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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Communion

We do not live in isolation. We are part of something much bigger, and our quest for God must go hand in hand with our quest to live in a right relationship with creation; a relationship not of estrangement, but of union, communion, and harmony. Open your eyes to see the beauty of the world around you, and, in nature, to see traces of the mind and love of God.

Br. James Koester, SSJE
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Recent Sermons from the Chapel

Revelation and the Mystery of Life – Br. Curtis Almquist

By Br. Curtis Almquist | September 10, 2022 |

“There is more than meets the eye in everyone. And so our posture in life toward others should surely include the humility that we do not know them as God knows them, that God is at work in them as much as God is at work in us, please, that God is not in a rush, and that none of us is a mystery to God, who so loves the world.”

In the surprising witness of Arctic missionary Edmund James Peck, Br. Curtis Almquist finds a universal reminder to honor the mystery present in the heart of each one of us.

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The Holy Particular – Br. Keith Nelson

By Br. Keith Nelson | September 8, 2022 |

“A birthday is a humble but beautiful occasion to cherish the particularity of a person – all the things that make them adorable to us and to God – and a person’s universal membership in the family of all creation, all creatures who have come forth from God, lived a finite mortal existence, and returned to the heart of the Creator. Each of us is an irreplicable instance of divine creativity and love.”

On the Feast of Mary of Nazareth, Br. Keith Nelson celebrates the essential gift of being, as it is expressed in the particular places, people, and beings around us.

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The Work of God – Br. Sean Glenn

By Br. Sean Glenn | September 6, 2022 |

“Find a place in your own community, wherever that might be, to undertake something like this Work of God—a space place where you can bump up against the will and intentions of those with whom you work or live or love. A place where you can learn with your neighbor to let go of the reflexive need to be right, to be justified, to have the scales set right.”

Br. Sean Glenn finds a fundamental answer to our human need to be “right” in the unexpected context of the monastic choir.

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Pray for All Creation – Br. Luke Ditewig

By Br. Luke Ditewig | September 4, 2022 |

“Listen. What is the message from creation that surrounds us? What is God saying through the soil, sprouts, springs, and sparrows? What is God saying through poor and neglected places and peoples? We are invited to listen.”

As we enter the Season of Creation, Br. Luke Ditewig urges us to listen to the voice of creation, and to pray outside.

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Help and Hope in Unwelcomed Silence – Br. Curtis Almquist

By Br. Curtis Almquist | August 31, 2022 |

“Our life’s invitation is to learn to “be silence” so we have space to receive the work and words of God. It is a good thing to cultivate stillness and silence within ourselves.”

Br. Curtis Almquist finds hope in a line from the Psalms, reminding us that our emptiness is actually openness to God.

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