John Main Prayer Association

<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" topmargin="0"> <h1 align="center"><font color="#000080" size="6" face="Arial"><strong>John Main Prayer Association</strong></font></h1> <blockquote> <p><font size="2" face="Arial">You can find out all about Christian Meditation through online articles, book reviews and by purchasing any of our numerous books and tapes on prayer and meditation. You may purchase books, tapes and videos from our online catalogue.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial">Father John Main, an English benedictine monk who lived in Montreal, Canada, rediscovered Christian Meditation and introduced it anew to Christians in our age as a simple yet deeply contemplative form of prayer by which the practitioner could remain constantly and passively in God's presence. He moved to Canada in 1977, to open a house of prayer in Montreal. He died in 1982.</font> <font size="2" face="Arial">In those few intervening years, his teaching consisted of talks given to lay meditators or monastics, which talks were later transcribed and published as books. One might say he never had the time to actually write books, for he soon found himself on the front end of a burgeoning renewal of Christian meditative prayer. Much of his time was also taken up with the founding of the new Benedictine Priory in Montreal which soon began to receive novices, guests and retreatants from around the world. </font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial">Christian Meditation is a method of contemplative prayer accessible to all by its simplicity, yet whose discipline enables experienced pray-ers to advance in their configuration to Christ through daily faithfulness. The practice of Christian Meditation is a simple yet subtle one. The basic method may be learned in 30 minutes while full mastery may take a lifetime.</font><font face="Arial"></font></p> </blockquote> <div align="left"><table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tr> <td valign="top" colspan="2" width="100%" bgcolor="#000080"> <font color="#FFFF80" face="Arial"><strong>Authors: in our library: </strong></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="50%" bgcolor="#FEFFD7"><ul> <li><font size="2" face="Arial"><strong>John Main</strong></font></li> <li><font size="2" face="Arial"><strong>Thomas Merton</strong></font></li> <li><font size="2" face="Arial"><strong>Bede Griffiths</strong></font></li> <li><font size="2" face="Arial"><strong>Thomas Moore</strong></font></li> <li><font size="2" face="Arial"><strong>M.Basil Pennington</strong></font></li> <li><font size="2" face="Arial"><strong>Thomas Ryan</strong></font></li> <li><font size="2" face="Arial"><strong>Fiona Bowie & Oliver Davies</strong></font></li> <li><font size="2" face="Arial"><strong>Abhishiktananda</strong></font></li> <li><font size="2" face="Arial"><strong>Neil McKenty </strong></font></li> <li><font size="2" face="Arial"><strong>John Cassian</strong></font></li> </ul> </td> <td valign="top" width="50%" bgcolor="#FEFFD7"><ul> <li><font size="2" face="Arial"><strong>Hildegarde of Bingen</strong></font></li> <li><font size="2" face="Arial"><strong>Carlo Carretto</strong></font></li> <li><font size="2" face="Arial"><strong>William Johnston</strong></font></li> <li><font size="2" face="Arial"><strong>Esther de Waal</strong></font></li> <li><font size="2" face="Arial"><strong>Helen Waddell</strong></font></li> <li><font size="2" face="Arial"><strong>Carthusian</strong></font></li> <li><font size="2" face="Arial"><strong>Henri J. M. Nouwen</strong></font></li> <li><font size="2" face="Arial"><strong>Joan Chittister</strong></font></li> <li><font size="2" face="Arial"><strong>James Carse</strong></font></li> <li><font size="2" face="Arial"><strong>John Skinner</strong></font></li> </ul> </td> </tr> </table> </div><h2 align="left"><font color="#000000" size="4" face="Arial"><strong>THE MONASTIC LIFE</strong></font></h2> <blockquote> <p align="left"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Arial"> From the beginning of time we have been told stories of men and women who have moved away from their homes and culture to take up a life of solitude and silence. MONK comes from the word monas, one - alone. After the death of Christ and with the diaspora of the Disciples, Christain communities tended to keep themselves to themselves to avoid persecution from the Roman Empire. From the 1st century AD until the 4th century AD, Christians were subjected to persecution and death for adhering to their Faith. </font></p> <p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial"> In the late 5th century John Cassian, a monk of the Monastery in Bethlehem, wrote of his travels and conversations with some of the Desert Fathers. These writings became known as the Conferences. Out of these Conferences came an established way of life in a monstic setting. Later in the 6th century, Benedict of Nursia was to rely on the Rule of the Master and the John Cassian's Conferences to write the Rule of St.Benedict, a rule followed by most of the world's Christian Monastic Orders. </font></p> <p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial"> A thoughtful insight into the Rule of St. Benedict has been a vital spiritual force for almost fifteen hundred years and has been a source of growth and renewal for millions of people. The Benedictine Way is timeless and, as the author contends - is the spirituality of the twenty first century because it deals with issues facing us now - stewardship, relationships, authority, community, balance, work, simplicity, prayer, and spiritual and psychological development.</font><font size="2"> </font></p> </blockquote> <h2><font face="Arial">Benedictine Oblates</font></h2> <blockquote> <p><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Arial"> Oblates of St. Benedict are Christian men and women admitted into spiritual union and affiliation with a Benedictine community of monks or nuns, so that they may share in the spiritual life, prayers and good work of the community.</font></p> <p><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Arial"> Oblates do not live in the monastic house of the community, yet they remain one with the community while they continue faithfully to carry out the duties of their particular state in life and occupation, wherever they may be.</font></p> <p><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Arial"> Within the framework of their daily lives in the world, Oblates strive to lead full Christian lives enlightened by personal efforts to understand Christ's teaching in the Scriptures as interpreted by St.Benedict in his Rule for monks. Oblates are guided and inspired by their continued spiritual association with the monastic community.</font></p> <p><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Arial"> Oblates are a spiritual arm of the Benedictine community, reaching out to all areas of life, seeking to share with others what they themselves gain as Oblates of St. Benedict. Their affiliation with a community of monks or nuns is not therefore for their own personal good alone. It is chiefly by their Christian example, even by their very presence among others, that they hope to bring St. Benedict's ideal of service to God and man into the world where they live and work.</font></p> <p><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Arial"> Since Oblates of St. Benedict primarily offer themselves for the service of God and man, they will therefore strive for God's honour and glory before all else, keeping in mind the Benedictine motto: That in all things God may be glorified.</font></p> </blockquote> <h2 align="center"><font color="#000080" size="4">If you see this message, your internet browser does not <br> support frames and they are required to view this website.</font><font size="4"> </font></h2> <p align="center"><font color="#FF8000" size="2" face="Arial"><strong>Please download a more recent browser from Microsoft or Netscape and come back.</strong></font></p> </body>