Society of St. John the Evangelist
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The Society of St John the Evangelist (SSJE) is an Anglican religious order for men. The members live under a rule of life and, at profession, make monastic vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience. The SSJE was founded in 1866 at Cowley, Oxford, England, by the Father Richard Meux Benson, a priest in the Church of England. Known colloquially as the Cowley Fathers, the society was the first stable religious community of men to be established in the Anglican Communion since the English Reformation. [1]
For many years the society had houses in Scotland, India, South Africa, Japan and Canada.
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[edit] British congregation
Today the society in England is based at St Edward's House, a centre for private retreats and hospitality in Westminster, London. The English congregation still tries to remain true to its founder's vision of a society of mission priests and lay brothers, always available to preach and teach in the church wherever it may be asked. But the society takes "mission" in the widest sense of that word so their work now covers such diverse matters as teaching English to immigrants, conducting retreats, individual counselling and spiritual guidance, teaching liturgies, preaching wherever it may be asked and so on. Whatever talent an individual monk might have is used in whatever way the community and the individual see as best giving that talent back to God's world. The society believes that through their daily prayer life and acts of worship together, they are able to witness to the power of Jesus Christ in the world today.
[edit] North American congregation
The society came to Boston, Massachusetts, United States in 1870 as members of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. The members of the North American congregation live at a monastery in Cambridge, near Harvard Square and at Emery House, a rural retreat center in West Newbury. All are welcome to join the members in daily corporate prayer and worship and to attend individual or group retreats. These are led by many of the brothers, who also lead retreats in parishes and dioceses throughout North America. The brothers preach, teach and write on the life of prayer, and offer spiritual direction and formation. Individual brothers work in a variety of local and regional ministries -- with students, with prisoners, and with persons affected by HIV and AIDS. The brothers maintain a publishing company, Cowley Publications, producing books on topics related to prayer and spirituality for an ecumenical readership. One of the brothers, Thomas Shaw, SSJE, is the Bishop of Massachusetts. The Society of St. John the Evangelist is officially recognized as a religious community by the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada. The monastery in Bracebridge, Ontario, was established in 1928, but the order sold the building in 1985 and left the town in 1988 for financial reasons [1].
[edit] Fellowship of St John
The Fellowship of St John is a group of men and women who try to live their lives in a close relation with the monks of the Society of St John the Evangelist. They give money to the society and pray for the monks there. They make a rule of life that is similar to The Rule of the society. There are about 1,000 men and woman who are a part of the fellowship. One of the most famous members is Frank Griswold.
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