi, Sir Jonathan Sacks, and Zen Buddhist John Crook.

Beyond Belief, BBC Radio 4, 3rd January, 2008 - a discussion about meditation with Liz Watson,  David Midgeley, Dr Susan Blackmore and Ernie Rea

Leading Edge, BBC Radio 4, December 2007 - a short clip about the benefits of meditation

Brother Martin from Shantivarnam - a talk in London

BBC Radio South Counties - An interview with Laurence Freeman

Fr Laurence's Talk at Guildford Cathedral - Meditation as a meeting place - BBC Radio South Counties

BBC Radio Four - An episode of Sunday Worship on Radio 4 transmitted on 2nd November 2008, looking at the life of Thomas Merton

 

Into Great Silence

Scenes from the film are shown below. You can download Laurence Freeman's review of the film here

Corridors in a monastery

WCCM Birds

Updated: 03-11-2009