ISRS Seminars – Dr Mauro Fornasiero – Silence as a meditative practice: three exemplary cases in dialogue
The seminar will take place on Thursday, 23rd January at 4.00pm UK time /11.00am US EST time /5pm Polish time / 5pm Sweden time / 5 pm Malta /5pm Israeli time / 6pm Turkish time / 11pm Hong Kong / 1pm Melbourne. It will be held in MS Teams application. Click on the link
Silence as a meditative practice: three exemplary cases in dialogue
Drawing from the experience of the support-group ‘Preparing to retire well and beyond’, this paper conceptualises silence as a meditative practice. It showcases and compares three case studies.
‘Preparing to retire well and beyond’ is a reflective practice group, which supports the emotional and spiritual wellbeing of retiring and retired Anglican clergy in the Diocese of Truro (England). The first case study is based on the findings of its evaluation. It presents silence as a spiritual practice, which facilitates meditation.
In the second case study, this notion of meditative silence is contextualised in the work of the late Roman Catholic priest and philosopher Romano Guardini, and most specifically his ‘Meditations before Mass’ (2013). This collection was first published in Germany in 1939 as ‘Besinnung vor der Heiligen Messe’.
Engaging with the notions of silence as a meditative practice identified in the first and second case studies, the final example showcases silence in health care settings. More specifically, it focuses on chaplaincy and how ‘meditative’ silence becomes a safe space in hospitals.
These three case studies speak of the relevance of silence as a meditative practice in faith-based and secular contexts.
Biography
Dr Mauro Fornasiero is a social scientist with expertise in the evaluation of complex interventions in health, social care, education, and in religious contexts.
In 2017, he developed an interest in spiritual wellbeing when he worked at the ‘WHO Collaborating Centre for Culture and Health’ (University of Exeter) in an interdisciplinary project on subjective wellbeing.
His translation -from English to Italian- of the monograph ‘Cassian the Monk’ (Stewart, 1998) for ‘Edizioni Scritti Monastici’ (Abbey of Praglia, 2019) cemented his interest in monastic spirituality and its relevance for wellbeing.
Since 2022, he has assisted the The Revd John Eatock, Dean for Retired Clergy in the Diocese of Truro, with the evaluation of the reflective practice group ‘Preparing to retire well and beyond’. Exploring the meaning of priesthood in retirement, this group supports the emotional and spiritual wellbeing of Anglican clergy approaching retirement and in retirement.
In partnership with Liverpool Anglican Cathedral and York St John University, he is currently developing a project on wellbeing, which is informed by the science of cathedral studies (Francis, 2015).
