The World Community for Christian Meditation

Meditators at the John Main Seminar held at New Harmony, Indiana in 1991 gave the community a new form in The World Community for Christian Meditation. It has now spread through a hundred countries. Individuals, groups and centres share the vision of peace and unity arising from meditation. Groups meet in homes, parishes, offices, hospitals, prisons and colleges. A network of Christian Meditation Centres helps to serve this community and its teaching work. Dialogue with other faiths has arisen from this deepening of Christian spirituality in the lives of men and women in all walks of life. The link with the Benedictine monastic family is especially valued.

Laurence Freeman is a Benedictine monk of the Congregation of Monte Oliveto and Director of The World Community for Christian Meditation. He was born in England where he was educated by the Benedictines and studied English Literature at Oxford University. Before entering monastic life he had experience with the United Nations, banking and journalism. In the monastery his spiritual teacher was John Main with whom he studied and whom he helped in the establishment of the first Christian Meditation Centre in London. In 1977 he went with John Main at the invitation of the Archbishop of Montreal to establish a Benedictine community of monks and laypeople dedicated to the practice and teaching of Christian meditation. Fr Laurence studied theology at the Universite de Montreal and at McGill University, made his solemn monastic profession in 1979 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1980. After John Main’s death in 1982 he continued the work of teaching meditation that had now begun to develop a global community. In 1991 Fr Laurence returned to England to establish the International Centre of the newly formed World Community for Christian Meditation that is now present in about a hundred countries. Laurence Freeman is the author of many books and articles including "Light Within", "Selfless Self", "Web of Silence", "Common Ground", "A Short Span of Days", "Your Daily Practice" and "Jesus: The Teacher Within". He is also the editor of John Main’s works and a member of the Board of Medio Media, the publishing arm of the World Community. He has conducted dialogues and peace initiatives such as the historic Way of Peace with the Dalai Lama and is active in inter-religious dialogue with other faiths as well as in encouraging the teaching of Christian meditation to children and students and in the re-appropriation of the contemplative wisdom tradition in the Church and society at large

A brother came to Abbot Pastor and said: "Many distracting thoughts come into my mind, and I am in danger because of them." Then the elder thrust him out into the open air and said: "Open up the garments about your chest and catch the wind in them." But he replied: "This I cannot do." So the elder said to him: "If you cannot catch the wind, neither can you prevent distracting thoughts from coming into your head. Your job is to say 'No' to them."