Contemplative Practice and shared meal
Tuesday 12 November 18.30 – 21.00
St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, 78 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AG
Contemplative Practice at St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace is held once a month and welcomes people of all faiths, traditions and spiritual expressions, or none, into shared silence for the sake of our world. This month we are inviting people to gather to mark Inter Faith Week followed by a shared meal celebrating Sacred Communities. This is a structured but informal event, hosted in the Bedouin Tent at St Ethelburga's, London. Booking Essential.
| Event held by | St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace |
|---|---|
| Contact | Jo Winsloe |
| jo.winsloe@stethelburgas.org | |
| Website | https://stethelburgas.org/event/contemplative-practice-inter-faith-week/ |
| Venue accessibility | Disabled toilet, Step-free access, Wheelchair access |
| Event categories | Service or vigil |
| Important information | Contemplation is a universal practice that can be found in faith and secular traditions from around the world. Some call it prayer, others meditation, and still others would call it simply silent reflection. For us, sharing silence in community has always played a vital role in our work. We live in a time of gathering storms, what some now call the age of polycrisis. Many of us are struggling to bear the overwhelm of personal and collective crisis. At St Ethelburga’s we’ve seen that groups who share silence and community create a powerful antidote to numbing, distraction and despair. They create a circle of compassion that gives shelter to fragile hopes, kindness to traumatised spirits, and the courage to live from a place that’s rooted in our deepest values. The format The event will include: A brief introduction, and a short reading drawn from different faith/ secular sources. An offering of shared prayer. Participants are invited to name parts of the world or people they wish to offer prayer / compassion for. There is no obligation to speak. 30 minutes of silent contemplation. Participants are welcome to use any prayer or meditation practice they use in their own tradition. For any who are new to contemplative practice, the facilitator will offer a practice you could use to start with. A chance for participants to share to the group any reflections that arose in the silence. This won’t be a long session but will allow for those who wish to offer some thoughts. Shared meal - in celebration of the diversity of London's faiths, traditions and spiritual expressions, we are hosting a meal and facilitated conversation on the things we hold sacred following Contemplative Practice. Please tick the 'Yes' option on booking. |