This advice was offered by one of our Council members on potential issues related to meeting in a Church, in this case a Cathedral, and registering the meeting through the Church. These suggestions are appropriate wherever the meeting happens. The main problems occur when the meeting is registered through the Church and the first and second contacts are clergy or parish staff.
“When a group of us decided to set up a Julian Meeting, although we were mostly Cathedral ‘people’ and were able to advertise the meeting easily in the Cathedral, we held the meeting in various homes because:-
1 We wanted to meet in the evening and that made access at the building more difficult (as well as parking)
2 There are no suitable ‘enclosed’ spaces in this cathedral
3 We were clear that it should be seen as an ecumenical group and we wanted a certain independence so that we could not be closed down at the whim of any future Dean and Chapter!
So we had a freedom that some groups who meet on church premises (whatever kind of church) do not have.
Of course there are many groups who meet very successfully on church premises and it is helpful that the meetings can be added to their church website information.
Julian Groups have always been ecumenical and at a Cathedral that is much easier to hold to than in some smaller churches where the building is clearly of one denomination and there may be a perception that it is ‘a methodist group ‘ or whatever.
But if you have goodwill and an appropriate space then a cathedral with its openness and inclusivity is a good space to offer an opportunity to simply ‘be’ in the company of a group of like-minded folk. And a Cathedral is much more likely to be open in the daytime than many churches (sadly).
The biggest issue for us, if we had met on the premises in the day time, would have been the clash with the cathedral’s very varied diary commitments especially rehearsals for events!”
Does this mean we cannot meet in our Church or register the Meeting to the Church?
Not at all. It just means there can be issues that need thinking about. In particular in respect of the principles of lay leadership and non-demoninational/ecumenical independence of the Meeting .
The Julian Meetings do not teach any particular method of Christian Meditation or Contemplative Prayer but we do offer resources and guidance. You will find all these on our website on our Contemplative Prayer and Meditation page and All our Resources page.
A Julian Meeting is a small group of people who meet regularly to practise Christian Contemplative Prayer and Meditation. The meeting will consist of a brief reading, at least 20 minutes silence, a closing reading and usually refreshments.
The movement was named after Julian of Norwich, a fourteenth century mystic. Her inspired writings are sometimes used at meetings but JM is not here to promote Julian, nor are we associated with other organisations bearing her name
The purpose of JM is defined as ‘fostering the practice and teaching of contemplative prayer within the Christian tradition’, and this accords with Julian’s precept that the highest form of prayer consists in simply waiting on God.
Yes, there are several online Julian Meetings and some are a mixture of online and in person. They are all shown with different coloured icons on our meetings map. Online only are red and mixed are yellow. They are shown in the location of the meeting contacts but anyone can join from anywhere.
Belonging to a group of people who meet regularly to pray in silent contemplation can be a great help and encouragement. We do not feel isolated. Prayerful silence is greatly helped when two or three gather together, and this complements our daily personal prayer.
Some find the discipline of a regular meeting easier to manage than trying to find a time to be silent at home.If we are having problems with our praying, sharing them can help us grow through them. The Julian Meetings provide these opportunities, and exist to foster the practice and teaching of contemplative prayer.
The regular meeting with others who value the prayer of silence can facilitate a very deep spiritual bond. This is difficult to describe until experienced!
A meeting has only one purpose, which is to share the experience of contemplative prayer together and to promote The Julian Meetings aims and objectives. We do not get involved in other causes and activities, be they social, political or charitable. Individual members may be active in other areas but this is an individual matter. This is the ‘Single Pointedness’ listed in the attributes of the Ideal Julian Meeting.
We feel this is one of the major attractions of a Julian Meeting. We can leave all our other cares and concerns and simply rest in God together.
People usually take it in turns to open and close the silence. There is no formal leadership or set formula. Some might not want to lead and that is fine.
Esssential administrative work, arranging a venue, publicity, responding to enquiries and so on is usually, but not necessarily, done by the Meeting First and Second Contacts. (We require two contact persons for registration). These are appointed by the meeting.
However, each meeting will make their own organisational arrangements.
See the ‘Start a Meeting’ page for more information and resources about Meetings
“Nothing” is the short answer. We are not affiliated to any particular faith tradition, church, doctrine or dogma. We do not teach any particular method of meditation or contemplative prayer. Participants will belong to a variety of faith traditions and have a variety of personal beliefs.
We encourage people to find out what is right for them; to discover how they can integrate contemplation and meditation into their daily prayer life and how personal and group contemplative prayer and meditation can enrich each other.
We offer various resources to help along the way. These are all available to read, download, buy, listen to or watch on the Contemplative Prayer and Meditation page of our website. Find all our resources for personal prayer and meetings on the All Our Resources and Guidance Here page
Just remember that an individual’s opinion is their own and not indicative of any official opinion of The Julian Meetings.
Julian Meetings are open and ecumenical. Everyone is welcome if they are willing to respect the Christian context. Some belong to a Church, some don’t.
Julian Meetings vary and are free to do things in their own way. A brief reading, not necessarily from Scripture, and/or a short piece of music leads into a period of silent contemplative prayer. The leader will signal the end of the silence with another short reading and/or music.
The main requirement for a Julian Meeting is that there should be a substantial period of silence. The most usual length is 30 minutes. It should not be less than 20 minutes and can be as long as the meeting decides. This is not interrupted in any way.
At the end of the silence there is usually a time for tea and coffee and conversation for those who want this.
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