Volume 33 • Number 1
Winter 2007
“A Christian could not say, ‘It is impossible for me to care for others.’ If you are a Christian, it is impossible that it should not be so . . . Do not insult God. It is easier for the sun not to give heat or light than a Christian not to send forth light.”
St. John Chrysostom
Cover photo: Brothers Timothy Solverson and Jonathan Maury in the Holy Spirit Chapel of the monastery. Br. Timothy is to make his Profession in Life Vows on Sunday, January 28, an occasion of great joy for the community. Br. Jonathan recently celebrated his 20th anniversary of profession.
©2007 by The Society of Saint John the Evangelist, North America
A Letter from the Superior Dear Members of the Fellowship of Saint John and our Friends, Curtis Almquist, SSJE
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his season of the church year, Epiphany, takes its name from the Greek, meaning ‘manifestation,’ traditionally associated with Christ’s manifestation to the Magi who came to Christ from a far-off place bearing both gifts and needs. We witness Christ’s ongoing manifestation. At both the monastery and Emery House we see so many people who come to worship, to rest, to collect their lives and find their way. We also continually witness their leaving us aglow with the light and life and love of Jesus. Many guests tell us of their experience of the power of Christ here in our midst. We give thanks to God for this. We certainly pray and work that this be so. But we also tell
our guests that we experience how they bring Christ to us. We bow to one another, realizing our common experience of Christ awakened in each other, in the form of both gift and need. SSJE has never been a strictly ‘enclosed’ community; rather, since our founding in the 1860s, we have shared this kind of graceful interchange with so many people, both near and far. This Epiphany we have traveled far, to both bear and receive Christ. Brothers James Koester and Jonathan Maury have led a pilgrimage to Israel and Palestine. Brother Robert L’Esperance has traveled with the Telios Foundation on a pilgrimage to Russia. Our Bishop and Brother Thomas Shaw has led a
Br. David Allen and students at the monastery.
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pilgrimage of university students from the States to Kenya. Brothers David Vryhof, Roy Cockrum, and I have ministered to priests and seminarians in Tanzania and Kenya. In these faraway ministries, in our missions across North America, and in the hospitality we offer at the monastery and Emery House, the presence of Christ is manifest in so many ways, beyond which we could even ask or imagine. People discover the Christ they bear. In our celebrations of the Holy Eucharist, we acknowledge the many manifestations of Jesus. We make use of Saint Augustine’s words when the consecrated bread and wine – the real presence of Christ – is presented at Holy Communion: “Behold what you are,” to which the assembled congregation responds, “May we become what we receive.” The brothers and I are gratefully anticipating the Life Profession of Brother Timothy Solverson on Sunday, January 28, in the monastery chapel. We say in our Rule of Life, “When a brother vows to abide in our community until
death, the whole brotherhood rejoices in the gift of freedom that enables him to make this commitment after years of testing.” Please remember Brother Timothy in your prayers as he and the community anticipate this wonderful occasion. We invite you to join us for this festive 6:00 p.m. liturgy and the reception following. I am also very pleased to announce that the Presiding Bishop, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, has asked Brother Geoffrey Tristram to become a Chaplain to the House of Bishops. Brother Geoffrey begins these responsibilities to the bishops this new year. We have made a decision to restructure our Cowley Publications’ ministry. Our Cowley books will continue to be available at both the monastery and Emery House, and by phone and internet. (Please see the color insert in this newsletter.) In 2007 we will publish twelve new Cowley books, faithful to our mission “to help people think and pray in new ways about spirituality, reconciliation, and the future.” We are
Br. David Vryhof with seminarians at St. Philip’s Theological Seminary in Maseno, Kenya.
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The monastery cloister in winter.
also making some significant changes. When we began this ministry, nearly 30 years ago, access to Anglican spirituality resources was limited and the need was great. We know that the “market” for spirituality resources continues to be great; however the medium through which many people are accessing these resources is shifting from printed to electronic media. SSJE’s founder had a vision for our being “men of the moment.” As we say in our Rule of Life, “Reflection on our community’s own tradition, and a dialogue between our contemporary experience and that of our predecessors, helps us to sustain our identity as we strive to rise up to the demands of the present.” The SSJE brothers are holding conversations among ourselves and with other religious leaders and communications experts to ascertain how to be monks of the 21st century in channeling our ministry of spiritual formation in the most effective ways. We are already producing electronic newsletters. The Society of Saint John the Evangelist
(Please send us your email address if you are not already receiving this “eletter”!) We encourage you to visit our website – www.ssje.org – where you may read, picture, and hear more about our life and even take a “virtual tour” of the monastery and Emery House. Past issues of this Cowley quarterly are also archived electronically. We invite you to watch while we continue to transform our lives to live out the gospel and to be effective evangelists in these challenging and opportune times. The life of the SSJE brothers, which we seek to share with great generosity, is only made possible through your friendship, prayer, and financial support, on which we depend. Thank you Faithfully yours,
Curtis G. Almquist, SSJE Superior 5
Joining the Dance: The Grace of Living in Community Geoffrey Tristram SSJE
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recent article in the Boston Globe described the town of Ridgewood, New Jersey, an affluent suburb of New York. The people of Ridgewood take a competitive attitude to their work and play, and speak proudly of living in an “alpha town.” Mothers and fathers charge hard on Wall Street, then come home and encourage their children to show the same “go-go” spirit in their activities. French lessons can begin as early as the age of three, resumé building at six, and some children play on as many as five sports teams at once. “Parenting,” the article goes on to say, “has become the most competitive sport in America, and winning gold means getting into Harvard, Princeton or Yale.” You may not have grown up in Ridgewood, but we have all been affected and formed, or maybe ‘deformed,’ by the rampant, competitive individualism of our society. So how strange it is, how counter-cultural, to come across a place like this monastery, a community where men have come together, having given up a degree of personal autonomy, to live together as brothers. Our founder, Richard Meux Benson, believed passionately that the way to grow into our full stature as children of God was not through competitive individualism but through sharing in a community – or to use the New Testament word, a 6
Br. Geoffrey and Canon Clare Edwards, Canon Pastor of Canterbury Cathedral, who was received at the monastery as a member of the Fellowship of Saint John in October.
‘koinonia’ – of love. Fr. Benson had an intensely Trinitarian theology, and believed that each one of us bears the image of the triune God, and that we are not meant to be separate and isolated. We are called rather to belong to communities of personal cooperation and interdependence, where every person’s gifts are nurtured and valued. It is very hard to live like this, however. Our fallen nature, with its pride and fear, coupled with our prevailing culture, make us constantly prone to self-seeking, egoism and competitiveness, and on our own we can be powerless to break out of its insidious grip. The Gospel, however, gives us a word of life. In that great passage from St. John chapter 13, Jesus washes his SSJE
living a kind of eternal dance of love between Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That love among the persons of the Trinity graciously spills over, washes over us, and draws us in, so that we too may share in the dance. And this can change us dramatically. Instead of being stunted by pride, selfishness and egoism, we can delight in each other’s gifts, individual talents and achievements, and not feel threatened or diminished by them. We can all join in the dance, and as our Rule puts it, “We can begin to The Holy Trinity, an icon at the monastery which was written by grasp that there is a Br. Eldridge Pendleton. transcendent unity disciples’ feet, only to be reproved by that allows mutual affirmation of our Peter, who cannot bear his feet bedistinctiveness as persons.” ing washed by his Lord. Jesus says to Once each year, we celebrate a him, “Unless I wash you, you have no feast for the “Saints of the Society of share with me.” In order to share in the St. John the Evangelist.” Who exactly life that Jesus offers us, we need to be are the ‘saints’ of our Society? We don’t washed by our Lord. Our individuality, know, and that is probably just as well; our distinctive gifts, our uniqueness – to God knows. But maybe the real saints stop them turning in against us – have are not the ‘stars,’ but rather those we to be washed: washed by our intimate don’t hear too much about; those who participation in the divine nature. Othquietly and faithfully lived the life erwise we have no share in that life. To of community, of koinonia, and who grow as children of God we need to be returned again and again to the source washed by the divine life. of life to be washed and renewed by Our belief in God as Trinity underintimate participation in the very life stands God to be in essence a dynamic of God. This is God’s invitation to each community, or koinonia, of love; God one of us. So come, join the dance! The Society of Saint John the Evangelist
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Marked as Christ’s Own Forever: A Coptic Practice Kevin R. Hackett SSJE
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ne of the most striking features of a recent pilgrimage through Egypt was encountering Coptic Christianity for the first time. I’d known of the Coptic Church only peripherally through my seminary studies, and then as little more than a footnote. The Coptic Church is one of the oldest forms of Christianity. Its traditional home was in the Greek-speaking city of Alexandria, on the mouth of the Nile River, but that has long-since moved south to Cairo. Its leader is the Patriarch of Alexandria, and just as the present Bishop of Rome traces his descent from St. Peter and is known as the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, so the Patriarch of Alexandria is descended from St. Mark and is known as the Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Coptic Christianity was once united with the church all over the Roman Empire, but that changed after the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD. A technical theological dispute over the nature of Christ prompted the Copts to break from the rest of Catholic Christianity. It was the first major division of Christendom, and occurred more than 600 years before the schism between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, and over 1,000 years before the Protestant Reformation. The 8
Brs. Kevin and Bruce with Father Abbadier, a Coptic monk, at the Coptic Monastery of St. Bishoi in the Wadi Natrun, Egypt.
dispute might have been resolved over time, but the Muslim conquest of Egypt in the 7th century effectively cut off Coptic Christians from their Catholic counterparts for centuries. Today Egypt is home to nearly 80 million people, and Coptic Christians comprise between 5 and 10 per cent of that number. In spite of a political and cultural environment which is increasingly suspicious of any kind of Christian presence, the Coptic Church is growing and flourishing, enjoying a renaissance of growth and vibrancy on the same soil that proudly hosted the Holy Family. What accounts for this? Some observers believe it has something to do with the Coptic monastic tradition. SSJE
The view of the Egyptian desert from the top of Mt. Qalzam, looking down upon St. Antony’s Monastery.
The Egyptian desert was the place where Christian monasticism was born in the 4th century. Disgusted with the excess of the Roman Empire, and Christianity’s too-easy accommodation to it, men and women fled to the austerity of the desert. Some of the monasteries which were founded then are, incredibly, alive and flourishing today. And today, aware of the increasing pressures faced by ordinary Coptic men and women and children, the monasteries have opened their doors wide. Ordinary people, whole families, began flocking to the Egyptian deserts to pray and venerate saints’ relics at monastic sites. They came for retreat, for sanctuary. The result? The ranks of the monasteries have swelled to the point where there are more Coptic monks now than at any time in history. And the church as a whole has experienced renewal. The Society of Saint John the Evangelist
Our pilgrimage took us to four Coptic monasteries. Each one was swollen with monks, and with staff, and family members of the monks, and with other pilgrims. Each one was in the midst of a huge construction project of some kind—to make more cells, to rebuild the library, to refurbish the guesthouse. All had novitiates that were filled with young, well-trained professionals: doctors, pharmacists, lawyers, priests, scientists. “Where do these new vocations come from?” a pilgrim in our group asked Father Abbadier of St. Bishoi’s Monastery in the Wadi Natrun. He looked a little puzzled for a moment, the replied, “From Christian families, of course.” Indeed. That very day we had been privileged to witness the ordination to the priesthood of one of the monks. The monastery church—no chairs or pews— was filled with people. 9
Elderly people were sitting on portable stools. Young children were everywhere, some sleeping along the side of the church, with their mothers or grandmothers close at hand. Everyone was singing, and all without the aid of any hymnal or order of service. When another pilgrim asked how everyone seemed to know the words to all of the songs and hymns, Abbadeir again looked a little puzzled and said, “These are simply the songs that Christian people sing. We hear them from the time we are born, we learn them as children, and we teach our children. Of course we know them.” Christian life is just that for Coptic Christians—a way of life, informed by practices that become habits, that become identity. As impressive as the vocations and the singing were, however, the Copts have one practice that moves me above all others. Most Copts are tattooed. A
Coptic tattoo
few have elaborate inkings of saints and angels and of the Risen Lord, but most have simply a small cross on the wrist of their right hand. Precisely how this practice originated is shrouded by the mists of history, but most Copts will tell 10
you that it came about as Islam grew in Egypt, and Christians were no longer in ascendancy. During the Mamluk period (1250 – 1517), particularly, tattoos functioned as national identity cards, making it easy to identify Christians—and persecute or discriminate against them. When the Mamluks were no longer in power, the Copts decided to retain the custom, proudly bearing in their flesh the marks of the cross. Our guide, Mousa (Arabic for ‘Moses’), was tattooed. A young father, he spoke with pride of his two year old daughter, Phoebe. When I asked if she was tattooed, he told me that he and his wife planned to have that done on her third birthday. “But she’s so young. She has no choice. A tattoo is for life!” said a fellow pilgrim. Mousa grinned and said, “Yes, it is for life. And when she was born, we did not ask her if she wished to be baptized, either. That was for life, also. We are Christians. This is what we do.” One of my favorite parts of the baptismal liturgy is when the newly baptized is signed with the cross using oil. “You are marked as Christ’s own for ever” (Book of Common Prayer, p.308) Chrismation, it’s called (the oil which is used is chrism, from the Greek, gift). And as beautiful as it is, I wonder if it is enough. I’ve thought a lot about what it means to be marked as Christ’s own for ever since meeting Coptic Christians. I’m aware that I can comfortably be anonymous about my faith if I want to, bearing no physical sign. I’m deeply challenged by the visible Christianity of the Copts. I’m not quite ready for the gift of having my wrist tattooed, but I am challenged to be what William Willamon calls “more conspicuously Christian.” After all, it is for life! SSJE
Don’t Stay Much…: Pilgrimage and the Gift of Perspective Bruce Neal, N/SSJE
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he view was amazing! My legs ached from the steep climb, my boots had rubbed blisters on my heels, and I was still short of breath – but after gazing on the beauty of this vast landscape, none of my aches and pains seemed to matter that much. I had led our group of pilgrims up countless stone and concrete steps, gradually ascending the famous Mount Qalzam in Egypt, and now that we had reached our destination close to the top, we looked out over the endless desert that stretched way beyond St. Antony’s Monastery far below. Behind us in the side of the mountain was the entrance to the Holy Cave of St. Antony, the most famous hermit in Christian history, who is known as the Father of Monasticism. It was the sixth day of our pilgrimage, an adventure called “The Ways in the Wilderness,” sponsored by St. George’s College in Jerusalem. Br. Kevin Hackett and I were chaplains to the group, a wonderfully diverse mix of American, British, Canadian, and Australian pilgrims. We had been in Egypt for a few days now, visiting various monasteries and shrines of the Coptic Christians. The “Copts” (the term derives from an abbreviation of an ancient Greek word for “Egyptian”) are the indigenous Christians of Egypt. They practice one of the most ancient The Society of Saint John the Evangelist
Br. Bruce and Boutros, a Coptic teenager, outside of the entrance to the Holy Cave of St. Antony on Mt. Qalzam in Egypt.
forms of Christianity, born in the time of the apostles. There are anywhere between four million and ten million Coptic Christians in Egypt. The exact number is hard to determine, since the Copts live in a predominantly Islamic nation where their presence is often not very welcome. They are forced to deal with subtle discrimination in the best of times, and outright hostility in the worst. Yet monastic spirituality is still thriving in the Coptic Church, and all the monasteries we visited contained large and active communi11
Br. Bruce leading a reflection in the Church of the Forty Monks Martyrs at the Coptic Monastery of St. Macarius, Egypt.
ties, including St. Antony’s Monastery, which was founded in 356 C.E. and is the oldest active Christian monastery in the world. After enjoying the view and catching my breath, I got in line with the rest of the pilgrims at the entrance to the Holy Cave where Antony had spent the last decades of his life. For many years Antony had been the spiritual guide for a group of hermits which had formed around him (giving birth to the first Christian monastic community). But Antony was drawn to the strict, contemplative life of a hermit, and so, after some years he sought refuge in this deep and dark cave. The entrance was staffed by an employee from the monastery below, who stood outside the cave and ensured that everyone took their shoes off before entering this sacred site. Several Coptic teenagers were also there, and they welcomed us in rather good English and engaged us in friendly conversation. One of these young men was named Boutros (his name is Arabic for “Peter”). Boutros was particularly thrilled to meet an American monk, and stayed 12
by my side throughout my time on the mountain. When our turn came, I entered the cave with Boutros and Mousa. Mousa, who was also a Coptic Christian, was our translator and guide for most of the pilgrimage (his name is Arabic for “Moses”, a very fitting name for a guide of pilgrims). Even with the blazing sun beating down outside the entrance, the cave was completely dark just a few feet in. We took out our flashlights and followed a narrow passageway into the mountain for several feet, until we came across a small chamber. “This is where St. Antony would sleep, prepare his food, and receive visitors,” Mousa told me. Then we followed another narrow passage that went even deeper into the mountain until we reached a smaller chamber. This chamber had a stone altar placed at the end which was lit by many candles left by various pilgrims. “This is where St. Antony would pray,” Mousa said, “it is a very holy spot for Coptic Christians and for pilgrims from all over the world.” We spent a few moments in silence and prayer, and then made our way back to the entrance so that another small group of
Br. Bruce (left) and Br. Kevin (right) with FSJ members Julie Clarkson, James Snodgrass, Alice Reed and Bruce Johnson.
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Br. Bruce Neal with “Elijah,” his camel, and its Bedouin handler, Ahmed.
pilgrims could enter the cave. Outside of the cave, near the stone steps where many pilgrims were mulling around, was a sign in Arabic. Kevin got Mousa’s attention and asked him what it meant. “Let’s see,” Mousa said, rubbing his chin while looking up at the sign. He seemed to be having a little trouble translating the sign into English. “It’s supposed to be a saying of St. Antony’s,” he finally replied, “it says, ‘If you come to visit a monk in his cave, don’t stay much’.” Kevin and I chuckled at the translation, but we understood exactly what Mousa meant. Later in our pilgrimage our group spent two nights in the middle of the Sinai desert, camped out in sleeping bags with nothing but the sand beneath us and the clear sky high above us. On one of these nights, gazing up at a sky all ablaze with the brightness of a thousand stars, I reflected on Mousa’s translation of that sign: “If you come to visit a monk in his cave, don’t stay much.” This simple phrase is at the heart of desert spirituality. For over a thousand years hermits, monks, and nuns have been coming to this very desert to seek God in silence and solitude. The first ones became famous for their simple wisdom, and pilgrims from cities and The Society of Saint John the Evangelist
villages near and far would seek them out for guidance and instruction. They are known as the desert fathers and mothers, and many of their sayings were written down and are just as useful and meaningful today. Far from seeking celebrity, these desert fathers and mothers preferred a radically simple life of prayer and solitude, fasting and manual labor. They received visitors reluctantly, providing hospitality from their meager resources, yet always preferring that these pilgrims from the cities didn’t “stay much.” Some did stay, however, and monastic communities grew up out of these determined pilgrims who persevered in the ways of the desert. As a monk of the 21st century, I am a spiritual descendant of these desert fathers and these determined pilgrims who stayed. It is a tremendous legacy that I do not take lightly. From the view on Mount Qalzam and the Holy Cave of St. Antony, I can look back upon well over a thousand years of monastic tradition. From the perspective of the desert, I can realize that my relationship to God and God alone is the rock of my vocation, the foundation for my life – no matter how hectic or distracting my life becomes. The next morning as we broke camp and prepared to leave the desert, one of the pilgrims from our group said to me, “You’re absolutely glowing. You must have really enjoyed your time out here.” I smiled and answered, “I’ve been given a gift, the gift of perspective.” Now, after returning to the monastery in Cambridge, I am back in my busy routine during these seasons of Christmas and Epiphany. Though as a monk I am spared much of the hectic craziness around the holiday season, it 13
can still get a bit distracting. I long to return to those holy moments in St. Antony’s cave. I miss those quiet nights in the desert. As our pilgrimage came to end and our group said their goodbyes, we wondered if we would be able to take the perspective of the desert back with us. It can be extremely difficult for me to maintain that perspective. But as Anthony Bloom, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church, has said, “The desert is present everywhere and the spirituality of the desert can be found everywhere” – even here in our modern American lives, so often filled with the distractions of cell phones,
cable television, ipods, and instant access to the internet. So I invite you to give it a try. Create a little desert in your life – a place where you can recapture the gift of perspective, where you can look upon your life from a new vantage point, the vantage point of your oneness with God and your total dependence upon the love of Christ. Make a little space every day for silence and solitude, for time to be alone with God. Carve out a little cave where you can get away from the distractions of your life – and put up a sign outside that says, “When you come to visit me in my cave, don’t stay much.”
Society of Saint John the Evangelist The Friends of SSJE Annual Fund 2007 Information on Giving US Giving
SSJE Friends in the USA can make tax-deductible gifts to SSJE. Checks: Please make checks payable to: SSJE and send to: The Society of Saint John the Evangelist, P.O. Box 382601, Cambridge, MA 02238 Online: Credit card donations can be made via www.ssje.org Stock Gifts: Please email treasury@ssje.org for details. Monthly Gifts: Please email friends@ssje.org if you would like to make monthly payments by credit card. Pledging: If you like to pledge please email your pledge to friends@ssje.org Tax Receipts: After the end of each calendar year receipts will be sent for Chapel gifts made by check and for all pledge payments received.
Canadian Giving
SSJE Friends in Canada can make tax deductible donations through The Bank of Nova Scotia Trust. At this time we cannot accept Canadian gifts paid by credit card. Please make checks payable to: SSJE and send to: “SSJE” c/o Scotia Trust Co., Attn: Mrs. Vi Bunclark, Trust Administrator The Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Company, Exchange Tower, PO Box 430, Stn First Canadian Place, Toronto, Ontario M5X 1K1
UK Giving
SSJE Friends in the UK can now donate through Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). This method allows SSJE to reclaim the taxes paid by the donor as is allowed under UK tax law. You can open a CAF Charity Account either online at www.cafonline.org or by calling 01732 520 050. Please specify The Society of Saint John the Evangelist, Boston when making your gift. 14
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What In The World Are We Doing? David Vryhof, SSJE
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his past summer we had the privilege of hosting Elphas Wambani, one of the teachers at St. Philip’s (Anglican) Theological Seminary in Maseno, Kenya, for a brief sabbatical during the month of July. It was Elphas’ first visit to the United States and the first time he had been outside of Africa. Just days before Elphas was to return to Kenya, I asked him if there was anything in particular that he wanted to see or do before he left. His answer surprised me a bit. “A shopping mall,” he said. “I’ve never been to a shopping mall and I’d like to experience that.” The experience of visiting a local mall with Elphas was eye-opening for me. It was as if I were seeing a mall for the first time, through the eyes of this new friend, and I was dazzled by the glamour of it all, and by the overwhelming abundance of goods we were seeing. It seemed as if everything one could ever want or need was available here – clothing, jewelry, appliances, shoes, books, music, games, fast food – there was no end to all. Elphas had originally hoped to purchase new shoes for his wife and some gifts for his family, but the cost of these was more than we could afford. An American friend had given him a used computer so we decided to shop for a movie that he could bring home to show his family. The Society of Saint John the Evangelist
Children in need of help and hope.
The store offered hundreds of options, but Elphas was only interested in one. He wanted his children to see a film about the life of Jesus. (I found Elphas’ clear focus to be quite moving.) We purchased a DVD of “The Gospel of John” and made our way back to the crowded parking lot. Having traveled to Elphas’ country this past January, I was keenly aware, as he was, of the tremendous disparity between the two cultures in which we live. So many of these things we take for granted – a wide variety of choices in food and clothing, access to transportation, good medical care readily available, a range of career options, opportunities for education, a secure living – are simply not available to the average person living in Kenya. There was a time, not that long ago, when some of us could have claimed to be unaware of the wideness of the gap. 15
But modern communication technology has brought the world into our living rooms, and has brought glimpses of our lifestyle into the living rooms of countless millions throughout the world. Someone told me recently that the most watched television show worldwide is Baywatch, and I myself have known the peculiar feeling of watching reruns of Dallas or World Wide Wrestling on a small black-and-white TV set in a poor family’s home in a developing country. It’s possible, of course, to turn away from this awareness of the disparity between the rich and the poor in our world. Many of us feel overwhelmed by the widespread poverty, disease, and violence so prevalent in our world; some of us find it difficult to watch the nightly news. But it’s also possible for us to turn toward the problem and to resolve to act. And this, of course, is the better thing to do.
A father, dying of AIDS, and his children.
In the year 2000, all 191 nations of the world agreed to pursue a set of goals called the “Millennium Development Goals” (MDGs). Eight goals were agreed upon, and the year 2015 was set as the date by which these goals could be reached. The goals, listed at the end of this article, represent the biggest challenges facing humanity. Each goal has tangible, measurable markers. 16
Furthermore, all of the nations agreed that these goals were achievable. We have the resources to meet them, but to this point we have lacked the desire and commitment to actually achieve them.
Women in the marketplace.
A wise consultant once urged our community to ‘dream big’ about what we wanted to be and to do, but once we had settled on a goal, to ‘start small’ so that we wouldn’t be overwhelmed and simply give up. We have tried to take some small steps forward by engaging new work in Africa and by our ongoing work in Israel/Palestine. Many of you have supported us in these efforts. We are offering what we can offer, and hoping that, like the loaves and fishes, God will use what we can give to bring about change and to meet real needs. Here are some ways that you too can ‘start small’: Pick a place or a topic of interest to you – famine, water, education of girls, overpopulation, small arms sales. Start educating yourself about it. If you can, travel to a place where the problem is acute or where it is being addressed effectively, to see what’s happening first hand. Start dreaming about ways you might contribute to change. Join with others who SSJE
share your concern. Consider yourself a steward of your wealth, your talents, your time – and make the very best investments you can. But above all, act. Do something. Give something. Try to make a difference somewhere. I can promise you this: whatever time or energy or resources you give, the return will be even greater. Jesus told
us the truth when he said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35) For further information and ideas, investigate the work of Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation (www.e4gr.org) or Make Poverty History (www.makepovertyhistory.org).
The Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) offer: • an unparalleled opportunity to make the world a better place. • a formal recognition that poverty can be solved when both the rich and poor world work together. • a practical and achievable set of targets for international development up to 2015.
In a world where 1.2 billion people (one-fifth of the world’s population) currently live on less that US$1/day, and where 28,000 children die from poverty-related causes every day… Goal 1 seeks to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. In a world where 115 million school-aged children are not in school, and 133 million young people cannot read and write… Goal 2 seeks to achieve universal primary education for children. In a world where two-thirds of the world’s illiterate people are women, Goal 3 seeks to promote gender equality and empower women. In a world where over 11 million children under the age of five die each year, most from preventable diseases… Goal 4 seeks to reduce child mortality. In a world where more than 500,000 women die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth every year, and more than 50 million women suffer from poor reproductive health and serious pregnancy-related illness and disability… Goal 5 seeks to improve maternal health. In a world where about 4.8 million people became newly infected with HIV in 2003 (more than 13,000 each day), where malaria causes more than 300 million acute illnesses and at least one million deaths annually, and where an estimated 2 million deaths result from tuberculosis each year… Goal 6 seeks to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. In a world where over 2.4 billion people lack access to proper sanitation facilities and 1 billion lack access to drinkable water, and where forests are disappearing at unprecedented rates globally… Goal 7 seeks to ensure environmental sustainability. In a world where cows receive more aid than people (Europe’s cows receive $2/day in subsidies), where many developing countries spend more on interest repayments on their debt than they do on health and education combined, and where only five of the world’s rich countries give the amount of aid they committed to in 1970… Goal 8 seeks to create a global partnership for development. [Source: www.makepovertyhistory.com]
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In Our Hands Mark Brown, SSJE
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he Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God, has come near. Or, as we sometimes read: The Kingdom of God is at hand. Hands are a miracle—a 16 billion year miracle. There isn’t anything else in the known universe that has more capacity to do things. Most of what gets done in the world gets done by hands. We might pause to admire the sheer intricacy of hands—the capacity of hands to get things done. An amazing system of coordination of muscle, tendons, bones (27), cartilage, nerves, and blood—flexors and extensors and an opposable thumb. And all intimately linked to the central nervous system of the brain. A crowning touch of nature. And the way God gets things done in the world. Most of the time. If the Lord binds up the injuries of his people and heals their wounds, if he heals the broken hearted, if he lifts up the
lowly—it is with human hands. If the Lord rebuilds Jerusalem, tearing down walls and building bridges, it is with human hands. If swords are turned into pruning hooks, it is with human hands. Even the deaf can hear—with human hands. A crowning touch, the hands are. Intimately linked to the brain, the mind and heart and soul—and intimately linked to the very heart of God. The impulse to heal, the impulse to build, to lift up—the impulse to build and rebuild Jerusalem – is the Divine Compassion living and active in us. The impulse is God’s. The hands are ours. If the human heart is a tabernacle of the Divine Presence, so, too, are our hands. As St. Teresa reminded us, they’re the only ones he has now. The Kingdom of God is at hand. And, to a very great extent, in our hands.
Consider Becoming an SSJE Brother!
“Come and See” – June 7-10, 2007 We welcome men interested in learning about a vocation to SSJE to join us for a “Come and See” weekend at the monastery. For those who cannot make it to this weekend program, we will be glad to schedule another time for you to visit us. For more information, please visit our website at www.ssje.org or contact our Novice Guardian, Br. Geoffrey Tristram, at the monastery or by email: noviceguardian@ssje.org 18
SSJE
Intercessory Prayer: Praying to Be God’s Answer Paul Wessinger, SSJE
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uring the last years of my life as a Harvard undergraduate I had as my confessor and spiritual director Father William Hoffman of our Society. Father Hoffman taught me two intercessory prayer practices which I have found very helpful over the years. He emphasized the importance of responding spontaneously to a perceived need for prayer. For instance, when you see or hear an ambulance go by, you pray for the crew and the patient, or, when you go by a hospital, pray for those in the hospital, and so forth. It is the same when you read a newspaper or a letter from someone sharing some need. Father Hoffman also strongly recommended keeping an intercession list, which I have always found helpful. Praying using an intercession list has the very human element of keeping us in touch with people whom we might otherwise forget. I suggest keeping a person on your list until you come to a point where you can no longer see their face in your mind’s eye, then let them go. Or if you have been asked to pray for somebody, when you forget either the circumstances or the person who asked for your prayerful intercession, well then, stop. Intercessory prayer has become even more important for me now for two reasons. Because of my age, I am much less involved in active ministry than I once was, and so I have the space and yearning to intercede for The Society of Saint John the Evangelist
many people and many needs. Secondly, I have severe loss of hearing that does in some ways isolate me. Intercessory prayer is a great aid in keeping me connected to God’s broader world. In our own Rule of Life we quote an ancient monastic saying that “a monk is separated from all to be united to all.” I find this extremely important in my life today, when we are doing so many things in the Society that we never did before, especially the ministry through Saint George’s College, Jerusalem, and in our new ministries in eastern Africa. I really can be taking an active part in those ministries while still being at home in my cell as I pray for my brothers and for those places and people specifically. I am sometimes asked why intercessory prayer is important, since we are presumably praying about something or someone already known to God. That God already knows everything we name is, of course, true. Our prayer is not bringing Jesus into some place where Jesus is not already present. Rather, our intercessory prayer is bringing ourselves into a relationship to God so that through our intercessory prayer for specific causes and people, we make ourselves more open to God to use us in the answering of those prayers or in the meeting of those needs. In actuality we are praying that we, somehow, become God’s answer to our prayer for this person or need. 19
25th Anniversary of the Boston Chinese Ministry David Allen, SSJE
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chairs around the altar on the chancel platform. After the Eucharist we would gather at a restaurant in Chinatown for lunch. A community was coming into being. Peter Lai came to be the second vicar of the Boston Chinese Ministry in 1984. Because he was not yet ordained I continued to be the celebrant of the weekly Sunday Eucharist until he was ordained priest. After that I continued to assist Peter. Eventually Peter Lai went to Taiwan for further studies in 1986. Sze-Kar Wan became interim administrator. I resumed the role of weekly celebrant. Edward Ho, also not yet ordained, was called to be vicar in 1986. He was ordained priest in November, 1988, after which I assisted, and gradually reduced my level of involvement. During the ministry of Edward Ho, the Chinese Congregation increased considerably in size to about forty or fifty people. The Chinese choir became well known throughout the Diocese. Edward Ho retired in 1996 and Thomas Pang was called to be Vicar. A few years later he was named Canon in charge of Asian American Ministry at the Cathedral. The Chinese Congregation has continued to grow. Average Sunday attendance is about 100 – 60% are young people. There are now two
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n the spring of 1978 I received permission to do some Japanese ministry in the Boston area in order not to waste my knowledge of Japanese and of Asia. A survey was conducted. It was soon clearly seen that there was more need for a Chinese ministry in Boston than there was for Japanese. I helped form a committee to investigate the possibility for such a ministry in Boston. Fr. Benjamin Pao, studying at Boston University at that time, became the first vicar for the Boston Chinese Ministry. The new ministry began in early August of 1981. In the spring of 1982 Fr. Pao was invited to begin a new Chinese Ministry in Los Angeles. Eric Law, then a student at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, taught me enough Cantonese so that I could celebrate the Eucharist in Cantonese after Fr. Pao moved to Los Angeles. In the late spring I became the celebrant every Sunday. Eric would usually preach in Cantonese. About twice a month I would preach in English and Eric would translate the sermon into Cantonese. Sometimes Sze-Kar Wan, a member of the congregation, would preach or translate. In those early days there were usually about fifteen or sixteen people in the congregation. We could all sit on
Left to right: Sam Wong, Catechist;The Rev. Canon Thomas Pang,Vicar of Boston Chinese Ministry; Br. David Allen, SSJE; and the Rev. Mark Smith, Deacon assisting with Chinese Ministry.
mission sites in Massachusetts: in Quincy (2000) and in Allston (2006). At the request of Thomas Pang I have continued to assist at the Chinese Min-
istry about once a month, preaching occasionally and assisting at Communion. My association with this ministry over the years has given me great joy.
The Fellowship of Saint John (FSJ) is comprised of men and women throughout the world who desire to live their Christian life in special association with the Society of Saint John the Evangelist. They have a vital interest in the life and work of the brothers, and support our life and ministries with their prayers, encouragement, and financial gifts. The brothers of SSJE welcome members of the FSJ as partners in the gospel life, and pray for them by name in our daily prayers, following a regular cycle. With us the FSJ members form an extended family, a company of friends abiding in Christ and seeking to bear a united witness to him as “the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” following
The Society of Saint John the Evangelist
the example of the Beloved Disciple. For more information, please contact Br. Jonathan Maury, the Director of the FSJ, at the monastery.
Marcia McCampbell, M.D. of Redding, California, in the monastery refectory with Br. Jonathan Maury, who received Marcia into the FSJ on November 25th.
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Sharing Life at the Monastery Seth Lancaster
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fter graduating from college in May 2006, I did what many recent college graduates did: I looked for a job and a new place to call home. Unlike many of my fellow graduates though, I elected to move into a monastery. While my friends were securing government jobs and receiving grants to attend graduate school, I was talking to monks about living with them. I moved into the guesthouse at the monastery of Saint John the Evangelist (SSJE) this September as a long-term resident, not a postulant to the Society. While the life the brothers lead is one I respect and hold dear to my heart, I do not feel it is my calling. Rather, I feel drawn to ordained ministry, and my intentions when agreeing to live here were to discern that calling. This summer, as I was wrestling with decisions about my life’s future, the brothers of SSJE joined me in a conversation about what it might look like to work together. We eventually came to an agreement and made a covenant. Simply put, I agreed help the brothers with their chores in return for my being able to live in the guesthouse at the monastery and spend the year in prayer and discernment about my vocation. I have adjusted to their rhythm of life—their worship and work schedules. Among other things, my jobs around the monastery include polishing doorknobs and handrails, preparing 22
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and cleaning up meals, pulling weeds, raking leaves, and shoveling snow. In return I live in a comfortable room and enjoy their delicious meals. Anyone who has been on a retreat knows this is truly a wonderful gift they have given me. Living here is my gift from them, but there is more to this gift than just shelter and food. Living close to the chapel makes it easier to attend worship services. Those of you who attend services with the brothers at SSJE know how wonderful the worship community is here. I am also within arms’ reach of their library—including the books Cowley publishes. The brothers have even set up time for me to receive spiritual direction and a weekly Sabbath day as part of their gift to me. But the greatest gift they give me is one that costs them nothing. They give me this gift every time one of them stops to talk to me. Sharing our lives and supporting another one’s life without hope of something in return may be countercultural, but it is the example Jesus set for us and the life God calls us to lead as Christians. These brothers have given their time and their thoughts to me as a gift to enrich my life. The lessons I have learned from sharing work duties or listening to their stories has helped me see the love of God more clearly. I hope that when I leave here, I remember to take with me and share these priceless gifts. SSJE
COMMUNITY NEWS
The Rt. Rev. Don Wimberly, Bishop of Texas, and Br. Curtis
In October Br. Curtis Almquist was hosted for a week in the Diocese of Texas. He spoke at the annual Clergy Conference at Camp Allen, then at Christ Church Cathedral, Houston, and at St. David’s Church in Austin. December 1-3 he led an Advent Day of Reflection and preached and taught at Christ Church, Alexandria, Virginia.
Bishop Philip Baji, with Brs. Curtis Almquist, David Vryhof and Roy Cockrum, who ministered in the Diocese of Tanga in January.
The Rt. Rev. Philip Baji, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Tanga in northeast Tanzania, met with the community on Tuesday, October 31, to speak about the Church’s work in his diocese and to prepare us for our ministry there in January. He also preached at our 5:15 p.m. Eucharist that afternoon. The Society of Saint John the Evangelist
Brs. Tom Shaw and Curtis Almquist were present for the investiture of the new Presiding Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori, at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., November 3 and 4. On the eve of the installation, Br. Curtis preached to the House of Bishops at their service of Evening Prayer at St. Alban’s Church.
Br. Geoffrey Tristram
Br. Geoffrey Tristram traveled to New Haven, Connecticut, to lead a Quiet Day for members of the Senior class at Berkeley/Yale Divinity School on Saturday, November 11. On November 15, Br. Geoffrey met with students who belong to a contemplative prayer group at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The group is led by the Rev. Dr. Sarah Coakley, a professor at HDS and a friend of our community.
Br. Roy Cockrum
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Br. Roy Cockrum led a weekend program on discernment in prayer at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Bridgewater, New Jersey, November 17-19. He was hosted by the Rev. Bruce Montgomery, a member of the Fellowship of St. John.
On Tuesday, December 5, the community met with Dr. Richard Parker to discuss the state of the Church and the world, and to consider “how we move from love to justice.” Dr. Parker is Senior Fellow at the Shorenstein Center at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Brs. Geoffrey Tristram, Mark Brown and Bruce Neal took part in an Advent preaching series at the monastery entitled, “Seers and Sages: Preaching the Prophets.” Their sermons are available on our website: www.ssje.org.
Br. Bruce Neal
Br. Bruce Neal was at St. James Episcopal Church in Woodstock, Vermont, to lead a weekend program on prayer, November 24-26.
Br.Tom Shaw
Brs. David Vryhof and Gerald Beauchamp
Brs. David Vryhof and Gerald Beauchamp traveled to Palm Beach, Florida, on the weekend of December 1-3, to lead a weekend program for Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church. They were hosted by the rector, the Rev. Ralph Warren Jr. and by the Rev. Lynne Jones, a member of the Fellowship of St. John. 24
Four SSJE brothers traveled to east Africa in January. Br. Tom Shaw led a group of college students to Maseno, Kenya, where they were hosted at St. Philip’s Theological Seminary. Brs. Curtis Almquist, David Vryhof and Roy Cockrum led a week-long retreat for the clergy of the Diocese of Tanga in Tanzania, January 1-5. David and Roy then went on to Kenya, where they led a similar retreat for seminarians at St. Philip’s Theological College, while Curtis joined with the Rev. Canon Steven Bonsey, a priest of the Diocese of Massachusetts and a member of the Fellowship of St. John, to do a study course for English-speaking clergy in the Diocese of Tanga, where they were hosted by Bishop Philip Baji. SSJE
Brs. James Koester and Jonathan Maury were spiritual directors and chaplains for a “Palestine of Jesus” course offered by St. George’s College, Jerusalem, January 5-18.
travel to New York City, January 22-25, to participate in the Trinity Institute’s 37th National Theological Conference, “God’s Unfinished Future: Why It Matters NOW.” The speakers for this year’s conference include Jürgen Moltmann, Barbara R. Rossing, Peter J. Gomes, and James Carroll. Br. Mark Brown will travel to Newark, New Jersey to be present at the consecration of the Rev. Mark Beckwith as 10th Bishop of the Diocese of Newark on January 27. The bishop-elect is a member of the Fellowship of St. John.
Br. Robert L’Esperance
Br. Robert L’Esperance traveled to the city of St. Petersburg in Russia on a week-long pilgrimage, sponsored by the Telios Foundation and led by the Rev. Jim McReynolds, the Foundation’s President and a member of the Fellowship of St. John. The group was in Russia from January 1-9 and spent Orthodox Christmas in the medieval Russian city of Novgorod. Br. Robert L’Esperance also traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, to attend a Board Meeting of the National Episcopal AIDS Coalition (NEAC), January 11-14. Br. Robert serves as treasurer for the NEAC Board and hosted the group at Emery House last October. For more information about their work, visit www.neac.org. Our two novices, Brs. Bruce Neal and Gerald Beauchamp, and our postulant Todd Smith, joined by their Novice Guardian Br. Geoffrey Tristram, will The Society of Saint John the Evangelist
At Emery House Br. James Koester is pictured with Jessica Schaap, a third-year year student at the Vancouver School of Theology, who made a retreat to Emery House in early October. Jessica is a recipient of SSJE’s “Canon Young Scholarship,” awarded to Canadian seminarians. Included in the Canon Young scholarship are monies providing for travel to SSJE for a retreat.
Canadian readers who wish to support the Society’s ongoing work in Canada may do so by sending a cheque to: The Society of St. John the Evangelist, c/o The Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Company, P.O. Box 430, Stn. First Canadian Place, Toronto, ON, M5X 1K1. 25
The Society of Saint John the Evangelist
The Friends of SSJE Annual Fund 2006
Friends
Since we were married we have argued playfully back and forth. And yet we have never argued about this place. We just love it. When you come in to the chapel or the halls of the guesthouse you are aware of the quality of the silence. It makes you so glad to have the opportunity to be here whether it is for a week or for a service. We can give financially, we can give time, we can give effort but the brothers give to us a spiritual reward and depth that we can’t get anywhere else. They give over and over and over again. They never stop giving. They inform our spiritual lives. They make you want to develop your spiritual life so there is nothing that is too much for us to do for them. If we want this place to be here for future generations it is something that we need to support financially. Buildings have to be maintained. Brothers who are traveling around the world giving retreats and teaching need our help. That is what we are here to do. Winston & Sally Rose, Friends of SSJE
Every morning the brothers pray for the Holy Spirit “to rule our hearts, that our lives may be holy, our prayers acceptable, our wants supplied, our words directed, and our work prospered, to the glory of God’s name.” We are able to pray this prayer only through the sustenance of your friendship and your financial support, on which we depend. We are so grateful. Curtis G. Almquist, SSJE Superior I hear from Friends who support the brothers financially. The brothers “make plain how beautiful our Christian faith is.” I learn of a life changed as the “brothers mediated good gospel.” A way of life is attributed to learning from the brothers “teach by example.” I am deeply moved by these stories of transformative love and in awe at the cycle of kindness that the Friends’ generous gifts represent. Jamie Coats, Director, Friends of SSJE
The Annual Fund of SSJE is made up of gifts given by the Friends of SSJE and it includes: collections in the chapel, the spring and fall appeal gifts, the Fellowship of Saint John gifts, pledge payments and donations given at other times. It does not include restricted gifts or bequests. Our long-term goal is for the Annual Fund to cover 80% of SSJE operating expenses. In 2005 Annual Fund gifts covered approximately 30%. With the incredibly welcome increase in your gifts, the Annual Fund covered 40% of operating expenses for 2006. A report on the SSJE’s finances will be available in the spring. In 2006 the concept of the “Friends of SSJE”, who are financial supporters of SSJE, was defined along with levels of giving. The concept has been applied to preceding years to provide a comparison. # of Donors
2003
2004
2005
2006
• Circle of Friends (All donors) • Superior’s Circle ($2,500 +) • Brother’s Circle ($1,000 - $2,499) • Companion’s Circle ($500 - $999)
1,439 23 62 96
1,523 25 50 100
1,516 27 74 113
1,472 55 123 183
Total Donations (US Fund)
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512,029 461,656 579,632 829,257
SSJE
For the electronic edition of Cowley Newsletter the annual fund names have been omitted.
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Retreats at The Monastery Cambridge, Massachusetts
Nourishing the Soul (weekends available for individual self-directed retreats) February 2-4, 2007 // March 30-April 1, 2007 // April 27-29, 2007 // May 4-6, 2007 (FSJ Weekend) // May 25-26, 2007 // All weekends in June and July Holy Week at the Monastery April 3-8, 2007 (Tuesday 10 am – Sunday 3 pm) Time for God – a week of renewal for clergy April 17-21, 2007 (Tuesday 5 pm – Saturday 2 pm) “Come and See” Weekend – a program for men interested in exploring
religious life with SSJE
June 7-10, 2007 (Thursday 5 pm – Sunday 2 pm) For information about retreats at the monastery, visit our website at www.ssje.org or contact the guesthouse office at (617) 876-3037 or guesthouse@ssje.org.
Retreats at Emery House West Newbury, Massachusetts
Time for God – a week of renewal for clergy January 30-February 3, 2007 (Tuesday 5 pm – Saturday 2 pm) Behold the Beauty of the Lord – Icon Writing Workshop/Retreat February 13-18, 2007 (Tuesday 5 pm – Sunday 2 pm) Five-Day Companioned Retreat February 27-March 4, 2007 (Tuesday 5 pm – Sunday 2 pm) “According to the Gifts Given Them” – a retreat for lay pastoral ministers
March 9-11, 2007 (Friday 5 pm – Sunday 2 pm) Lenten Quiet Day for Clergy March 20, 2007 (Tuesday, 9:30 am – 4:00 pm) Five-Day Companioned Retreat May 8-13, 2007 (Tuesday 5 pm – Sunday 2 pm) His Garment’s Hem: Receiving and Offering Christ’s Healing Touch May 17-20, 2007 (Thursday 5 pm – Sunday 2 pm) Nourishing the Soul (available for individual self-directed retreats) All weekends in June and July For further information about retreats at Emery House, visit our website at www.ssje.org or contact Emery House at (978) 462-7940 or emeryhouse@ssje.org.
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SATURDAY WORKSHOPS AT THE MONASTERY 980 Memorial Drive • Cambridge, Massachusetts
Workshops begin at 10:00 a.m. (registration begins at 9:30 a.m.) and end by 3:00 p.m. The normal fee for a Saturday workshop is $75 ($40 for full-time students), which includes lunch. To register, call or write the guesthouse office at: Tel: (617) 876-3037 Email: guesthouse@ssje.org web: www.ssje.org
FORGIVING and BEING FORGIVEN
to experience God’s healing love and to be channels of that love and healing power to February 3, 2007 (Saturday, 10 am – 3 pm) others. Forgiveness is central to Christian living, Led by Br. JONATHAN MAURY and Ms. yet it is one of the most challenging aspects PATRICIA WARREN. (Noted Christian of discipleship. This workshop will explore healer Patricia Warren has traveled the the biblical basis of God’s forgiveness as world studying and teaching Buddhist, Sikh well as the practical dimensions of forgivand Christian methods of healing for the ing and being forgiven. past twenty years). Led by Br. KEVIN HACKETT Suggested fee for this workshop: $100 (halfprice for full-time students)
CENTERING PRAYER
March 10, 2007 (Saturday, 10 am – 3 pm) A day of teaching, discussion and practice on Centering Prayer, based on the principles taught in Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening, by Cynthia Bourgeault (Cowley Publications, 2004). Led by Br. ROY COCKRUM
HEALING TOUCH
April 28, 2007 (Saturday, 10 am – 3 pm) Using a Christ-centered approach to healing touch, and employing prayer, meditation, scripture, reflection, and “hands on” practice, this workshop invites participants
RECONCILIATION: The Art of Hearing Confessions
May 26, 2007 (Saturday, 10 am – 3 pm) This one-day workshop is intended for priests, seminarians and other ministers who are (or will be) engaged with the ministry of reconciliation. It will explore the meaning of the Rite of Reconciliation, offer practical guidance for hearing confessions in a sacramental context, and explore ways of introducing the rite in parishes where it is not widely used. Led by Brs. CURTIS ALMQUIST and DAVID VRYHOF
Join the SSJE Brothers on pilgrimage to The Holy Land 2007 July 19 - 28, 2007 • THE PALESTINE OF JESUS a pilgrimage for seminarians Brs. Curtis Almquist & David Vryhof Program, accommodations & all meals - $2,075
October 17 - 26, 2007 • ABRAHAM, YESTERDAY AND TODAY an interfaith pilgrimage SSJE brothers Program, accommodations,& all meals - $1,800 SSJE brothers serve as course chaplains. We lead in the daily prayer and worship, offer meditations and spiritual reflections, and give guidance to the pilgrims on how to “pray their own lives” amidst the sacred landscape where the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ unfolded. Outstanding faculty, gracious accommodations, and delicious meals are provided through Saint George’s College, a continuing education center for the entire Anglican Communion.
For more information and to register for a course, contact: Saint George’s College, Jerusalem email: registrar@stgeorges.org.il www.sgcjerusalem.org telephone: 011 972 2 626 4704
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