Society of St. John the Evangelist
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The Society of St. John the Evangelist is an Anglican religious order. The brothers live under a Rule of Life and, at profession, make monastic vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience. SSJE was founded in 1866 at Cowley, Oxford, England, by the Reverend 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 Reformation. [1]
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, and 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.
The Society came to Boston, Massachusetts, United States in 1870 as members of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. The brothers 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 brothers in daily corporate prayer and worship and to attend individual or group retreats as publicized by the brothers. 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 the Episcopal Diocese 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.
For many years the Society also had houses in Scotland, India, South Africa, Japan, and Canada.
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Active religious orders and communities of the Anglican Communion |
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| Brotherhood of the Ascended Christ | Brotherhood of the Epiphany | Brotherhood of St. Gregory | Chama Cha Mariamu Mtakatifu | Chita che Zita Rinoyera | Chita che Zvipo Zve Moto | Christa Sevika Sangha | Community of All Hallows | Community of Christ the King | Community of Jesus' Compassion | Community of Nazareth | Community of Our Lady & Saint John | Community of St. Andrew | Community of St. Clare | Community of St. Denys | Community of St. Francis | Community of St. John Baptist | Community of St. John the Divine | Community of St. John the Evangelist | Community of St. Laurence | Community of St. Mary | Community of St. Mary at the Cross | Community of St. Mary the Virgin | Community of St. Michael & All Angels | Community of St. Paul | Community of St. Peter | Community of the Blessed Lady Mary | Community of the Companions of Jesus the Good Shepherd | Community of the Divine Compassion | Community of the Glorious Ascension | Community of the Good Shepherd | Community of the Holy Cross | Community of the Holy Family | Community of the Holy Name | Community of the Holy Spirit | Community of the Holy Transfiguration | Community of the Reparation to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament | Community of the Resurrection | Community of the Sacred Name | Community of the Sacred Passion | Community of the Servants of the Cross | Community of the Servants of the Will of God | Community of the Sisters of Melanesia | Community of the Sisters of the Church | Community of the Sisters of the Love of God | Community of the Transfiguration | Congregation of the Sisters of the Visitation of our Lady | Daughters of St. Francis | Ewell Monastery | Fikambanan'ny Mpanompovavin l Jesoa Kristy | Korean Franciscan Brotherhood | Little Brothers of Francis | Melanesian Brotherhood | Oratory of the Good Shepherd | Order of Julian of Norwich | Order of St. Anne | Order of St. Anne at Bethany Convent | Order of St. Benedict | Order of St. Helena | Order of the Holy Cross | Order of the Holy Paraclete | Order of the Teachers of the Children of God | Sisterhood of St. John the Divine | Sisterhood of St. Mary, Bangladesh | Sisterhood of the Epiphany | Sisterhood of the Holy Nativity | Sisters of Charity | Sisters of the Incarnation | Society of All Saints Sisters of the Poor | Society of Our Lady of the Isles | Society of Our Lady St. Mary | Society of St. Francis | Society of St. John the Divine | Society of St. John the Evangelist | Society of St. Margaret | Society of St. Paul | Society of the Franciscan Servants of Jesus & Mary | Society of the Holy Cross | Society of the Holy Trinity | Society of the Precious Blood | Society of the Sacred Advent | Society of the Sacred Cross | Society of the Sacred Mission | Society of the Sisters of Bethany | |
