The season of Creation

"What has come into being in him was life." -John 1:15

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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 | Catch the Life

News from the Monastery & Emery House

Creation Season at SSJE

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Ministry at Emery House

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Chapel Reopening: Join us for Worship!

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Ascension Cowley: Challenge

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SSJE Reelects Brother James Koester as Superior

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The Chapel is Open!!

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Gallery: Easter 2022

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Gallery: Holy Week 2022

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Sunday Eucharist in the Chapel

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Gallery: Lent 2022

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Student Tuesdays & Residency Program

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Br. Lucas on Praying with the Old Testament

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Brother, Give Us A Word

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Struggle

God, I believe, likes us to struggle with God, for that is how we grow and become more fully the person God created us to be. The struggle is an integral part of the blessing.

Br. Geoffrey Tristram, SSJE
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Recent Sermons from the Chapel

Godliness and Contentment: An Alternative to Human Greed – Br. David Vryhof

By Br. David Vryhof | September 25, 2022 |

“The Climate Emergency we are facing today is a human problem, the result of our plundering the earth for its treasures at the cost of life’s delicate balance.  Much of it is the result of human greed. Our greed is destroying the planet, polluting our air and our waterways and oceans, eliminating whole species of animals from the earth, and threatening our very existence.  If we continue in this way, we will, before long, render the planet uninhabitable.  The Climate Emergency has been caused by human beings, and only human beings have the power to reverse it.”

Br. David Vryhof cautions that money is not the problem; greed is; and that true richness comes when we learn to enjoy God’s world, and live with contentment.

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Live simply, that others may simply live – Br. Geoffrey Tristram

By Br. Geoffrey Tristram | September 18, 2022 |

“As Christians, we are as susceptible as anyone else to extreme consumerism: each of us can all too easily get caught up in a whirlwind of needless buying and spending. I am also sure that the most important way that we can begin to heal our planet is to allow God, daily, to heal our hearts; to mend our divided hearts.  Pope Francis, in his beautiful encyclical, Laudato Si’ writes, “The emptier a person’s heart is, the more he or she needs to buy, own and consume.” So, fill your heart every morning with God! ”

Br. Geoffrey Tristram shares three contemplative practices that can help us to experience contentment, free us from the desire for more, and help us to love and appreciate what we already have.

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A Mirror Of The Miracles Of God – Br. Sean Glenn

By Br. Sean Glenn | September 17, 2022 |

“The human creature, far from incidentally related to the earth, is in fact intrinsically related to the earth, down to the very core of its being. As our contemporary culture seems eager and willing to forget or deny this fundamental in-dwelling of creature and creation, the church remembers a different kind of anthropology as it commemorates the woman we remember today, Saint Hildegard von Bingen.”

Br. Sean Glenn points to Hildegard for a reminder of our creaturely dependence and interdependence with God and God’s creation.

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Commune with Jesus – Br. Todd Blackham

By Br. Todd Blackham | September 15, 2022 |

“However else we may encounter God, in ways that we are call to act and serve, they are all born here in the deep communion with Jesus himself.  Bring your body and your soul to a renewed touch of Jesus.  Let the presence of Jesus himself offered at this holy table draw us once again to the ground and source of our being.  The body and soul of Christ are here to mingle with our bodies and souls; to make us whole.”

Br. Todd reminds us that direct engagement with Jesus makes all the difference.

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Drawn on to Wholeness – Br. Todd Blackham

By Br. Todd Blackham | September 11, 2022 |

“Not only does God want to bring each and every one of us back into the fold.  God wants to bring each and every part of ourselves back into wholeness and completeness.  God is not satisfied to let one of us wander off.  Nor is God satisfied with only part of me, part of you.  God wants all of you! The patient forbearance of God gives us every passing moment to recollect ourselves and draw nearer to God.”

Br. Todd Blackham marvels at the patient, persistent, searching mercy of God, which will bring us – all of us – home, into the depths of God. 

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