We aim above all to be “Men of the Moment,” responsive to the call of God and the needs of our world in the present day. At our home and in our ministries, we aim to share with others gifts from the Spirit.
Day after day, we Brothers sit in the conference rooms of our guesthouses listening to people speak about their lives. Not many come to us struggling with questions of faith. Instead they come struggling with questions of life: how should I live?
We Brothers of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist have discovered our own answers in this life, devoted to the love of God through prayer, mission, and ministry. The heart of our life together as Brothers is prayer, and we delight in sharing our daily worship with congregations at the Monastery in Cambridge and at Emery House in West Newbury, as well as with thousands of others through our website and in the places we encounter them through our travels.
Some people might look at monks – in our habits, in our beautiful chapels echoing with the ancient tones of chanting – and think that we are some relic of the past, a reminder of a bygone time. But I think that the opposite is true: monasteries are places of transformation, which help us build the future. We hope that SSJE can be such a place, for the Church and the world.
At a time when the religious life is in decline in North America and in Europe, we are blessed with new vocations. There are still people who believe that it is worthwhile to live a life of intensity which has as its chief purpose the pure love of God. We hope that you will get to know us and join us in our life’s mission: to love God above all else and, in turn, invite others to experience that same love.