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.
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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Retreats and Events in East Anglia
What's on at Nogg's Barn?
Noggs Barn, part of a private house, is a centre for spiritual growth and friendship in Little Melton
near Norwich, Norfolk. You are warmly invited as our guests and friends. Events are free and non-profit making. Occasionally
you might be asked for a donation to help out with a visiting speaker’s expenses. The spirit of events at Noggs is
friendly, informal and inclusive. None of the speakers wishes to be seen as a great expert. They are simply people
who have a special feeling or passion for what they are talking about and who welcome your participation and response.
Noggs Barn is part of our home and we have dedicated it to the spiritual life in the broadest sense. There is a weekly
Christian meditation group meeting regularly every Wednesday evening at 7.30 following the tradition of the World
Community for Christian Meditation.
You can visit the Noggs Barn website here
Anne and Mark McDonnell.
You can download a PDF file containing details of all events here. Otherwise, scroll down to see a summary.
Location
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2010 Events Coming Up:
- Saturday, February 6th 11.00 am – 4.00 pm Ignatian Spirituality. An
introduction to the teaching of St. Ignatius with an emphasis on his relevance for today; led by Charlotte West.
- Saturday, March 6th 10.00 am – 12.30 pm followed by a shared vegetarian lunch. The
Upanishads and Hindu Spirituality (Liz Bosworth). An introduction to Upanishad writings and
yoga practice
- Saturday. March 13th 11am-4pm Sister Anne Kathleen McLaughlin GSIC from Pembroke, Ontario presents
Julian of Norwich in a one woman drama. . More details of this programme will follow.
- Wednesday, March 17th 7.00 pm – 9.00 pm An Evening With Fr Gregory Fruehwirth, Order of Julian of Norwich, Wisconsin, USA
- Saturday, April 10th 11.00 am – 4.00 pm Being a Benedictine Oblate (Margaret Comerford, WCCM Oblate). What is an Oblate? Where does the tradition of “oblation” originate? How does being an oblate help your spiritual practice and service to others?
- Saturday, May 1st 11am-4.00 pm King Lear and the Depths of the Soul led by John
Evans. What can Shakespeare’s tragedy tell us about human nature and the spiritual life?
- Saturday, May 22nd 11.00 am – 4.00 pm The Sufi Poets (Liz Day and Ann Reid) An exploration of Sufi spirituality, looking at the writings of Rumi and Hafiz.
- Saturday June 12th 11.00 am – 4.00 pm The Forgotten Sacrament; Meditation and the Body (Ann Reid with Mark McDonnell and Ali Whittle) A look at the way history has often interpreted spirituality in opposition to the body. In what way does modern understanding bring integration to body, soul and mind? There will be some yoga practice.
- Saturday, July 10th 6.30pm – 9.30 pm A Summer Evening of Music at Noggs (Musicians to be announced) It’s Summer again so time to enjoy good music, good friendship and good wine
You can download a PDF file containing
full details of all events
here. Otherwise, scroll down to see a summary.
Details of each event will be sent out a few weeks before they take place.
Contact: For further information and directions please contact Anne McDonnell
Tel: 01603 810646
This page will be updated as further information becomes available

Updated: 11-12-2009