Marcelo, from Brazil, was part of the Young Adults Retreat during the past summer. Tell us a little bit about you, where you come from, what brought you to the world of meditation? I’m Marcelo and I come from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Since 2014 I regularly attend Jin Shin Jyutsu sessions (a Japanese ancient art […]
by Danielle Lee When I decided to join my parents for the pilgrimage to Bonnevaux, I was excited but wary. The majority of the trip participants were solidly middle-aged (some even elderly) Hong Kong ladies, and I was going to be the youngest person by decades. Now that the pilgrimage is over, I realize that […]
We meet meditator Silvia from Italy who has taken part to the Watercolour and Contemplation Workshop held in Bonnevaux this August. Tell us a little bit about you, where you come from, what brought you to the world of meditation? My name is Silvia and I live in Bergamo, in the north of Italy. My […]
We meet meditator Teresa from Italy who has recently been at the Essential Teachings retreat held in Bonnevaux this October. Tell us a little bit about you, where you come from, what brought you to the world of meditation? I am Teresa from Italy. I came across the world of meditation by chance. Ten years […]
By Andrew McAlister At Bonnevaux we have a cloister that runs along the front of the Abbaye. This cloister is the last remaining section of what was once four sections of cloister. Before the French Revolution, there were three further sections of building that formed a square with the cloister running along its inside walls. This […]
By Andrew McAlister About four weeks ago I arrived at Bonnevaux. Bonnevaux is the International Retreat Centre of The World Community for Christian Meditation (The WCCM) and is located about 20 minutes south of Poitiers in the south-west of France. I am a part of the resident community for the retreat centre. I hope to write […]
Whatever you may be doing: reconciling the accounts, transplanting leeks in the potager, making beds for the next arrival of volunteers, preparing lunch: when the bell in the bell tower rings you down tools, wash your hands and make your way to the Chapel for Meditation. At 6.15 am, 12.15pm and 6.15 pm the core […]
J’ai rencontré la méditation chrétienne et la Communauté mondiale en découvrant les écrits de Dom John Main sur la méditation chrétienne. Il était alors déjà mort et je n’avais jamais entendu parler de lui, bien que nous étions tous deux des juristes irlandais et avions travaillé dans la même faculté de droit du Trinity College […]
Welcome to Bonnevaux at the start of our journey, our mission, here. Thank you for coming to be with us and by your presence to support and inspire us. Thank you to Mgr Wintzer for welcoming us with such warmth to the church here. Thank you to Pere Christophe for the fraternal kindness of the […]
Forty years ago today John Main and I boarded a plane from London to Montreal carrying a couple of suitcases and an embarrassing number of overflowing plastic supermarket bags holding last-minute remembered clothes and commentaries on the Rule of St Benedict. On arrival and under heavy rain we were met by Bishop Len Crowley, a […]
