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"
Worthy
We have been deceived into believing that we are not enough and are unworthy of God’s love. Jesus is calling us all home, to lay aside our projections of hurt, shame, and blame. By the gift of God’s grace, we are all truly blessed and are called to be arbiters of that same blessing to…
Read MoreDiscernment
When we give ourselves over to the guidance and care of Jesus, we begin a journey of discernment in prayer that will lead us to the life of abundance that Jesus promises. This does not mean we are passive participants in the Christian life; we have our part to play in active discernment and then…
Read MoreEat
One of the most basic things we all share in spite of class, race, economic status, or age is our need to eat. It was no accident that Jesus shared a meal with his disciples in that upper room before his betrayal, death, and resurrection. It is that very meal we commemorate each Sunday in…
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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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