Why SSJE? – Michael Zahniser

I first discovered the Monastery around 2007. Living a mile away, I could walk over whenever I had a really bad day and just needed someplace quiet and peaceful. I knew that every day of the week, except Monday, I could sit in on a Compline service. It became a sort of sanctuary for me: a place that I could go when I just needed to soak in God’s presence and be with other people who were deep in prayer. There is so much history of faithful service and prayer at the Monastery, that just entering the building feels like stepping into a river of prayer and letting the current carry me along. 

I think it’s vitally important that a community like this exists right in the heart of Harvard Square, where so many students and young people are looking for that kind of sanctuary and the stability of a faithful community. I support SSJE partly because I personally have felt fed and nourished by the Monastery, but also because I think it’s such a great thing to have a community like SSJE living right in the heart of the city, available for all who wander in, really needing it.

– Michael Zahniser