Br. Jim Woodrum, SSJE
A native of Bristol, VA, Br. Jim Woodrum studied music at the University of South Carolina and East Tennessee State University. A musician and performer specializing in the euphonium (a tenor tuba primarily found in symphonic bands), Jim taught brass methods in many high schools and youth organizations across the Southeast before coming to Community. He arrived at SSJE to test his vocation in 2012 and was life-professed in 2017. He has served the Community as Choir Brother, Facilities Brother, Vocations Brother, and currently is the Brother who guides Mission and Communications. Jim enjoys all kinds of music, reading history, and is fascinated by Neurotheology (the relationship between the human brain and religion). When he is away from his desk (and that “Office” in the Chapel), he enjoys cooking Southern cuisine, exploring neighborhoods in Boston, and indulging his keen interest in craft beer.
Learn more about Br. Jim's Catch the Life journey to monastic life >
Selection of Br. Jim's teachings from "Brother, Give Us a Word"
Help
Sometimes we need to share with God those things that are just too heavy to bear, to ask God for sustenance for the next leg of the journey, and to rest in the comfort of his stillness. Life will move on feverishly, whether we’re ready or not. This may be a moment where we intentionally…
Read MoreOffer
We must pray our lives, and offer up to Jesus our isolation, grief, anxiety, and helplessness. Hear Jesus’ invitation: ‘Come to me all who labor and are heavy burdened and I will give you rest.’ -Br. Jim Woodrum, SSJE Read More and Comment A prayer for your day: Lord Jesus, you know the pain of…
Read MoreSpring Cleaning
It may be necessary for you to do a spring cleaning of the heart. It could be that you’ve been carrying around so much for so long that God’s light and love cannot penetrate into the depths of your being. If this is so, bring these things to God in prayer and ask God to…
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Angels in the Architecture
Advent 2021: A podcast series that occurs throughout the year. It explores not only the structures of buildings, but also those of liturgy, sacraments, colors, vestments, and the traditions that form us.
Selection of Br. Jim's writing
“In the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer each day, I am reminded that if I turn to God in my moments of temptation, then I, like Jesus, will be able to dismiss temptation’s toxicity, and be fortified and empowered to live into the divine life which God has enabled in me.”
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“As a follower of Jesus with my own diverse and at times complicated identity, where and how do I belong in this equally diverse and complicated realm of Christianity and the Church? And what does such “belonging” entail?”
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“Life in community teaches us about the love and grace of God as it helps us to grow into the fullness of our place in the Body of Christ: accepting our limitations, giving freely of ourselves when we see a need, and recognizing that we belong to one another through our Baptism.”
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