What my seventy years on this planet can offer you is my utter conviction of the importance of allowing some time for stillness and silence in daily life.  There are three main reasons for this.  One is that it gradually enables us to understand ourselves more deeply.  Two: this then expands our capacity to understand and relate to others and to the world.  Three: as the deeper reflective part of our human nature develops it will draw us inexorably towards God.

Why not begin with Million Minutes?  Don’t settle for life on the surface of things. The world needs young people like you to take up the challenge.  In the words of St Paul ‘God’s power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine’ (Ephesians 3. 20).

Here at Million Minutes we’re really excited to have Delia’s support. She has written some words to encourage us in our silence which we are really grateful for. Read them below, or as a PDF You can download it here.

I have very little space so it’s a huge challenge! What I am hoping to do is persuade you to spend some time each day in complete silence and stillness. Why? Because after many years of experience I have learned that this is the way to short circuit access to the deepest part of our human existence. We each have within us an interior resource, a reflective capacity that can be stifled by noise and activity, but if we allow ourselves some time and space on a regular daily basis the contemplative inner part of who we are begins to expand and grow.

This is not special or otherworldly. It’s deeply human. But as we progress in one area of our development another can be neglected. So just as say transport, lifts, remotes, and other push button living makes us more sedentary than we were, we need to counteract that by taking more exercise. Likewise life in the fast lane and a communications overload can drown out that very important reflective part of our human makeup.

One American psychologist once said he could cure seventy percent of mental illness in the U.S. if he could get every-one to spend 30 minutes a day being quiet and still! If the above is true, then add on Christian belief and it takes on even more significance. We have in the church a rich inheritance of contemplative tradition and it’s in the still silent moments of life that we reach not only the heart of ourselves and who we are but the heart of God, who alone can satisfy our deepest desires.

Don’t be afraid of silence. It’s OK to not feel like it, to be bored, distracted, and feel it’s a waste of time. Be content to feel nothing, to be nothing. But please, please make up your mind. Give it a go. Start with 10 minutes, then move on to 15 you will know when to add more. Stillness and silence is a natural part of living that far from withdrawing us from the world and the rest of human endeavor   draws us more deeply into it. Nothing of the above is new so I will leave you with the words of a famous 17^th century Catholic mathematician, and philosopher, who said “All the troubles of life come upon us because we refuse to sit quietly each day in our rooms” Blaise Pascal.

To celebrate, we put together a brilliant video of the highlights from the past year, and some teasers about the year ahead.

Thanks to everyone who’s made the first year of Million Minutes so absolutely amazing! And together, we’ll ‘make the change’ in 2012!

Three schools in Birmingham hosted Margaret Mizen for a brilliant roadshow to highlight Million Minutes as the schools’ Lenten charity for 2012. St Augustine’s Redditch, St Thomas More, Nuneaton and Bishop Walsh in Sutton Coldfield all welcomed the Mizens to hear about their inspiring work in South East London.

“It’s been amazing to spend time with the young people of the Birmingham this week. I’m thrilled that so many young people will be staying silent this Lent for Million Minutes,” said Danny Curtin, Million Minutes Trustee.

Schools interested in staying silent this Lent should check out our Resources page at millionminutes.org/resources

Margaret and Barry Mizen will join the Birmingham diocesan Million Minutes silent walk on Sunday 5 February at 2.45pm leaving from Newman Centre/ St Thoma of Canterbury Catholic Church, Haywood Drive, Tetenhall, Wolverhampton, WV6 8RF. Followed by Mass at 5.15. Margaret and Barry will also give a short talk. Details from Chris Walker: chrisxwalker@doctors.org.uk

Speaking at the Birmingham launch of the Million Minutes big sponsored silence taking place on Sunday, 6 November, the Archbishop encouraged others to join the bishops by staying silent or to sponsor them.

Archbishop Bernard Longley pledging to stay silent

“Million Minutes is important to us because it is supporting projects and people that are central to our community,” he said. “We should leap at the opportunity to be united with the young people of the Archdiocese.”

Million Minutes encourages people and groups (not just bishops) to stay silent for up to 24 hours and get sponsored for it. The money raised will be given as grants to local and national projects that help vulnerable or forgotten young people. 750,000 minutes have so far been pledged, with 105,000 pledged at the launch event in Birmingham.

Million Minutes is supporting two local organisations, Alton Castle Youth Centre and the Andrew Robinson Young People’s Trust. They will receive a share of the money raised to support specific projects with young people who are especially marginalised. Money will also be made available as small grants to youth and community groups.

Also speaking at the launch, Clive Robinson – father of the late Andrew Robinson and Trustee of the Young People’s Trust – said the need among some young people in the Archdiocese was “quite mind boggling”, and that the Million Minutes silence would support projects that play a “significant part in tackling the urgent problems of our society.”

The sponsored silence will take place on Sunday, 6 November, with primary and secondary schools encouraged to join in between 7-11 November. It is hoped that both young people and adults will stay silent as a powerful message of solidarity.

“This is a campaign of silence which will speak up for young people as well as raising money to support them,” said Danny Curtin, a Trustee of Million Minutes. People throughout the Archdiocese and throughout the UK are being asked to sign up online to stay silent and raise money at www.millionminutes.org/stay-silent

And that’s not all. Million Minutes invites applications under its Small Grants programme for funding of up to £500 for projects in the UK undertaken by organisations, groups or even individuals who will work to enable young people to do things that transform our world, inspired by Catholic social teaching. Details can be found at http://www.millionminutes.org/grants/

And my story is the story of BCYS.

I’m a Stafford boy, and BCYS for me was Diane Lamb, a fearless woman with a big laugh and a dodgy car. I wonder if she still has them both?!

From my stint in the Staffordshire Youth Team (helping to run youth Masses) when I was about 16, to the ecumenical work I did with Churches Together in England a couple of years later and even representing England and Wales at a memorable Catholic conference in Hungary aged about 20, BCYS was all about offering me and my peers opportunities to get involved and grow.

And then there was the Lourdes trip and the Walsingham jaunts, and even a World Youth Day. All very Catholic.

They were important times, growing in faith along with a group of amazing young people, with the support of greats of the Archdiocese like Diane Lamb, Eddie Clare (a big MM supporter!), Mark Crisp, Maria Bracken (Robinson back in my day!) and Jo Boyce. I was always a bit daunted by their all-round aceness, frankly!

So it’s a massive thrill to be able to work with BCYS as partners in this November’s silence now that I’m all grown up (29 going on 19). Two brilliant Catholic youth charities doing what they do best to support and encourage a new generation of young people grow into the people the world needs them to be.

It’s testament to BCYS’ long term vision. How did Oscar Romero put it? “We are prophets of a future not our own”. That’s about right. And I’m not the only one, you know. Birmingham youth are spread the world over (I saw one working with young people in New Zealand the other month).

So let’s hear it for BCYS, but SHHH! let’s do it in silence!

Daniel Hale is Campaigns Officer at Progressio and a Trustee of Million Minutes. He lives in London, in constant sadness that it’s not quite as good as Birmingham.

It was a strange experience, as when I’m back at home the little contact I have with friends is on my mobile and on the web, so it was very strange to be without them for a whole day. It will be interesting to try it again in 6 months or so when I’m going to be in a very different situation, one which isn’t usually so quiet, to see if it comes as more of a welcomed break and relief. It’s been a worthwhile experience over all, it’s good to know I can manage a day without modern communications and it’s meant I’ve got a whole load of reading done, though I am a little worried about this habit of talking to myself I seem to have developed…

I have just completed my 24 hours of silence for Million Minutes. I started my silence finding things to do – dye my hair, paint my nails, update my blog, download some music, sleep, clean the house. And then I needed to find the peace and I feared this may be difficult. But I was looking forward to the silence because I needed time, time to sort my head out, to find my inner peace, to organise my thoughts and spend time in prayer.

Observation – I am constantly updating twitter and facebook, regularly checking my newsfeeds, texting all the time, constant communication. Having a smart phone means there is no real cut off, I can receive my emails on the move, update twitter and facebook on the go. Yet in my silence, I loved being cut off and didn’t feel like I was missing out on something or wonder ‘what’s the world doing now?’ Yet I don’t think I will come out of this being less addicted to twitter or facebook, but it has opened my eyes to how much I rely on and use it. Many debate about this generation of young people who are constantly communicating and about the dangers and positives to this. I agree that because of the ability to constantly communicate you don’t find the time for silence, stillness, peace. But as a user of communication constantly, I also can see the benefits. I agree, people don’t talk enough anymore. I haven’t had a full conversation with my brother in months but I feel connected to him through facebook. My nan doesn’t understand this. And it is wrong. What I might take out of this is realising the importance of having connection with people through conversation and meeting, not just relying on networking sites to keep updated.

Even when I was doing a lot in silence (dying my hair, painting my nails etc) this was important time for me, no one else, just me. Time I don’t get often. No texts to reply to, or emails or facebook or twitter meant it was just me, myself and I. Important time that I don’t get. Especially living in London, a busy place where everyone is constantly on the go, it is important to find time for me.

I thought time would stand still in silence. But it didn’t at all, even when I was not doing a lot. And before I knew it my 24 hours were over. I couldn’t believe it, I wanted it to carry on and on, I wouldn’t have broken the silence if I didn’t have to. But then I remembered, I don’t need to be sponsored to do it or be doing it for a reason to find that time of silence, peace and stillness. And that actually I should find time for it as often as possible in my everyday life as it is amazing how powerful it is.

Anna from Cardiff

I had to flee from the parish for my day of silence – but I brought so much back to it as a result!  There is a great creative power of silence.  Silence is valuable – but it can so easily be an embarrassment; we feel the need to fill every lull in conversation by saying something – anything!  But the sign of a deep relationship with someone is to spend time in silence with them and not feel uncomfortable about it.

Good wishes to Million Minutes – please give it your support.

Fr Eddie Clare, Parish Priest, Redditch

It was a very interesting experience! A few things that most struck me were:

-Realizing how loud the surroundings here in London are once you switch off all your devices!,

-How hard it is to try not to think about anything for longer than a few minutes,

-How “pushy” your thoughts are when you can’t share them, and,

-How much different you experience even the most simple of every day actions if you concentrate only on one thing in a particular moment of time.

Doing this for a whole day- not just a few hours- was quite an experience. I could recommend something like this to everyone!

Getting the sponsors was a hard task – specially that I don’t know that many people here (I’m from Poland)… but still – I managed to collect a bit of money and I hope it will bring some good to Million Minutes.

Good luck to all others who are still in their “silence time” and congratulations to those who already made it!

If there are any others seeking to support Million Minutes – please donate, there is still time to do so!  http://www.bmycharity.com/martaweselak

Marta, Sacred Heart Church, North London

I attended Mass with some young people from the Impact group who had also chosen to be silent. It felt odd not to respond at Mass in the usual way but we wore placards explaining to our fellow parishioners why we were silent and couldn’t verbally respond at the sign of the peace.

When my 24 hours were up, I was a little sad. I had gotten used to the silence and quite liked it. So I waited another hour or so before switching on my e-mail account and turning on the phone. Perhaps, I should try and have one quiet morning a week.

If you are pledging to be silent, I wish you luck. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Louise, St Edmund’s, Millwall