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.
2023 FSJ Day: Community Report
Watch the Community Report Brs. James Koester, Keith Nelson, Luke Ditewig, Jonathan Maury, David Vryhof, Curtis Almquist, Geoffrey Tristram, Jim Woodrum, Lucas Hall, Sean Glenn, Jack Crowley, Todd Blackham, Michael Hardgrove, and Lain Wilson. Click below to play report
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Making It Real – Br. Lain Wilson
“Amid all that troubles your heart—what makes you believe that peace and quietude are possible? How is God speaking this word of assurance into your heart? What makes God’s word real and true for you today?”
Br. Lain Wilson encourages us to take God at his word and not let our hearts be troubled.
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Saint Monica, Praying Her Heart Out – Br. Curtis Almquist
“Who Monica’s son, Augustine, would become held a stature far beyond all that she could have asked for or imagined, especially given what a bad, bad boy he was. Monica sets a very high ceiling for hope in how we and others can change, amazingly, miraculously for the better. So we pray our hearts out.”
In Saint Augustine’s mother, Monica, Br. Curtis Almquist finds inspiration for just how transformative our love can be in the lives of others.
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Praying the Season of Easter
The season of Easter continues to unfold, and we are invited anew to discover the power of Jesus’ resurrection in our own lives. The SSJE Brothers offer these prayer resources to enrich your experience of this season of new life.
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Lord, Show Us the Father – Br. James Koester
“Curiously, it is not until the end, if even then, that Philip saw for himself, what had been before him all along, and to whom he had led so many along the way. That this Jesus to whom he had given his life, who was reflection, and imprint, and image of God’s very being and likeness, and glory, was indeed one with the Father. And it is this Jesus, the one who is one with the Father, that Philip points us toward today. If we do not yet see it, that’s okay. Philip didn’t for the longest time, and he can be our companion and friend, as we say with him, Lord, show us the Father.”
Br. James Koester honors Philip and James, apostles who can be our companions on the way to Jesus.
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Being Saved by the Good Shepherd – Br. Jonathan Maury
“The crucified and risen One liberates me from the illusion that I am God—or at least that I am my own god. The eternal presence and action of the Good Shepherd is saving me. He is saving my life, all our lives, by transforming us in his own image and likeness that we may become the beloved of God’s fold, now and for ever.”
Br. Jonathan Maury extols both the challenge and the invitation we receive from our Savior Shepherd.
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Open Eyes, Burning Hearts – Br. Lain Wilson
“This is the truth—God reaches out to us again and again and again, in myriad and unexpected ways: through our senses, our experiences, our dreams and imagination, even our fears and anxieties.”
Br. Lain Wilson ponders what we can learn about God’s revelation from the road to Emmaus, and the great reversal that comes when the disciples finally perceive the resurrected Jesus.
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What’s next? – Br. Luke Ditewig
“A playful perspective honors mystery. There is so much we do not know, and that’s ok. There is always more than we can know about the other. There is more than we will know about ourselves. There is always more, so much more about God than what we know now.”
Br. Luke Ditewig encourages us to expect the unexpected as we playfully pray with the God who is mystery and playfully live with one another.
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Our Utterly Unique Experience of God – Br. Curtis Almquist
“I find Thomas a great hero because of his courage and clarity to value his own experience and needs, and to express them. He was not asking to know about Jesus; he was not banking his life on other people’s experience of Jesus. Thomas knew he needed to experience Jesus’ resurrection personally, in a way that Thomas would be able to believe.”
Br. Curtis Almquist gives us a portrait of Thomas not as a “doubter,” but as a man of “double faithfulness.”
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We Stand on Holy Ground – Alleluia! – Br. Geoffrey Tristram
“The Risen Lord is here, with us now. He is here. The glory of the Lord shines round about us. If we had any sense we’d fall on our faces – or run away as fast as we can! OR, stay here, and allow the Lord to fill us with life, to set our hearts on fire.”
On Easter Day, Br. Geoffrey Tristram invites us to let our hearts rise with Jesus.
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