Julian monk in historic visit to Norwich
 An American monk who has spent the last 18 years as a member of the Order of Julian of Norwich in the USA, will finally visit the mystic’s home city in March to present four teaching sessions.
Julian of Norwich, the medieval woman writer and visionary, is Norwich’s best kept secret. A religious order of monks and nuns dedicated to bearing witness to the mystical treatise set out in her book Revelations of Divine Love is situated, not in Norwich, but nearly 4,000 miles away in a small town in Wisconsin, USA.
Fr Gregory Fruehwirth has been a member of the Order of Julian of Norwich since he was 19 and now, 18 years later, he serves as the community’s Guardian. As part of a two month sabbatical, Fr Gregory will be spending time in Julian’s city developing long-standing links with religious and lay people in the region involved with work and prayer to promote Julian’s rich spiritual legacy.
An experienced retreat leader and published poet and writer, Fr Gregory will be presenting a series of four teaching sessions looking at key themes in Julian’s text: desire, presence, compassion and community. The sessions will combine talks, groupwork and spiritual practice, the purpose of which will be to open doorways into Julian’s mystical awareness, inviting us to awaken to the ongoing revelation of the divine.
Fr Gregory says: ‘I am delighted to be able to share what I have experienced of God and life and Christ through Julian’s Revelations, and I look forward to receiving the gifts that others will bring to these discussions. I am especially pleased to be able to offer such thoughts in Julian’s own city, in a time of considerable anxiety and despair when the whole of creation is crying out for all of us to mature into our birthright as human beings.’
Professor Brian Thorne says: ‘This is a rare opportunity to engage with Fr Gregory over an extended period on matters of the profoundest significance for the evolution of the human spirit. In the time I have known him I have come to value immensely both Gregory’s wisdom and his warm humanity.’
The teaching sessions will be held from 7.30 - 9pm (doors open 7pm) at Granary Court, Bishop’s House, St Martin-at-Palace Plain, Norwich NR3 1SB
- March 3: Desire and our experience of God
- March 10: Transforming suffering in our experience of the world
- March 17: Learning presence through our bodies
- March 24: Relationship and meaning in community
Admission is £30 for all four or £10 for individual sessions (with a 50% reduction for students and unemployed). Booking is advised, but you can also just show up. Contact the Julian Centre on 01603 767380 or go to www.friendsofjulian.org.uk.
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