
Join us to share contemplative silence in community. An in-person monthly event at St Ethelburga’s. We warmly invite people of all faiths and none. A chance to be refreshed by the restorative power of shared silence, community, and our peace garden.
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 free event, donations warmly welcomed
This event is offered without charge, although donations to cover the basic costs of refreshment and caretaking would be most gratefully received. Please register if you’d like to come so we have an idea about numbers. We look forward to seeing you there.
This is a regular event, offered every second Tuesday of the month from 6.30 – 8.00 pm
Hosted by Clare Martin
Clare is Co-Director of St Ethelburga’s. Previously Development Director, Clare created and led on the Radical Resilience programme and went on to be the strategic lead on our viewpoint diversity work, before stepping up to co-lead the centre alongside Tarot Couzyn. She brings more than 20 years’ experience facilitating groups for the sake of inner enquiry and outer change, and is interested in how contemplative practices can play a role in cultural repair. She has has worked on numerous interfaith projects, most notably for Nisa Nashim, the Jewish Muslim Women’s Network. Prior to this, Clare worked as a communications consultant in the corporate and charitable sector. Currently she runs a community garden on her Hackney housing estate, where she lives with her husband and 9-year old daughter. Raised a Christian, Clare has also studied Buddhism and Sufism.
You can read her thoughts on the role of visionary imagination in resilience building here, and here is a short piece about contemplation as an antidote to conflict.
Chen Lu
Please ensure you view our Terms and Conditions and Refund Policy.
St Ethelburga’s is a ‘maker of peace-makers’. We inspire and equip individuals and communities to contribute, in their own particular contexts, to activating a global culture of peace.