Julian Meetings

Julian meetings began in 1973 following a letter in English church papers of various denominations inviting people to set up contemplative prayer groups in the spirit of the medieval mystic Julian of Norwich. This led to people in eleven areas setting up groups and today there are over 400 Julian Meetings in the UK and a growing number worldwide.

As well as co-ordinating a network of groups, a small Advisory Group of volunteers produces and sends out a regular newsletter to members—the Julian Meetings Magazine—and produces literature relating to Julian and the contemplative tradition.

The purpose of Julian Meetings is to foster 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.

A Julian Meeting is usually 6 -15 people of various denominations, both lay people and clergy. They meet regularly in a house, church or chapel. A brief reading (sometimes from Julian's writings), or a piece of music, leads into about 30 minutes of silent contemplative prayer. This is generally followed by a time for tea or coffee and conversation.

Julian Meetings vary and are free to do things in their own way. The main guidelines is that a meeting is based on contemplative prayer in the Christian tradition and welcomes people of all denominations. The meetings do not teach a specific method of meditation but encourage people to find what is right for them; and to discover how they can integrate contemplation into their daily prayer life and how personal and group contemplative prayer can enrich each other.

Those who attend Julian Meetings usually take a full part in the life of their own church, but some have no formal church links. Local and regional quiet days or retreats, and an annual national retreat, enable wider sharing between people from several Meetings.