We believe passionately that God has given us a mission: to draw others to know and experience in their lives the love of God in Christ. Sharing this “Good News” is at the center of our call and our life. In our chapels and retreat houses, and our online teachings, we hope to offer a still point in the midst of the chaos of contemporary life. We hope that as you explore these pages, you’ll find “Good News” that will help you live authentically, responsive to God’s call of love.
Upcoming Chapel Closure
The Chapel will be closed from after Evening Prayer on Sunday, 3 June until Morning Prayer on Tuesday, 12 June.
Next Soup and Bread Supper: June 12
Mark your calendars for the next Soup and Bread Supper, June 12, following the 5:30 PM Eucharist .
Emery House Spring Work Weekend
The weekend of May 18th, Brs. Geoffrey Tristram, Curtis Almquist, and Sean Glenn hosted a wonderful group of volunteers at Emery House for our Spring Work Weekend.
Waiting in the Wings – Br. Keith Nelson
“The Spirit dances around the borders or surges as an undercurrent beneath the lives of women and men, palpably felt though never quite glimpsed directly: at times, a blazing fire on mountaintop or altar, whose power is just barely contained; at other times, an almost fluid substance invading a prophet from without; at still other times, a guiding light illumining the dreams or visions of a hero.”
On the feast of Pentecost, Br. Keith Nelson celebrates how the Holy Spirit frees us to receive each moment of life as an opportunity for ever-deepening theosis.
Goodbye is Enough – Amy Nizolek
“We humans are not fond of endings. We would like to step forth confidently on a new adventure with our left foot while keeping our right foot firmly planted on its old familiar turf. But life doesn’t work that way.”
SSJE monastic intern Amy Nizolek uncovers both the weight and the poetry buried in that one small, underappreciated, overburdened, little donkey of a word: Goodbye.
Small Beauties – Lydia Simmons
“We come across things in the world that seem to reach out and grab us by the heart – perhaps a piece of art or music, a holy place, a human relationship, a piece of philosophy or Scripture that brings joy and light into our life. These things are good because they are from God, and we rejoice in them even before we know that God is their mother.”
But what do we do when these things fail us, as they inevitably will? Lydia Simmons, an SSJE monastic intern, encourages us to look past the signposts, toward the Wisdom they reveal.
Refuge – Nathan Leach
“When I am battered and broken and lost, I do not need an idea, I need refuge. I need to know that when everything falls apart, I am not alone, and that death will not have the final word.”
SSJE monastic intern Nathan Leach reveals how love is the ultimate refuge for our broken hearts and our broken world: a solid place to stand when everything seems to be shifting.
St. Pachomius and Our Own Life’s Calling – Br. Curtis Almquist
“In many circumstances, we end up sharing life with people we would not have chosen, some of whom we inevitably find quite challenging. The monastic tradition has a name for these sometimes-quite-difficult people: ‘teachers.’”
Br. Curtis Almquist looks to the founder of coenobitic monasticism, Pachomius, for inspiration about common life and life itself.
Interns Farewell
Sunday, 20 May marks the end of the Monastic Internship Program for this academic year, and we will be saying farewell and Godspeed to our three interns
