16 Jun 2026

Dearest Friends:

 

‘I have not yet written the poem that I know is hidden in the depths’. A poet friend wrote me these words recently. They moved me all the more because I know of his lifelong fidelity to his craft and the influence he has had on the art of poetry.  

 

As I thought about all that his words imply, it struck me that each of us has a poem deep within us we must write. The work we have to be faithful to is our unique essence and meaning. Our life’s meaning is to write it, through many drafts and  near misses. Yet,  our lives bear fruit in more than one lifetime because the poem is written afresh from one generation to the next.

 

I feel the WCCM, our community, is the poem that John Main began to write when he first began teaching meditation. It continues to be written by you and me. By being part of it through our life in community we are helping others to find it too in their own depths.  

 

It is a hundred years since John Main was born. Forty-four since he passed into the cloud like the one Jesus ascended into. Each of us is on the same trajectory. In whatever time we have here, we read and rewrite this poem beyond words, in our practice of daily meditation. 

 

I recently saw firsthand some of the many dialects in which this poem is being written today. In Indonesia, I spent time with members of the 250 WCCM groups that make up its community, and who are committed to teaching meditation to children and work in prisons. In Australia, I was invited by Archbishop Chris Prowse of Canberra (a daily meditator) who is ensuring that it is being taught in all the schools in his diocese. I spent an inspiring day with 12th grade boys and girls who filled me with hope when I saw  how his vision is changing young lives. In Malaysia I gave a retreat for members of the community who will celebrate their 50th anniversary next year. In Portugal last month I saw how with dedicated leadership a national community that has become tired can re-flourish and write the poem of with new vigor.  

 

Here at Bonnevaux we are gradually building a core community for our monastery without walls. In April we received the new cohort of individuals for our one-year Teacher-Leader program for their opening retreat. The John Main Seminar in Washington DC, to be held in September, is called ‘Healing the Breach’. It will be led by Tim Shriver, a true contemplative in action. Tim shaped by the Kennedy vision and through his practice of meditation, has dedicated his life to affirming the human dignity often denied to those on the margins. 

 

Our 2026 theme is the ‘Future of Religion’, and the monthly online sessions are proving the most popular so far. Perhaps in a small way the WCCM is even a line or two in the poem that Jesus is still composing in his depths, and which expresses his unique essence and meaning. When we play our part now, we are building the future . Our part is the work of being fully alive in the present and if we do it, we will certainly shape the future. 

 

To help us all continue writing this poem, I am asking you to contribute whatever you can to the material needs this work requires. To reflect on what this means for you, perhaps you could ask yourself these questions: 

 

How has the gift of meditation influenced your life?  Have you felt better able to stay centered despite the chaos around?  Have you strengthened your daily practice by joining a meditation group online through the WCCM website? Meditation groups are available daily in multiple languages. In Portugal there are three online groups every day. You can find one online through this link: http://www.onlinemeditationwccm.org  

 

Meditation reminds us of the joy and peace that already exists within our depths and from which the poem of our life is written. As always, your greatest contribution and support is your own daily practice. This and the other ways you can help are precious to a degree we cannot find words to express. 

 

Your gifts and steady support have enabled WCCM to flourish in many new countries around the world, building strong and resilient meditation communities energised by volunteers carrying on writing this great poem of John Main. This year I hope you will consider making a special gift in honor of the 100th anniversary of his birth. Perhaps by giving a donation of 100, or whatever you can manage, in your local currency? 

 

Clicking the link below will explain how you can give and show how simply it can be done. You can send your donations through your national community.  

 

Thank you, donate here  

 

If you have any questions or would like to discuss other ways of giving, such as towards an endowment for scholarships, or support for new members who want to give their lives to this work, feel free to reach out to our excellent new fundraising manager, Marianne, a Canadian meditator, who will be more than happy to respond and discuss to discuss your donation. Her email is: marianne.mcquillan@wccm.org.  

 

Thank you for considering this appeal and for being part of this poem of the spirit, 

 

With love

Laurence Freeman