Anglican Religious Life
A yearbook of religious orders and communities in
the Anglican Communion and tertiaries, oblates,
associates and companions.
SOCIETY OF ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST SSJE
North American Congregation
The Society of St John the Evangelist was founded in the parish of Cowley in Oxford, England, by Richard Meux Benson in 1866. SSJE is the oldest Anglican Religious order for men. The presence of the Society in North America dates from 1870, when SSJE came to Boston. The brothers of the North American Congregation live at the monastery in Cambridge, Massachusetts, near Harvard Square, and at Emery House, a rural retreat sanctuary in West Newbury, Massachusetts. They gather throughout the day to pray the Divine Office, and live under a modern Rule of Life, adopted in 1997. The Rule of SSJE is now available on the community’s website: www.ssje.org. At profession, brothers take vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience.
SSJE's guesthouses offer hospitality to many. Guests may come individually or
attend a group retreat focused on some area of prayer and spirituality. SSJE brothers
lead these retreats and programs in their own houses and throughout North America
in parishes, dioceses and conference centers. SSJE brothers also serve as preachers
and teachers, spiritual directors and confessors. One of the brothers, Thomas Shaw,
is Bishop of Massachusetts. Several times a year, SSJE brothers serve as chaplains
for pilgrimages in Israel/Palestine sponsored by St George's College, Jerusalem.
In recent years, the brothers have been leading retreats and teaching in Anglican
churches and seminaries in Kenya and Tanzania. Nearer to home, they are engaged
in part-
The Monastery, 980 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Tel: 617 876 3037 Fax: 617 876 5210
Email: monastery@ssje.org
Emery House, 21 Emery Lane, West Newbury, MA 01985, USA
Tel: 978 462 7940 Fax: 978 462 0285
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