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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Scenes from Bere Island John Main, Laurence Freeman, Cockfosters, Monte Oliveto Waterfall and pool at Rydal Hall Ceiling paintings in the Vatican Museum WCCM Doves

Welcome to Medio Media

Medio Media is WCCM's bookshop. The main online facility can be found at www.mediomedia.org but everything is priced in US dollars and distribution is normally restricted to the USA and Canada.

However, Medio Media also have a branch in London which takes telephone orders and can usually deliver goods within a couple of days. The London Centre may also be able to get items from the US site posted to the UK if they are not stocked in this country. Many of the items on the USA site are available from the London branch but does not stock all of the books on contemplative prayer, meditation aids and gift items.

You can download the UK Medio Media Catalogue here and you can contact Medio Media on 020-7278-2070 Monday to Friday during normal office hours. Also see the new products available below.

New in February 2010

Cover Sheet

The Shape of a Wave (2009)

Monte Oliveto Talks

Laurence Freeman OSB

"What is the meaning of life?" The universal question. In the fourth century, John Cassian travelled to the Egyptian desert to seek the answer from Abba Moses. In these talks, Fr Laurence unites ancient and modern perspectives using the metaphor of a wave - a dispersion of energy from a point of origin revealing the deep meaning caught in the flow of love itself. Meditation within the practice of love and prayer brings clarity and acceptance to the seeker.

5 CDs

Product Code: #6163

Price: £18.00


Cover Sheet

Community of Love

John Main OSB

Much of this newly republished book reveals Fr John's thoughts on a wide range of subjects, not specifically on meditation. He turns his contemplative vision to illuminate many contemporary issues, with clear, striking insights for modern people on major issues of today, which originate in the experience of God. The book includes John Main's well-known essay "Death - The Inner Journey".

Book 195pp

Product Code: #6009

Price: £8.00


Cover Sheet

A Short Span of Days

Laurence Freeman OSB

Death is a reality that we instinctively try to avoid or deny. But when confronted with the reality of it, we can either break down and disintegrate, or break through and transcend. In the reprint of this groundbreaking little book, Fr Laurence shows us how meditation opens the way to this understanding. In meditation, as we drop all immediate concerns and become silent, we experience loss and separation. We taste death, and our fear of it gradually loses its power, leaving us free to see life's ultimate horizon. In that new vision we find meaning and the gift of wisdom.

Book 65pp

Product Code: #6025

Price: £5.25


David Wood, one of our former National Coordinators, has compiled a new book with a humorous note: God's hotel - Godspotting in all directions.

You can download a description of its content and ordering details here.


WCCM Birds

Updated: 04-03-2010