Welcome to SSJE
We are a community of men giving our whole selves over to living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Rooted in the ancient monastic traditions of prayer and community life, and critically engaged with contemporary culture, we seek to know and share an authentic experience of God’s love and mercy. We live a common life shaped by worship, prayer, and our Rule of Life.
We invite you to explore these pages to learn more about how we live and pray, the tradition that grounds us, and the call that draws us onward day by day.
Worship Schedule | Rule of Life | Meeting Jesus | Catch the Life
Quieting ourselves in prayer, seeking God’s guidance and wisdom, we descend into that deep place within ourselves, that part of us that makes choices, to discover what it is that we truly yearn after. It may not be at all what we assume it is. We may be surprised at the hidden forces of desire that rule our hearts.
-Br. David Vryhof, SSJE
Monastery Chapel
Silence. Flickering candlelight. Sunlight streaming through stained glass. Soak in the beauty of our sanctuary, open morning to night. Pray, ponder, or participate in the Brothers’ daily office. Service Schedule >
Guesthouse
Sleep in. Pray. Savor wholesome food. Nap. Read. How might a stay in our Monastery Guesthouse recharge you and open you to God’s call? Workshops & Retreats >
Emery House
Birdsong. Meadow grasses waving in the breeze. Stars overhead. At our rural retreat house, we invite you to pray as you hike, light a fire, weed the garden, and bask in the beauty of Creation. Retreat information>
Recent Sermons from the Chapel
Choose Love – Br. Robert L’Esperance
“Always, the same question: Am I choosing love?”
In the face of our relative privilege and power – while others literally give their lives for Christ – Br. Robert L’Esperance asks: Are there ways we can live for Christ that carry the same weight as dying for him?
The Love Song of Silence – Br. Lucas Hall
“God wants our hope, our listening, our receptivity. God wants our silence. That is easy to say. It is hard to do. ”
On the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the God-bearer, Br. Lucas Hall celebrates how she exemplifies this challenging, life-giving silence.
Breathing Room – Br. Keith Nelson
“Jesus was madly, insanely in love with his God, enabling him to confer a healing sanity on those around him.
Br. Keith Nelson shares his perspective on the demons we meet in the New Testament – and in our own more familiar contexts.
What is to prevent me…? – Br. David Vryhof
“We need to always be challenging ourselves to see beyond our prejudices and stereotypes, lest we prevent some from entering the kingdom of God.”
Br. David Vryhof explores the tension between radical inclusion and maintaining appropriate boundaries which has always troubled the Church and still challenges us today.
I Will With God’s Help – Br. Jim Woodrum
“All you need to ask God in prayer is ‘What’s the next right thing?’ And then do that one thing.”
Br. Jim Woodrum finds in the story of poor Jonah the promise that God is at work in us and through us, even in the most impossible situations, with the most unlikely characters.
...we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them...