Many people recognise the benefits of taking time in silence and prayer but find it hard to develop a habit of stillness in the busyness of life.
Taking the time to stop and be silent together has been valuable for one small group in the diocese, who for the past year have been meeting every month at Groby Community Library to support one another in the practice of silence and contemplative prayer.
Ruth Mwenya, a lay speaker at St Philip and St James Church in Groby, says they didn’t quite know what to expect when beginning these ‘Julian Meetings’ last September.
“It was a very warm evening, and we actually sat outside the library on the benches, cars were going past, and people were around but that didn’t matter,” says Ruth. “After a few words, conversation ceased and for 20 minutes we simply sat in silence.”
Since then, she has continued to organise these small, monthly gatherings with the support of churches in Groby.
Groby Community Library was the perfect choice of venue for the gatherings as it’s at the heart of the village and very easy to access.
It was whilst on retreat at Launde Abbey - sharing silence over a number of days - that Ruth first heard about Julian Meetings.
“The retreat was called Contemplarium and it was my first experience holding more prolonged silence, including mealtimes,” she explains. “At the end of the retreat, one of the other participants mentioned the Julian Meetings and it piqued my interest.
“I had been feeling a nudge for quite a while to start some kind of meditation group in Groby. The pace of life and the demands and stresses that people face seem to cry out for space.
“It felt a good thing to give people the opportunity for a shared time of silence. There is a different quality to the silence shared with others; there is something sacred and soothing about it.
“My hope is that those who have a different faith background or no faith would feel comfortable to join us.”
Julian Meetings are a national initiative, named after Julian of Norwich, who saw simply waiting on God as the highest form of prayer. Since starting in the 1970s, there are around 150 Julian Meetings and Prayer Groups around the UK. Their aim has always been to foster the practice and teaching of contemplative prayer within the Christian tradition.
Ruth and the group are becoming more and more convinced of the need and benefits of silent spaces.
“I feel there is a chronic need for this shared silence,” she says. “I imagine that most of us have snatches of time in our lives that are silent – consider these times and how they affect you. Being intentional about silence is not easy but can shift things inside you and help you to access a sacred space.”
One member describes the time they share as “a little haven of quiet space - an opportunity to intentionally be still and be in God's presence.”
Others are equally positive, saying: “The Julian Meeting is completely different from Sunday church, which is full of worship and friendly conversations. In one sense, it’s a very empty 20 minutes, with nobody doing anything. But, on the other hand, it's full of ‘being’.
“It feels like a rare privilege to just ‘be’ in the company of other people, with no expectations other than sharing the time together.”
Groby is not the only parish holding Julian Meetings in the diocese; there are also groups in Syston and Wigston – and they’re just the ones we know about.
Ruth is keen to encourage others to meet for silence. “Sitting in silence is a simple thing to do; something that you can easily do on your own, but we’ve found the discipline of a regular time and place really helpful,” she says.
“I would encourage anyone who hasn’t tried silence to consider giving it a go. Please feel welcome to come to our simple meetings, one of the other local groups, or start your own!”
The Groby Julian Meeting is on the first Monday of each month, 7.30pm at Groby Community Library.
You can find out more about The Julian Meetings at thejulianmeetings.net