Laurence Freeman OSB

Monk and Teacher

Director of The World Community for Christian Meditation
Bonnevaux

With Irish and English roots, Laurence Freeman was educated by the Benedictines and studied English Literature at New College, Oxford University. Before entering monastic life, he worked with the United Nations in New York, in Banking and Journalism. He is Director of The World Community for Christian Meditation (WCCM) a global, inclusive contemplative community. He is a Benedictine monk of the Congregation of Monte Oliveto Maggiore in the Abbey of S Maria del Pilastrello, Lendinara Italy. He now resides at Bonnevaux, the WCCM international home in France, and a centre for peace where meditation is practiced and taught as a way to personal and organisational transformation. A core community and a daily rhythm of meditation, work and study support its widening outreach to society at large and a deepening of the Christian relationship with other faith traditions. Strongly attended to the contemporary crisis, Bonnevaux draws on a rich tradition of contemplative wisdom which our times demand. A writer, citizen of the world and international teacher, Fr Laurence is the author of many articles and books including: Light Within, The Selfless Self, Your Daily Practice, Jesus: The Teacher Within, First Sight: The Experience of Faith, Web of Silence, and his latest book Good Work Meditation for Personal and Organizational Transformation. He collaborated with the Dalai Lama on many dialogues and the groundbreaking book The Good Heart. In 2010, he launched Meditatio––the outreach programme of the WCCM––which promotes meditation as a universal wisdom that opens the common ground of humanity and engages with the secular world in the fields of Education, Medicine, Leadership, Science, Business and Social Justice. He encourages the teaching of meditation to children and young people as a way to encourage a ‘contemplative revolution’ in consciousness to help regain the spirit of wisdom tradition in the world today. In 2013 Fr. Laurence inaugurated an MBA course on Meditation and Leadership, at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, Washington DC which has become the most popular of its electives. In the same year he initiated a programme on Health & Meditation: Healing from the Centre, at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland which has led to a Contemplative Healthcare initiative. In addition to his work in the contemplative renewal of Christianity Fr Laurence conducts dialogues and peace initiatives, such as the historic Way of Peace with the Dalai Lama. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 2012 in recognition of his work for interfaith dialogue and the promotion of world peace. His Daily Wisdom, Quarterly Spiritual Letter and other regular teachings online and his retreats and conferences are sources of inspiration for many worldwide.

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