We warmly invite you to add your own Voice. Scroll to the bottom of the page to enter your answer to the question, “Why SSJE?” The Brothers and we their Friends thank you for your friendship and support.
Why SSJE? – Gates & Pat Agnew
Pat’s spontaneous evaluation of our recent six days at Emery House: It was “magical.” Both of us have years of experience sitting grueling 7-day Zen sessions while faithfully attending Trinity Episcopal Church here in Bloomington, Indiana. God decided last year it was finally time to have our cake and eat it too. Long days and nights of perfect…
Read MoreWhy SSJE -Julie H. Quaid
My collaborative practice group spent four days in retreat at the Society of Saint John the Evangelist’s Monastery in Cambridge in October of 2015. The experience was much more than I could have ever imagined. The peace and tranquility shown by each of the Brothers and most particularly, the compassionate guidance of our retreat leader,…
Read MoreWhy SSJE? -Mark Delcuze
SSJE has been a beacon of prayer, hope, and joy for me for more than thirty years. In my first days in seminary, it was a place of solitude and respite amid the storms of learning. Serving the church as a young priest, I awaited the Cowley Publications catalog like gardeners look for the spring…
Read MoreWhy SSJE? – Laura Chessin
The Life of the Monastery reminds me of the path to be fully alive and fully in love.
Read MoreWhy SSJE ? -Jane Buttery
I have been a lay reader at my church for fourteen years. I also do pastoral visiting at seniors’ residences and nursing homes as well as with shut-ins. I am still on call to the Hospice of Windsor and Essex County, where I have volunteered for twenty-five years. Sometimes people ask me, “How do you…
Read MoreWhy SSJE? -Dr. Norman “Sam” Steward, Jr.
At the suggestion of my parish priest, prior to my marriage, I attended the “first retreat in silence” at Emery House. My five-day experience changed my life in many ways, but most importantly put it in correct perspective. Learning to “be” was a huge risk in my mind. Being with myself, at peace, became comfortable…
Read MoreWhy SSJE? – Char Sullivan
I’ve known SSJE for over forty years and, in that time, I don’t think the community has essentially changed at all. The community has always been doing its utmost for its mission to witness to Christ for everyone who comes by, or who is invited, or happens in. It’s a wonderful thing that SSJE is…
Read MoreWhy SSJE? -Scott Christian
When I wrote my will, I decided that I wanted to leave a specific percentage of my estate to charity. In addition to my local Episcopal church and school, I wanted to give to a select few national Christian communities that not only have had a profound impact upon my life but which also have…
Read MoreWhy SSJE? – Nancy Barnard Starr
I am a far-flung, antipodean member of the Fellowship of St John, and have been since 1994. I met SSJE in their southern outpost, Durham, NC and joined FSJ at CDSP in Berkeley, CA. Keeping in touch through prayer or electronically, the brothers of SSJE remind me that, wherever we are, Christ meets us with…
Read MoreWhy SSJE? -Ross Bliss
Being a member of the FSJ, I share a mutual bond of prayer with the Brothers. Just knowing that makes a difference in my life, really. I know that I am part of a circle with this group of men who are living a life of prayer for the world. The relationship of mutual prayer…
Read MoreWhy SSJE? – Michael Zahniser
I first discovered the Monastery around 2007. Living a mile away, I could walk over whenever I had a really bad day and just needed someplace quiet and peaceful. I knew that every day of the week, except Monday, I could sit in on a Compline service. It became a sort of sanctuary for me:…
Read MoreWhy SSJE? -Carol Petty
Through “Brother, Give Us a Word,” I have an everyday kind of relationship with SSJE, because that e-mail pops into my box every morning and either challenges me or focuses me or comforts me. I just love that, even on busy days, I receive that little something – not just a blurb; not just some…
Read MoreWhy SSJE? – Alexis Kruza
In my relationship with the Brothers, I have learned so much about who God is and about the qualities of honesty and transparency, love and patience, and the Fruits of the Spirit. After having worshiped at SSJE for three years, I feel that the depth of my faith has grown so much. There is an…
Read MoreWhy SSJE? – Constance Holmes
SSJE is carrying the highest mission and calling of the Episcopal Church USA and of the global Anglican Communion. Every day I find a reflection – Brother, Give Us a Word – in my inbox and I share it with those close to me, local and far-flung. By holding up to so many the fruits…
Read MoreWhy SSJE? – Christina McKerrow
Some years ago, Br. James Koester came to Kingston (ON) for a Quiet Weekend in the City. Since then, the Way has been drawing me closer to God, slowly, slowly. About nine or ten years ago, my husband developed Parkinson’s disease, and later cancer as well. In spite of my formerly lackadaisical relationship with Jesus…
Read MoreBrother, Thank You – Matthew Tenney
This year, three exceptional young people took part in the Monastic Internship Program, living, worshipping, and working alongside the community for nine months. We asked them to reflect on what they would take away from the experience.
Read MoreHelp Us Let It Be – Sarah Brock
This year, three exceptional young people took part in the Monastic Internship Program, living, worshipping, and working alongside the community for nine months. We asked them to reflect on what they would take away from the experience.
Read MoreAs Iron Sharpens Iron – Raphael Cadenhead
This year, three exceptional young people took part in the Monastic Internship Program, living, worshipping, and working alongside the community for nine months. We asked them to reflect on what they would take away from the experience.
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