Our Mission
The John Main Center offers a contemplative sacred space in the heart of the Georgetown University campus. Through regular meditation sessions and special events, offered in a spirit of friendship and openness to all, the John Main Center shares the gift of the contemplative path with the Georgetown Community and beyond.
Contemplatives in Action Our Response to Racism and Racial Injustice
Now a full and active component of Campus Ministry, the John Main Center seeks to become more deeply engaged in the spiritual and intellectual life of Georgetown—offering a comprehensive, campus-wide approach to the teaching and practice of meditation that is consistent with its Jesuit identity and Ignatian values.
In light of the signs of these unprecedented times and in order to uphold the Jesuit value of being "Contemplatives in Action", the JMC wants to share Campus Ministry's Response to Racism and Racial Injustice.
Spring at the JMC!
Dear Friends of the JMC,
Each time we gather together in stillness, silence and simplicity, we invite you to simply come as you are... however uncertain, weary, disappointed, daunted or dismayed you may feel about starting over again. Together with gentle determination, we have the opportunity to enter into the present moment as it is.
Always, we begin again - St. Benedict
Please join us this Spring Semester with your fellow Hoyas and the JMC community for online meditation throughout the day and night. All are welcome - no experience needed!
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Current Health Protocols will be followed, including:
Effective April 7th, Georgetown University has temporarily reinstituted its indoor mask requirement.
Please no food or drink allowed.
Sign-In required with the posted QR Code each time upon arrival
for all personal and hosted meditation sessions.
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Where is the JMC?
The JMC is located in Anne Marie Becraft Hall on the Main Campus near Dahlgren Quad at the corner of Old North Way and Library Walk.
We warmly welcome you all to enter into this present moment together in this new way of proceeding.
The door is open for you... Maranatha!
Lisa and the JMC Leadership Teams
New JMC Leadership Team 2022
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Study Days & Finals Hybrid Meditations
May Study Days Schedule for May 2-6:
Good Morning Meditation
HYBRID
May 2-10
Monday - Thursday
8:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Come to Anne Marie Becraft Hall or Request Zoom
Midday Meditation
VIRTUAL in May
Monday - Thursday
12:30 - 1:00 p.m.
Request Zoom
HYBRID
*NEW* Tuesday and Thursday Sections!
JMC-MSB Meditation
HYBRID
*NEW TIME AND LOCATION*
Wednesdays
12:30 - 1:00 p.m.
Hariri 140 or Request Zoom
Host: JMC-MSB Leadership Team:
Jackie Powell (MBA '22)
Adrian Baker-Kang (MBA '22)
Lizzie Sukut (MBA '22)
Lucas Turner-Owens (MBA '22)
Adi Patro (MBA '23)
For Alumni (All Hoyas Welcome)
VIRTUAL
First Tuesday of the Month (Starting April 5th)
6:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Request Zoom
Host: JMC Alumni Team:
Nicole Gomez-Rosado (GSAS '20)
Tara Subramaniam (SFS '19)
Nick Scrimenti (COl '18)
and
JMC Director Lisa Directo Davis
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Finals Week with the JMC
Need a half-hour break? Drop by the JMC for a time of Stillness, Silence and Simplicity during Study Days. At the Wednesday and Thursday Evening Meditation sessions (6:00 p.m., see above), the JMC will host a study break meditation followed by some downtime with light and healthy refreshments in the lower level of the Anne Marie Becraft Hall. Feel free to come by for either or both.
Walk-ins for your own personal meditation and contemplation time are welcome Monday to Friday from 7 AM to 10 PM.
Outdoor Meditation
Wednesday, May 4th
2:30 PM
Koi Pond next to White Gravenor
Meet the JMC team at Anne Marie Becraft Hall and walk over to the pond from there.
JMC-Black Hoya Meditation
"The Story of Our Lives: The Healing Power of Storytelling"
HYBRID
Friday, May 6
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Anne Marie Becraft Hall with Zoom Option.
Request Zoom
RSVP Here
This collective gathering is grounded in belonging and centered on healing and wellness. It is our hope that Black Hoyas who join this community feel uplifted and celebrated for their mere existence and their contributions to the Georgetown community and to the world. In this space we invite Black Hoyas to show up in their full authenticity and vulnerability. We believe our stories create community, and curate healing and self-discovery. We hold space for truth and liberation, because every person has a story worth telling and every person's story matters. The John Main Center invites all Black Hoyas for our final Spring gathering to create together a space for stillness, silence and simplicity with reflection following in this gathering titled, “Story of Our Lives: The Healing Power of Storytelling ” Join us for light refreshments following the gathering.
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WCCM Meditation Offerings
Sunday Meditation
with Dr. Gene Bebeau
7:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Request Zoom Link
Thursday Meditation
with Prof. Dennis McAuliffe
6:15 - 7:15 p.m.
Request Zoom Link
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Remembering the Remarkable Legacy of Anne Marie Becraft
Our JMC Leaders Celebrate Anne Marie Becraft!
https://www.instagram.com/
@johnmaincenter
I stumbled across the Anne Marie Becraft Hall while on campus recently and it gave me joy. The space, virtually and physically reminds me of the places where I felt safe, grounded and in community with those around me. My undergraduate experience at a women's college granted me several opportunities to dig deeper within and find my true self. Joining the online weekly meditation sessions with the John Main Center, connects me to my true self in similar, newer ways, while also connecting me with Georgetown students, faculty, staff and community members. I appreciate the fact that there is a designated space to the legacy of Anne Marie Becraft, particularly because she is remembered for establishing an academy for Black girls and I'm a Black girl/woman at this institution. This space reminds me that my Blackness & woman-ness belong here at Georgetown and it is precious to me for this reason.
Michaella Mentu
Master's in Management '21
Georgetown University MSB
The Meditation House (as I called it) was my favorite place on campus, well before I knew its history or that the university was considering changing its name. The building was once named after a former Georgetown leader who was involved in the sale of 272 enslaved people. To have the place where folks are invited to communally meditate and reflect be named after a Black woman, a woman of service through education, is inspiring. Anne Marie Becraft accomplished so much before passing at 28; I, at 29, hope to create positive, lasting change through my work as well. The space [JMC - my addition] feels more inviting and is somewhere I went (pre-COVID) to bask in the energy of someone like Anne Marie Becraft as a Black woman who serves through education.
Jaime Brown
Associate Director,
Center for Student Engagement
MBA '23
Georgetown University MSB
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"For three years, I resisted going into John Main Center because the idea of meditating and being in silence for more than 2 minutes was the most daunting of concepts. However, my curiosity got antsy and propelled me to try what the media crowned the newest wellness fad– meditation. Over the course of my senior year, I not only was able to discover and deepen my meditation practice but I also became part of such a special community. The center pulls together people from all corners of campus and the world to come together with the common interest of meditation. A simple and profound connection proved to build a foundation for a community so welcoming and loving. So, while it once used to be just that tiny building across from New South, now the John Main Center serves as both an oasis and a home. "Katherine Altman C'19
"The John Main Center has been instrumental for the wholeness of my Georgetown experience. Not only has it become a space of peace and calm but also it has helped me grow spiritually and emotionally. I feel like having the Meditation Center on campus can be a great addition to any student -- whatever it is the faith tradition that he or she comes from. Being part of the JMC is an opportunity to each day enhance our lives personally, spiritually, physically, and academically."Gabriel Donato Gonçalves C'19
Partners
We are grateful for the support of the following:
