Celebrating Br. James Koester
We invite you to join us in celebrating Br. James Koester and his tenure as Superior of the Society during the weekend of September 7-8.
A festal Holy Eucharist will take place on Saturday, September 7, at 11:00 AM, followed by a garden party. The Right Reverend A. Robert Hirschfeld, the Bishop Visitor of the Society, will preach. All are invited to celebrate Br. James before he departs for his sabbatical! The Holy Eucharist will also be livestreamed.
In addition, refreshments will be served following the 9:00 AM Holy Eucharist on Sunday,
September 8.
Your prayers in the comments below and online presence are invited.
Thank you, Brother James for your example of Grance and Humility. May God bless you on your sabbatical and you and the brothers of SSJE for years to come.
Dear Brother James, thank you for all that you have done during your tenure as Superior for the Society of Saint John the Evangelist. May your sabbatical be one of peace, joy and refreshment. God bless you and the other brothers!
With my prayers of gratitude for you, Brother James, and for your ministry as Superior. May your sabbatical be a time of peace and refreshment.
Wishing you a Spirit filled Sabbath, dear Fr. James. Perhaps you will be moved to offer another icon writing retreat. So special.
Br. James, thank you for your ministry and insight. You have touched my soul both at the monastery, the farm, and now online. Now rest and regroup.
Rev. Dn. (Ret) Anne Burke
Dear James,
All good wishes to you as you conclude your time as Superior. We are grateful for your faithful forward looking lesdership of the Society. Have a splendid enriching time on your sabbatical.
So much love, dear James, and blessings as you move into your sabbatical. You are in my prayer. Anne Jones
Well done, good and faithful servant. Thank you for your skilled leadership. I’ll be worshipping with my own parish at the time of the celebration this weekend, but you will be in my prayers. Have a blessed, deeply restful sabbatical!
Best wishes to Brother James and the next portion of his journey!
Aloha and Blessings!
Bill & Gabe
Brother James, thank you for your service to the Community that hears your thought provoking and inspiring meditations who worship with you online. Donna Bridges
Godspeed and safe travels for a well deserved sabbatical!
Thinking of the many blessings your retreat for Queen’s College has brought my way. Thank you for alerting me to the many resources that you and your members send my/our way.
May the next part of your journey be as great a blessing for you as you have been for so many.
Brother James
Many blessings and good fortune follow you on this next part of your faith journey.
Well done on the chapter you just completed
Elizabeth
Thank you, Brother James, for the many years of faithful service to all of the Brothers and to us. I have appreciated your leadership and wisdom.
Many blessings as you continue in a new way.
Many blessings on Br. James for his years of service as Superior! And best wishes and prayers for a peaceful and restful sabbatical.
Br. James – I am so deeply thankful for you and your ministry. Thank you for your companionship in recent years in the challenging vocation of leadership in such times as these. Brian and I are out of town and cannot join the celebration in person. But please know we are there in spirit. May the season ahead bring rejuvenation and joy and whatever graces God in God’s wisdom and whimsy sees best.
Thank you, Br James, for your shared sermons, particularly one about the Syrophoenician woman, and the one you preached recently at Br Jack’s profession of Life Vows. Being surprised by Jesus (thus, learning from him), and taking risks for Jesus. You have modeled both for me, and I pray for you to keep taking those risks for Him! Your teaching is ‘contagious’…
Well done, James!
Dear Brother James, You have been a rock steady presence for SSJE and the extended community, especially with the challenges of the last few years. Well done. Blessings on your sabbatical.
Ann Willms
Blessings upon you Br. James! Thank you for your many years of service and faithful stewardship. May you enjoy your sabbatical time with space for resting in God.
Thank you for your warm hospitality while I was studying at EDS! May your future endeavors continue to be blessings to all whom you serve!
Dear James
My heart is full of memories and stories from more youthful days in Regina! You babysat our kids and moved into Bishop’s Court when Michael and I were on holiday in the summer. We followed your career with prayers and deep interest and were overjoyed when your Call took you to SSJE in Boston. Then a host of further memories flood in as you grew into your new ministry among the Brothers and became the servant and
leader God intended you to be. 0ur retreats at the house in Cambridge and at Emery House were special times for both of us. And Michael’s ties were even closer as SSJE became his spiritual place during his years as Primate and later in retirement when he was invited to serve as Confessor to the Community. Bless you as yet again your path takes you in a new direction, towards new challenges and opportunities in retirement.
You helped hone Brother Keith’s special skills and gifts as the torch was passed recently and he too will become a wise, trusted, and faithful leader.
I have only deep gratitude for your presence in my life and for all you have done and will continue to do as a beloved Brother of SSJE. Hope there will be a chance to see you if your Sabbatical brings you to Toronto. Meantime prayers rise and sending much love and blessings to you and all the Brothers. Thank you!
Thank you for your prescience and leadership. You have been such a reliable, solid and quietly creative person and given us a warehouse of anecdotes and stories to cherish and encourage us on our way. Many blessings attend you on your Sabbatical. Don’t stay away too long. Plan on opening Emery when you get back. May a band of angels keep all dangers from you as you travel. Margo
One of the first things I do every morning is read Brother, Give Us a Word. Br. Jamie’s meditations are among my favorites, as with the one about Sabbath from this past Saturday. Once, while working at the front desk at the Seminary of the Southwest 10 years ago, I had the pleasure of talking to him when he called the school. I felt like such a fan girl and gushed overmuch. But his writing inspires my own vocation as a writer, and I am grateful.
Enjoy your sabbatical!
Joyful blessings, Brother James, as you step into retirement and a time away for refreshment.
Brother James is a wonderful person. He has shown such kindness to me and my family whenever he visits the Emery House. Enjoy the more than well deserved sabbatical!
Thank you for your inspirational and faith filled leadership! Blessings on your journey ahead.
Thank you, Brother James, for your kind attention while I was on retreat at the monastery two years ago. I remember with gratitude your teaching, guidance and gentle prodding during an icon writing workshop at Emery House. May your sabbatical be a time of refreshment and renewal. Go with God.
God bless you.
Thank you, Brother James, for your marvelous work and your gracious heart!
Blessings go with you too n your journey! Gratitude for your service!
Journey mercies on your sabbatical and thank you for everything you’ve done! Just as one example, I will never forget the Christmas season several years ago when I wasn’t able to visit my family, you put together an online Advent retreat, and it was such a lifesaver. Thank you for having the resourcefulness and creativity to do something like that. We look forward to the things you will do in your post-Superior years. Peace of Christ be with you!
Thank you Br. James. I believe you may have visited us at St. Matthew’s several years ago. Enjoy your sabbatical 🙏
Rick
Blessings to you, Br James, as you begin a well deserved sabbatical. I remember your kindness to me the last time I visited the monastery in 2023, I believe! I hope your sabbatical is full of serendipity and great adventures! I look forward to hearing about them in future sermons!
Marilyn Bergen
My prayers and best wishes
Traveling mercies on the next leg of the journey. Sally forth, Pilgrim.
Thank you Brother James for reaching out to me a few years ago. I wish you many blessings as you move on from the many challenges of leading the SSJE community in these difficult times. May you find solace, refreshment and peace during your sabbatical and a renewed vision of your calling. Norman Newbery