Hospitality is about offering our hearts. It is being present to another. It does not need a table, food, or particular place. It is taking time and giving intention. Hospitality can be spontaneous and anywhere, on the street, in a store, and on Zoom. We Brothers are delighted to be able to offer, once again, the unique hospitality of in-person presence in our Monastery in Cambridge with Program Retreats in addition other online programs to nurture and sustain faith. Please take a look through each of our programs below and watch for further offerings.
Program Retreats
Led by Br. Lain Wilson
At the Monastery, Cambridge
Thursday 5 p.m. – Sunday 2 p.m., October 8-11, 2026
Cost: $465 regular | $225 student/young adult
Amid the busyness of life, when so much demands our time and attention, we can easily find ourselves lost when attempting to establish or renew a practice of prayer. Holy Scripture can be “our guide and chart,” in the words of a familiar hymn, in our journey of prayer. Through instruction, practice, and reflection on two forms of prayer using Scripture, meditative reading (lectio divina) and imaginative prayer, this retreat invites you to discover how the Word of God may lead you into new and surprising encounters with the Holy One.
Led by Br. Luke Ditewig
At the Monastery, Cambridge
Friday 5 p.m. – Sunday 2 p.m., October 30-November 1, 2026
Cost: $310 regular | $150 student/young adult
Life can be so busy and rushed that we lose touch with those deep sources of vitality and replenishment through which God longs to refresh and delight us. This weekend will be an opportunity to slow down and be still, to listen to the voice of Jesus, and deepen our connection with the God who knows and loves us. This is ideal for those who have never been on silent retreat before.
Led by Br. Jamie Nelson
At the Monastery, Cambridge
Thursday 5 p.m. – Sunday 2 p.m., December 3-6, 2026
Cost: $465 regular | $225 student/young adult
Come and wander through Biblical narratives of wilderness, rivers, gardens, and starry skies in a retreat exploring the rich nature imagery present in the Advent lectionary. Through scripture, prayer, and creative practice, we will explore Advent as a season of watchfulness, restoration, hidden growth, and holy hospitality. Together we’ll contemplate how God’s renewing presence appears in disturbed landscapes and ordinary places made ready for hope to take root.
Led by Br. James Koester
At the Monastery, Cambridge
Friday 5 p.m. – Sunday 2 p.m., December 11-13, 2026
Cost: $310 regular | $150 student/young adult
The Lord’s Prayer is one of the best loved and most familiar of all prayers. During this retreat we will explore some of its key words as a way to reengage with it.
Led by Br. Lain Wilson
At the Monastery, Cambridge
Friday 5 p.m. – Sunday 2 p.m., January 8-10, 2027
Cost: $310 regular | $150 student/young adult
Life can be so busy and rushed that we lose touch with those deep sources of vitality and replenishment through which God longs to refresh and delight us. This weekend will be an opportunity to slow down and be still, to listen to the voice of Jesus, and deepen our connection with the God who knows and loves us. This is ideal for those who have never been on silent retreat before.
Led by Br. Jack Crowley
At the Monastery, Cambridge
Thursday 5 p.m. – Sunday 2 p.m., February 18-21, 2027
Cost: $465 regular | $225 student/young adult
The Twelve Steps have long been a tool of recovery and healing. In this retreat, we will explore the spirituality of the Twelve Steps and how they lead us to a spiritual awakening and healing. Through discussion, silent contemplation, and scripture, we will seek how what we have learned through the Twelve Steps can strengthen our relationship with God.
Led by Br. Lucas Hall
At the Monastery, Cambridge
Thursday 5 p.m. – Sunday 2 p.m., March 11-14, 2027
Cost: $465 regular | $225 student/young adult
These forty days of Lent commemorate the days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness, where he was tempted three times. This episode comes immediately after Christ’s baptism, where he sees the Spirit descend upon him and hears the Father’s voice proclaiming his identity as God’s beloved Son. On this retreat, we will explore our relationships to ourselves, to other people, and to God, how these relationships inform our identities, and how we may be tempted to deny, doubt, or distort them. All of us are tempted; how does Jesus’ response teach us and help us to respond?
Led by Br. Geoffrey Tristram
At the Monastery, Cambridge
Friday 5 p.m. – Sunday 2 p.m., April 23-25, 2027
Cost: $310 regular | $150 student/young adult
Life can be so busy and rushed that we lose touch with those deep sources of vitality and replenishment through which God longs to refresh and delight us. This weekend will be an opportunity to slow down and be still, to listen to the voice of Jesus, and deepen our connection with the God who knows and loves us. This is ideal for those who have never been on silent retreat before.
Day Programs
Led by Br. Lucas Hall
At the Monastery, Cambridge
Saturday 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., October 24, 2026
Cost: $40 regular | $20 student/young adult
Lectio divina is a hallmark of monastic prayer, and has been practiced for centuries. This form of prayer involves a reciprocal process, outward and inward, back-and-forth, giving and receiving, while engaging with Scripture or other holy texts. This workshop on lectio divina will explore both the practice of this form of prayer and the underlying meaning behind it.
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Led by Br. Jack Crowley
At the Monastery, Cambridge
Saturday 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., December 19, 2026
Cost: $40 regular | $20 student/young adult
Healing is more than just an occasional necessity. It is a vital dimension of our lifelong journey with Christ. In this program, we will explore prayer as a means of opening ourselves to God’s healing grace. We will engage with images from scripture, stories from our lives, and prayers from the Christian tradition. Participants will come away with a renewed sense of appreciation for healing and an understanding of its importance in our Christian faith.
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Led by Br. Keith Nelson
At the Monastery, Cambridge
Saturday 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., January 16, 2027
Cost: $40 regular | $20 student/young adult
Christian contemplative prayer invites us to rest in God, the source of our being, beyond our doing and thinking. Christians over the centuries have found in such regular practices of stillness and silence a pearl of great price: a path of inner transfiguration in the midst of fear, distraction, and chaos. In this two-hour workshop we’ll begin by orienting our hearts, bodies, and souls to this rich tradition through the voices of its seasoned saints. We’ll then move into a rhythm of flexible, accessible practice, alone and together, alternating with discussion. Participants will leave equipped with the basics to begin or refine their own regular practice of contemplative prayer.
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Led by Br. Jamie Nelson
At the Monastery, Cambridge
Saturday 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., February 13, 2027
Cost: $40 regular | $20 student/young adult
Workshop participants will explore prayer through our relationship with water, both as prayer partner and as textual symbol in scripture. We will learn a method of lectio divina with water and revisit its appearance in familiar Gospel stories. Reflecting on the spiritual watersheds that nourish our faith, we will conclude by renewing our baptismal vows.
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Led by Br. Luke Ditewig
At Emery House, West Newbury
Saturday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., February 27, 2027
Cost: $60 regular | $25 student/young adult
Gaze among the beauty of 100+ acres bordered by two rivers with mature woods and rolling fields. Gently guided listening with non-human creatures and praying our praise and pain. This might include, and we will look for, eagles who nest and mate along the Merrimack River and often soar over the north field. Pray together and in solitude outside and enjoy a warm meal inside. Bring your own snowshoes/skis.
Led by Br. Lain Wilson
At the Monastery, Cambridge
Saturday 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., April 3, 2027
Cost: $40 regular | $20 student/young adult
Our faculty of imagination invites us to bring our full selves – our minds and our bodies, our intelligences and our senses – to a place of encounter with the Holy One and reconnect us with our creation in the image and likeness of God. This program will introduce a method of praying with scripture (imaginative prayer, or Ignatian meditation), provide space for individual and group reflection, and offer approaches for extending this practice to the whole of your life.
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Led by Br. James Koester and Br. Jamie Nelson
Boston and Cambridge
Friday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., April 30, 2027
Cost: $60 full | $25 student (fee donated to St. Stephen’s Youth Programs)
Join Brothers James and Jamie on a walk through SSJE’s history. We will meet at 10 a.m. at the Charles/MGH T station (on the Red Line) and begin to explore Beacon Hill through the eyes of previous generations of members of the Society. Participants must be prepared to walk on uneven pavement, cross busy streets, and navigate the hill of Beacon Hill. Please wear comfortable walking shoes, and dress according to the weather.
Registration is limited to 15 participants.
Led by Br. Luke Ditewig
At the Monastery, Cambridge
Saturday 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., June 26, 2027
Cost: $40 regular | $20 student/young adult
Squish, color, smell, doodle, wet, cut, glue, discover, ponder. Pray eyes open and hands-on making with color and images. Try active, creative ways to surrender thoughts and chatter, release what your body knows, and listen with the Spirit. Facilitated gently with some teaching, solo making, and group reflection. All are welcome. Materials to color, collage, and more provided. Leave with an embodied group experience, something you made, and encouragement for more.
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