Cowley Magazine - Summer 2010

Volume 36 • Number 2 Summer 2010

©2010 by The Society of Saint John the Evangelist, North America

Cover photo:Brs. Curtis Almquist and Geoffrey Tristram in the Monastery cloister.

The Society of Saint John the Evangelist 3

Dear Members of the Fellowship of Saint John and other Friends,

A Letter from the Superior

Geoffrey Tristram SSJE

It was a very great honor for me to have been elected as new Superior of

the Society of Saint John the Evange-list, and to have been installed by my Brothers on Tuesday May 4. In my late teens I first experienced that mysterious yet recurring attraction to the monastic life which would later take me on a journey of discovery, culminating many years later in my arrival at 980 Memo-rial Drive on March 17, 1999. During these eleven years I have been so richly blessed by my Brothers and by so many of you, and I am deeply grateful. Among the blessings of my life at SSJE has been my friendship with Br. Curtis, and I share with so many others a deep sense of gratitude to God for the gift of Curtis and especially for his ministry as Superior. During his nine years in office he faced many challenges with great faith and courage. Perhaps chief among them has been the successful planning and engineering of the tremendous capital campaign, Stone & Light, to carry out a complete renovation of our Monastery buildings. That we have almost reached our target in these harsh economic times is largely due to Curtis’ strength and courage. Not only is Curtis a man of great courage, but he has been a great encourager of others. He loves the etymology of words, and it is instruc-

tive to note that the verb ‘to encour-age’ literally means ‘to make the heart strong’. I know that there are many people, including myself, who are enormously grateful to Curtis for his ministry of encouragement, for helping to make our heart strong when we have felt fearful or confused, for believing in us, and for drawing the best out of us. God has blessed Curtis with remarkable pastoral gifts, and he has been a faithful shepherd and true spiritual guide to so many. He has given of himself gener-ously and unstintingly, and through his ministry he has taught many of us to really say ‘yes’ to life, he has taught us to pray blessing on our lives, and above all, I think, he has taught us how to live eucharistically, to truly ‘give thanks at all times and in all places’. Curtis is now enjoying a well deserved sabbatical and we wish him a time of rest, recreation and renewal, and we look forward very much to his return at Christmas. Meanwhile we Brothers are looking forward to our move out of the Monastery and, we hope to the beginning of the renova-tions. I would like to say a little bit about our future plans and movements. As from the end of June most of the Brothers will be living at Emery House. It will be so good to be back living and praying in that beautiful place which

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has been so well cared for by our care-taker Brent Was and the three interns who are living there. We are delighted to be able to reopen the guest house at Emery House as from the beginning of September and to invite guests to share in this wonderful rural sanctuary. We have also rented a house in Cambridge for four of the Brothers to live in. This will allow us to be on hand for matters to do with the renova-tions as well as offering other ministries such as spiritual direction. Our staff are working in new office space near Har-vard Square. During the months of July and August the Chapel in Cambridge will be closed for renovations, but we plan to open it again in September for the 9:00 a.m. Eucharist on Sundays and the 5:15 p.m. Eucharist on Tuesdays. We also intend to offer occasional Sat-urday workshops in Cambridge. During these past few years we

have been blessed by the love and care which the Little Sisters of the Poor have shown to our older Brothers who have been in residential care at their home in Somerville. More recently our Brother Eldridge Pendleton has moved there, joining our Brothers Bernard Russell and John Mathis. In February our Brother John Goldring went to

live in residential care in Chatham, Ontario. This is the place where he grew up, and his sister Jane lives just ten minutes away. Towards the end of 2009 we wel-

comed Luke Ditewig, a student from southern California to live alongside us for a ‘monastic experience’, and we are delighted that he has asked to go forward to be clothed as a novice. Bishop Arthur Walmsley has served

during these past nine years as a won-derful and trusted friend and counselor in his role as Bishop Visitor. His wis-dom, experience, and steady confidence have been a real gift, and we are so grateful to him for his faithful care and oversight. I am delighted to say that Bishop Frank Griswold, former Presid-ing Bishop of The Episcopal Church, has graciously agreed to become our new Bishop Visitor. As we look to the future with


Geoffrey Tristram SSJESuperior

Faithfully,

its challenges and opportunities, we Brothers return time and again to our Rule. Every morning we read a chapter together, and reflect on it together, as we seek to discern God’s will for our life and ministry. In chapter thirty one we read, “Our mission is to bring men, women, and children into closer union with God in Christ, by the power of the Spirit that he breathes into us.” During this year of transition, we will continue our ministries of retreat leading and spiritual direction in various seminar-ies, parishes and dioceses, as well as our work in the Holy Land and in East Africa. We will also be offering retreats at Emery House, and some Saturday workshops here in Cambridge. But this time will also be an opportunity for us

to dream and envision how God might be leading us into the future. In particu-lar we already feel drawn to develop our work with students in Cambridge, and to perhaps offer opportunities for resi-dential ‘monastic interns’. At Emery House we are having some fascinating conversations with conservationists about how to develop our ministry there and to raise funds to keep this beautiful land ‘green’ and a place to renew and refresh the soul. We face the next chapter of our common life with hope and excite-ment, and are more than ever aware of, and grateful for our dependence on you our friends and supporters. As I reflect on our future, I like to pray that prayer of Dag Hammarskjold, former UN Sec-retary General, “For all that has been, thanks. For all that will be, yes!”

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Life Together on Life’s TermsA reflection on the future

Curtis G. Almquist SSJE

When I entered our community almost 24 years ago, our Brother

Tom Shaw was then our Superior. Tom would frequently pray aloud his thanks-giving for the challenges we faced. It made no sense to me then; it does now. Life’s challenges can break our hearts open, draw us to our knees, redress any sense of self-sufficiency, force us to ask for help. Life’s challenges come as a re-lentless invitation from God to say ‘yes’ to life on the terms we’re given. During these past nine years of my tenure as Superior, we have faced a good many challenges, all of them formative. I am grateful for so much and for so many who have helped us find our way – in-dividually and corporately – into God’s future. We are very fortunate for Br. Geof-frey’s leadership as our new Superior. Geoffrey came to us with well-honed experience as an educator and par-ish priest, and with a clear sense since childhood of God’s calling him to a monastic vocation. His gifts as a pastor, preacher, spiritual director and retreat

leader, his gifts as a linguist and as well-traveled world citizen, his keen mind, his endearing sense of humor are all the makings for his skillfulness in this new role. I am thankful, and on behalf of the brothers and so many who know Geoffrey, for his election. I have now departed on a seven-month sabbatical. I have the space to enjoy both solitude and time with family and friends. I join up with some of my Brothers along the way for a course in photography, pilgrimage-leading in the Holy Land, and vacation. I will return to Oxford, the place of our founding, to lead a retreat for the Sisters of the Love of God, and to Kenya, to teach at St. Philip’s Anglican Theologi-cal College in Maseno. I will bicycle, hike, and swim; photograph, do lots of reading, and rest. Lots of rest. I will be ready and eager to return to the com-munity just before Christmas. This past spring there was talk of my retirement. Not true! Rather I am retooling. I very much look forward this next chapter of our life together.

Join our one-year monastic experience program.

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Seeking a deeper relationship with God?


A Legacy of LeadershipA Reflection on

Curtis Almquist’s years as Superior

The Rt. Rev. Arthur E. Walmsley, Episcopal Visitor 2002-2010

The year was 1987. I was on retreat at one of the Emery House hermit-

ages. Br. Tom Shaw wandered down the meadow, showing a new novice the premises and as I remember outlining several chores for him to do. I fell into conversation with the novice. That began a personal relationship which has flourished over time, and which will lead into my answer about Visitors. But not yet. As a parish priest and after 1979 the Bishop of Connecticut, I had discovered the Society – and in those days particu-larly the silence of the hermitages – as my place of spiritual retreat. In the decades after World War II, a remark-able spiritual revival was taking place worldwide. Flocks of the young were hiking over to Asia to sit at the feet of gurus. The Trappist Thomas Merton had captured the West’s attention with his autobiography, Seven Storey Moun-tain and gone on to write a number of books linking the great traditions of contemplative prayer and Christian for-mation to the crises in the churches and the looming public issues of war, racial struggle, and sexual liberation.

In the 1970s, a generation of SSJE brothers began introducing clergy and laity to the rich resources of Christian spirituality through retreats, spiritual direction, and the creative initiative of Cowley Publications, long before the stalls of bookstores would fill up with a melange of materials on “spirituality.” Tom Shaw was my exacting spiritual director for seven of those years, before finishing his tenure as Superior and be-ing elected as bishop. In the meantime, the young novice, Br. Curtis Almquist, had taken life vows and become a seasoned member of the Society. He and I had also become good friends. We shared books and events in common. He frequently spent days off with my wife Roberta and I at our farmhouse in New Hampshire, bringing other brothers for hikes in the hills and hours of good conversation. And when Tom Shaw left on sabbatical, Curtis became my spiritual director, though I would venture to describe our relation-ship as Anam Cara, Gaelic for spiritual friends. In 2002, after his election as Superior, came the question “May I nominate you to serve as our Episcopal Visitor?” The General Convention Canon on Episcopal Visitors in a bare-bones sort of way describes the two main functions of the office (which has, incidentally,

Each Religious Order of this Church shall have a Bishop Visitor or Protector (who) shall be the guardian of the Constitution of the Order, and shall serve as an arbiter in matters which the Order or its members cannot resolve through its normal processes.

– Canon III.14 of the Constitution and Canons for the Government of the Episcopal Church

“So, bishop, tell me what a Bishop Visitor does?”

I’d rather tell a story.

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long been built into western monastic life). One is to observe how well the order or community is living up to its own charter, and today that charge is reinforced in the Canons to insure that the body is complying with legal, fidu-ciary, and socially-responsible standards of community behavior. The other is to listen attentively to the members of the community and the degree to which their life is finding appropriate support and nurture. The 1970s had seen a remarkable renewal of SSJE under the leadership of beloved Paul Wessinger, and the 1980s widespread growing recognition of the Society as a leader in the spiritual renewal of the Church. But the Rule of the Society was out of date, and an ex-acting eight-year process led in 1997 to the adoption of a new Rule, one which gives institutional reality to the vision of the founder Father Benson, that a Brother “so far from being the tradi-tional imitator of bygone days is most especially a man of the present moment and its life.” After the adoption of the Rule, the Brothers spent three years working with a leadership consultant to fashion new structures of leader-ship and decision-making for a body of “Monks of the New Century.” Spiritual rigor linked with mission for a changing church and a changing society. It fell to Curtis Almquist as Supe-rior to carry the burden of bringing that renewal into being. What a task! Many readers will be very familiar with these developments, and some have played a part in their accomplishment. Here are just a few:• Relinquishing the Society’s ownership of

what had been the highly-successful Cowley Publications in the face of an ex-plosion of other publications and publishers and mounting debt; and replacing it with a website (www.ssje.org) which engages in-teractively with a widespread public. From Gutenberg to Internet!

• Phasing out the program of Camp St. Augustine in the face of its limited out-reach and excessive cost.

• Developing innovative ways to reach out to the student community in Cambridge and to support emerging diocesan young adult programs.

• Recruiting strong lay advisory committees for investment, financial, and building oversight as the Society gears up for its future.

• Launching the now nearly-completed financial campaign for the restoration of the monastery buildings on Memorial Drive in Cambridge.

• Initiating a preliminary plan to link Emery House to issues of ecology and the environ-ment.

• Providing chaplaincy services at St George’s College in Jerusalem and offering teach-ing and spiritual formation to clergy and seminarians in Tanzania and Kenya.

• Confronting a range of personnel matters – including the necessary move of several senior brothers to retirement settings, the departure of several brothers and novices, and a number of difficult personnel deci-sions around lay employees.

To be a Visitor is to live close to the community. As I review these last nine years, that is probably a shorthand way of characterizing the blood, sweat, and not inconsiderable tears which have accompanied these changes for all involved. Curtis Almquist has been unstinting in his leadership, shaping it with others, all the while maintaining a back-breaking schedule of retreats, preaching occasions, and as the capital campaign began in earnest, carrying the story of a renewed Society to its sup-porters. He has been the bearer of hope in a time of huge transition. As he put it in a recent address: Hope is a spiritual gift that begins with God, God’s hope in us. . . . Hope is expectant desire. . . .Hope draws on the reservoir of the past (through the miracle of) memory. Extending that memory into the future is called “hope.”


Doing Many Things WellA tribute for a friend

Maria DeCarvalho

I spent many mornings cooking break-fast for members of our son Ash’s

high school football team – wonderfully sturdy boys with cavernous appetites for eggs, bacon, muffins and orange juice. I’d be at the stove and sink for hours, producing platters of food that disap-peared as quickly as I could come up with them. More times than not, I’d have finished cleaning up the kitchen before realizing that I had just fed two dozen hungry people without remem-bering to make breakfast for myself. You would have recognized the same pattern in how I handled my early years of par-ish ministry, and so by the time I arrived at Emery House for the retreat that would introduce me to Curtis, I was exhausted, confused and discouraged. No one needed to point out the vivid – and, I thought, shameful – dis-connect between the way I imagined a competent parish priest should function and how I was really doing. I had no intention of actually saying this to any-one – especially to this monk who had been assigned as my spiritual director. My plan was to keep the conversation light, get some rest, come up with a few action steps for self-improvement, and then go home and try it all again. So much for strategy. I don’t think I made it through my first scripted sen-tence before I disintegrated into tears, and once I started crying it was hard to believe I’d stop. At some point I must have needed to catch my breath, and looked up to see Curtis listening to me. This was no small moment. Every ion of

energy in Curtis’s body had concentrat-ed itself in his gaze, which was focused intently on me. I could tell, even in my wretchedness, that the attention I was receiving from him was – and I mean this in a literal and not a colloquial way – undivided. I was confident he had understood what it was like to be me, and that it genuinely mattered to him. In the two decades since that first meeting, I’ve sat with Curtis as a participant in many retreats he’s led over the decades and as co-leader with him in a few; as his student, learning the principles of Spiritual Direction, and as a fellow member of the Spiritual Colleagues group that used to gather at the monastery. Occasionally he and I will have dinner together in a local res-taurant we both like. I’ve experienced or witnessed his powerful capacity for shrewd and concentrated empathy in all of those disparate venues. I cannot imagine how many of us have come to recognize our own encounters with Curtis as what friends in business call “inflection points”: moments at which everything shifts into a new direction. Over these years I’ve noticed Curtis come back to what I might call some major themes in his preaching, teaching and writing. One of them in particular comes to mind as I reflect on this expe-rience of him as a friend and mentor: I have often heard him say in sermons, ‘It’s not about you. It’s about God.” I have understood this as a corrective to the sort of tendencies towards rigidity, self-absorption and pride held by people

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like, well, me – and what’s really inter-esting here is the irony: That whole-hearted listening I’ve described is powerfully arresting. It stops us wherever we are and shorts out the treadmill of what the writer Pema Cho-dron has termed our habitual storylines. We find our attention transferred to the listener – as mine was, that day at Emery House – bringing into focus our longing for the One who has searched us out and known us. We realize that it is less about us and more about God than we might have thought. There’s a story in my family that involves my maternal grandfather coun-seling my mother as she approached her wedding. “Don’t learn to do too many things too well,” he is quoted as saying to her. Curtis apparently never

received that particular memo, because so many of us have already come to know the exceedingly ample range of his skills and accomplishments. The risk in being so highly effective – the risk that my grandfather understood – is that the world will bring you its hunger and emptiness and inhale whatever you offer. My prayer for my friend Curtis as he moves out of the office he’s occupied for almost a decade is that the hungers and needs that will be attended to will include his own.

The Reverend Maria DeCarvalho is a priest in the diocese of Rhode Island and is the founder and director of Another Way: Communication that works. She is a member of the Fellowship of Saint John and is a longtime friend of the community.

The Monastery tower and Cloister garden


It was that fascinating character, El-bert Hubbard, who noted, “A friend is

that person who knows all about you, and still likes you.” Curtis Almquist gives credence to that statement in my life. As my colleague in ministry, spiritual advisor, and confessor, he knows all about me and still chooses to remain my friend. Conversely, when asked to write something about his leadership style as Superior over these past years, I write more as friend than as an expert on leadership. My guess is that there are as many styles of leadership as there are leaders and that each “style” is very revealing of that individual. The kind of leader-ship manifested by Curtis has been wonderfully unique and each of us has been the benefactor. Please do under-stand that if what I have penned seems “over the top,” then so be it, for I think it is highly accurate; and for the minis-try which I seek to describe (along with you, the reader) I am deeply, deeply grateful. Curtis has certainly demonstrated characteristics of leadership that all of us have come to know and appreciate. To note the obvious, I would say: Curtis has been the kind of leader who cares, first and above all other things. To various degrees, we have all experienced leadership driven by fear, pride, greed, selfishness, a subtle desire to control or, so sadly, leadership motivated by common hates. None of that, it seems to this observer, has ever been evident in Curtis. To the contrary,

A Liberating LeaderRemembering Curtis Almquist

The Rev. Mark Anschutz Co-Chair Stewardship advisors and his wife, Peggy.

it has been his robust, sensitive and active care that leaps out at me as his most evident gift in leading. It is well described by William Wordsworth in a single line from A few miles from Tintern Tavern: “The best portion of a man’s life are his little, nameless, unre-membered acts of kindness and love.” For Curtis, so much like his Lord, this characteristic has drawn out of others trust, hope, confidence and a willing-ness to follow. His has been a form of leadership marked by a disarming bias for self-surrender, self-sacrifice, and deep care. He has modeled that One who “came not to be ministered to, but to minister to others.” I would also note that like the oil I use to lubricate my old chain saw, I have witnessed his self-effacing sense of humor cut through difficult moments to lead an individual or a group to some better place or deeper insight. To be able to laugh at oneself in the pres-ence of others as a means of caring and guiding is a gift, a gift well and wisely applied by my friend. Such behavior is more than a good means of passing over difficult moments; it reveals to us a wholeness that makes in turn each of us a little more whole. As well, there has always seemed to me be a weightless, constant and gentle kind of power at work in his leader-ship. I can only guess that this power to inspire and guide has less to do with Curtis and more to do with someone who recognizes, again like Our Lord, the value of surrendering himself to

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God’s will in a highly active and dis-ciplined life of prayer. How difficult it can be for each of us to maintain that same kind of activity and discipline. How fortunate that we have Curtis and all the Brothers of SSJE to model it for us and aid us each on our way. I could ramble on at length, but let me cut to the chase in describ-ing what I have come to value most in Curtis’ leadership style, something that is perhaps less obvious than the things I have already mentioned. His style of leadership seems always to be at work liberating. To be led by Curtis, it seems to me, has meant that we have been left great space for our own hu-

man choice, human fault and human growth. Curtis has a gift for honoring the freedom of the individual. Never have I sensed in our relationship a hint of subtle coercion or a bias to dictate. No, Curtis seems to have taken a strong cue from the Author of the universe who recognized from Creation that human enhancement, our ability to “grow into the full stature of Jesus Christ,” must be nurtured by leaders who are intent upon freeing others. For these things and so much more may we simply pause and express before God’s throne in heaven our deep grati-tude for these years of service and the example of our mutual friend, Curtis.

The Fellowship of Saint John (FSJ) is comprised of men and women through-out the world who desire to live their Christian life in spiritual association with the Society of Saint John the Evangelist. They have a vital interest in the life and work of the community and support our life and ministries with their prayers, encouragement, and finan-cial gifts. The Brothers of the Society welcome members of the FSJ as partners in the gospel life, and pray for them by name in our daily worship, following a regular cycle. Together with us they 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 example of the Beloved Disciple.

Members of the Fellowship of Saint John seek to live an ordered life of prayer and service in association with the Society, and follow a Rule of Life which expresses a common commitment to faithful discipleship. The bond between members of the FSJ and our Society is spiritual and personal. Members of the FSJ regularly pray for us, visit the houses of the Society when possible, and keep up to date with the life and ministry of the community. To explore becoming a member of the FSJ, please write to The Fellowship of Saint John, 980 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02138 USA; or email us at [email protected].

Br. Jonathan with the Reverend Josh Thomas at the FSJ day reception in May


The Society of Saint John the EvangelistThe Friends of SSJE Annual Fund 2009

We are able to love because God loves us first and we are able to give because God has given to us. One of God’s most precious and liberating gifts is the presence and ministry of the Brothers of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist. In their Rule the Brothers say, “It is our joy to serve all those to whom we are sent by helping them to embrace (Christ’s) presence in faith.” As the

Brothers’ friends let it be our joy to support their service and to undergird their generous love with a generosity of our own. — Polly Chatfield

I am in awe at of the generosity of the Friends in these times. I hear from so many of you that you met the Brothers at a time of personal desolation and experienced again the love of God, with all your heart, soul and mind. Now you are also living, as Jesus taught, the other great commandment: love your neighbor, in this case the Brothers, as yourself. — Jamie Coats, Director, Friends of SSJE

We are filled so much gratitude for your abiding friendship and your generous support of our life and ministry. Curtis G. Almquist & Geoffrey R. Tristram

As I opened the door to the Monastery Chapel for the first time, I was struck by the holiness of the beautiful sanctuary.

Knowing that the Brothers pray for all of us daily in that holy space brings me a wonderful sense of peace. In response to their sharing of God’s love it is incumbent on me to provide the means for the Brothers to carry out their mission locally and throughout the wider world.

— William Kendrick

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SSJE ANNUAL FUND REPORT 2009

# of Donors 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

• All donors 1,523 1,516 1,472 1,545 1,525 1,709

• $5,000 + 11 17 22 24 24 32

• $2,500 - $4,999 13 10 33 35 34 35

• $1,000 - $2,499 50 74 123 128 125 145

• $500 - $999 100 113 183 156 156 161

Total Donations (US Funds) 461,656 579,632 829,257 835,539 776,592 936,267

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, gifts from members the Fellow-ship of Saint John, Annual Fund pledge payments, and donations given at other times. It does not include restricted gifts or bequests.

This report is based on records of gifts from Friends going back to 2002. Please let us know if our records do not match yours.

Many thanks.

The Brothers rely on Friends who give at all levels. Many Friends, watching over the Society, have stepped up their level of giving. For this we are deeply grateful.

LEVELS OF GIVING

How to describe the difference between one silence and another? The silence right before Morning Prayer at the Monastery feels like when you’ve been swimming in a lake on a warm day and you suddenly pass through a stretch of water coming directly from a spring. Something changes – and all hearts seem stilled. I haven’t felt that way in a room with other people since the first few years following my confirmation almost thirty years ago. — Elizabeth Wright

Welcoming New FriendsFriends of different ages, cultures and walks of life will enrich our humanity. SSJE Rule

The Brothers welcome new donors who joined the Friends of SSJE in 2009.


The Rt. Rev. Arthur E. Walmsley 644 Old County Road, Deering, NH 03244Telephone: 603 464 5622Email: [email protected]

2010 Report of the Bishop VisitorThe Society of Saint John the Evangelist

May 2010Dear Friends of SSJE,

Behold, I make all things new, says the Lord. Alleluia, Alleluia!Cambridge in the Spring is always a glorious time of freshness and renewal. In this my last an-nual report to the members of the Fellowship of Saint John and Friends of SSJE, there is more to newness than blossoming shrubs and flowers and warmth in the air. As the Episcopal Visitor, I am keenly aware of how major changes are unfolding in the life of this community. As in so much of life, it is a time of letting go of the past and embracing the promise of God’s future. Let me comment under four headings:

1. A New Chapter in the Life and Ministry of the SocietyOn May 4th, Br. Geoffrey Tristram was installed as SSJE’s new Superior, having been elected to succeed Br. Curtis Almquist. Br. Curtis has now begun a sabbatical, and he will return to the community just before Christmas. The change in leadership coincides with a change in location, with the Brothers and their staff members moving out of the Monastery in June in anticipation of the much-needed Monastery renovation work which begins this summer. During the year’s renovation, a group of Brothers will remain in Cambridge to maintain contact with the Monastery congregations, the staff, and the building project manager. The other Brothers will reside at Emery House, which will be open to receive guests as of September. Dur-ing this time of transition, the Brothers will give enhanced attention to balancing their inner life with the ongoing mission of SSJE at the Monastery, the development of the Emery House ministry and property, and the Brothers’ work in North America and overseas.

2. Proceeding with the Building RenovationsThe Monastery in Cambridge has long been in need of major renovations. Careful planning for this work has been slowed down by the global economic crisis and a determination to proceed only as funding was in place. With encouragement from the Society’s Financial and Building and Grounds Advisors, work will soon be under way to replace the inefficient steam heating and ventilation systems with environmentally-responsible, efficient ones; rewiring the 80 year-old electrical system, and re-plumbing the entire building; making the Guesthouse, Chapel, and Monastery more handicapped-accessible; and lighting the Chapel tower to increase visibility and witness. Safety and building code issues are clearly involved in making our facilities safe and inviting. Neither SSJE’s endowment draw nor the annual fund will fund these capital expenditures. The STONE & Light Capital Campaign is nearing a successful conclusion, with its achieving significant recent momentum toward its goal of $10.5 million to address these needs. 3. Living within the Means of a Balanced BudgetI am pleased to report that in the current fiscal year (July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2010) SSJE anticipates a close-to-balanced budget. Projected operating expenses are supported by:

• Gifts to the Annual Fund - 45% • Monastery and Emery House guest income - 8% • Other Sources - 11% • Spending from Endowment (with a 5.4% draw in FY2010) - 36%

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The Rt. Rev. Arthur E. Walmsley 644 Old County Road, Deering, NH 03244Telephone: 603 464 5622Email: [email protected]

2010 Report of the Bishop VisitorThe Society of Saint John the Evangelist

May 2010Dear Friends of SSJE,

Behold, I make all things new, says the Lord. Alleluia, Alleluia!Cambridge in the Spring is always a glorious time of freshness and renewal. In this my last an-nual report to the members of the Fellowship of Saint John and Friends of SSJE, there is more to newness than blossoming shrubs and flowers and warmth in the air. As the Episcopal Visitor, I am keenly aware of how major changes are unfolding in the life of this community. As in so much of life, it is a time of letting go of the past and embracing the promise of God’s future. Let me comment under four headings:

1. A New Chapter in the Life and Ministry of the SocietyOn May 4th, Br. Geoffrey Tristram was installed as SSJE’s new Superior, having been elected to succeed Br. Curtis Almquist. Br. Curtis has now begun a sabbatical, and he will return to the community just before Christmas. The change in leadership coincides with a change in location, with the Brothers and their staff members moving out of the Monastery in June in anticipation of the much-needed Monastery renovation work which begins this summer. During the year’s renovation, a group of Brothers will remain in Cambridge to maintain contact with the Monastery congregations, the staff, and the building project manager. The other Brothers will reside at Emery House, which will be open to receive guests as of September. Dur-ing this time of transition, the Brothers will give enhanced attention to balancing their inner life with the ongoing mission of SSJE at the Monastery, the development of the Emery House ministry and property, and the Brothers’ work in North America and overseas.

2. Proceeding with the Building RenovationsThe Monastery in Cambridge has long been in need of major renovations. Careful planning for this work has been slowed down by the global economic crisis and a determination to proceed only as funding was in place. With encouragement from the Society’s Financial and Building and Grounds Advisors, work will soon be under way to replace the inefficient steam heating and ventilation systems with environmentally-responsible, efficient ones; rewiring the 80 year-old electrical system, and re-plumbing the entire building; making the Guesthouse, Chapel, and Monastery more handicapped-accessible; and lighting the Chapel tower to increase visibility and witness. Safety and building code issues are clearly involved in making our facilities safe and inviting. Neither SSJE’s endowment draw nor the annual fund will fund these capital expenditures. The STONE & Light Capital Campaign is nearing a successful conclusion, with its achieving significant recent momentum toward its goal of $10.5 million to address these needs. 3. Living within the Means of a Balanced BudgetI am pleased to report that in the current fiscal year (July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2010) SSJE anticipates a close-to-balanced budget. Projected operating expenses are supported by:

• Gifts to the Annual Fund - 45% • Monastery and Emery House guest income - 8% • Other Sources - 11% • Spending from Endowment (with a 5.4% draw in FY2010) - 36%


Emery House, West Newbury, Massachusetts

For more information about retreats and programs at Emery House, visit our website at www.ssje.org or contact Emery House at (978) 462-7940 or [email protected].

The guest house at Emery House will once more be available beginning in September to receive guests to share

in this wonderful rural sanctuary.

Emery House and its 120 acres of undeveloped meadow and woodland were gifts to the Society from the Emery family, who homesteaded the property in 1641. Over the past two decades, we have been joined by generous benefactors and friends in our efforts to conserve the house, woodlands, and meadows as a beautiful sanctuary for retreat.

Emery House is located in West Newbury, Massachusetts, about forty-five miles north of Boston and is adjacent to the 380-acre Maudsley State Park. Emery House features spacious and fully-equipped “hermitages,” two rustic wood cabins, and meals, taken communally in the main house. Guests are welcome to join the Brothers in daily monastic worship. Emery House is easily accessible by public transportation. Out-of-town guests may board regularly-scheduled buses leaving from Logan Airport and South Station, Boston for Newburyport.

Visit the website www.SSJE.org for more information and reservations.

18 SSJE

COMMUNITY NEWS

Brs. Mark Brown and Geoffrey Tristram offered a week-long course entitled “Teaching Others to Pray” at the Episcopal Divinity School in Janu-ary. Participants included both seminar-ians and clergy from the area. Methods of prayer such as lectio divina, Ignatian meditation, centering prayer, and the Jesus Prayer were presented, with spe-cial attention to teaching others how to pray in these ways.

Br. David Vryhof was at Christ Church, Alexandria, Virginia, January 16-17 to preach and to lead a day-long workshop on “Discernment in Prayer.” He also spoke to the Adult Forum on the topic of “Sabbath.”

In January Br Robert L’Esperance completed a 40-hour course in “Organ-ic Land Care” offered by the Northeast Organic Farmers Association (NOFA). Topics covered in the course included soil care, organic pest control, invasive plant species control and native plant landscaping.

From January 19-23, Br. David Vryhof taught a week-long course on “Fundamentals of Spiritual Direction” at the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia.

Br. Geoffrey Tristram was chaplain at the New Bishops’ and Spouses Con-ference in Richmond, Virginia, from January 18-22. This was his final event as a chaplain to the ECUSA House of Bishops, a position he has held since 2007.

Brs. Curtis Almquist and James Koester led a retreat for the Sisters of St. Anne in Arlington, Massachusetts, and their friends and associates on February 6th, at the outset of the sis-ters’ centenary year celebrations. The Brothers again joined the sisters in the launch of their centenary book, Catch the Vision, on April 4th.

Br. Curtis Almquist traveled with our staff colleague, Phillip Petree, to Dallas, Texas, February 10-13, to discuss our STONE & Light capital campaign with members of St. Michael & All Angels Parish. Br. Curtis and Philip traveled February 18-21 to Richmond, Virginia, to speak with members of St. Stephen’s Parish about our capital campaign. Br. Curtis led a weekend parish retreat, and preached and taught on Sunday. They also met with Richmond-area members of the Fellowship of Saint John.

From February 24-28, Br. David Vryhof was at St. Andrew’s Episcopal


Church in New Orleans, Louisiana. He taught classes at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, led a Quiet Day for area clergy, taught on “Gratitude” and “Forgive-ness,” and preached at the Sunday liturgies. He also had a chance to see first-hand some of the exciting work going on in the Diocese of Louisiana as it helps rebuild the lives of the city’s residents who were adversely affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Br. Curtis Almquist traveled with our staff colleague, James Coats, to Austin, Texas, February 25-27, where Br. Curtis was chaplain to the annual meeting of the Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes.

An Evening of Classical Arabic Music Ali Amr and Tareq Rantisi, Berklee College of Music students from Ramallah, Palestine, presented a con-cert to a standing-room-only audience in the Monastery Chapel March 20. Friends from Berklee and Ali’s sister Riim from Ramallah, also participated in this lively program that also included some contemporary Middle Eastern fusion and jazz. Ali and Tareq are participants in the Monastic Residence program, in which young adults live for extended periods in our Guesthouse. On March 27, students associated with the Episcopal Chaplaincies at Harvard and Brown Universities attended a Quiet Day at the Monastery led by Br.

David Vryhof. The focus of the day was on the spiritual practice of gratitude.

On March 11 Br. Geoffrey Tristram led the pre-Holy Week reflections for new clergy in the Diocese of Mas-sachusetts as part of its “Fresh Start” Program.

Br. Jonathan Maury was the chaplain for a pilgrimage/course at St. George’s College in Jerusalem from April 14-27. The course was entitled “The Bible and Its Setting.”

NightSong at the Monastery – The Brothers hosted a series of late eve-ning services in the last few months in collaboration with young adults of the Diocese of Massachusetts’ “Life Together” internship program. Con-templative in character, these services were designed to draw on the monastic liturgical tradition in a way that is ac-cessible to young people.

On April 28, Br. Geoffrey Tristram spoke about the theology of ministry to seminarians at the School of Theology, Boston University.

20 SSJE

Questions or comments?

Please contact

Friends of SSJE

980 Memorial Drive

Cambridge, MA 02138

[email protected]

or

617.844.2255


The Holy Land

Join the SSJE Brothers

The Dome of the Rock/ Temple Mount

September 22–October 5, 2010 “Ways in the Wilderness”

This pilgrimage in wilderness spirituality begins at Jerusalem, reaching Cairo and the monasteries of Egypt, Mount Sinai, and Jordan (including Petra). Some nights are spent under the stars in tent encampments, and in monastery guest houses. Focus is on prayer, reflection on the scriptures, and traditions of the desert mystics, and explorations of the silent desert vastness. Applicants must be physically fit.

December 2–15, 2010 “The Palestine of Jesus”

The pilgrims learn and pray amidst the sacred landscape where the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ unfolded. Course members visit major sites connected with the Gospel accounts: Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Jordan River, the Sea of Galilee, Mounts Hermon and Tabor, the Judean Desert. We will trace the Passion narratives in visits to Bethany, the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Church of the Resurrection (the Holy Sepulchre), the Way of the Cross, and Emmaus.

March 11–24, 2011 “Praying the Fifth Gospel”

The phrase “the Fifth Gospel” comes from Saint Jerome. In the 4th century in Bethlehem, as he was translating the Scriptures, he realized the land itself constitutes a Fifth Gospel, shedding so much light on the other four. This pilgrimage is a spiritual journey into the heart of our faith. Meditations and teaching will be offered at key points, with space to pray and reflect deeply. Based in Jerusalem, at key sites in the Holy City, the pilgrimage will also include Bethlehem, the Judean desert, and two nights near the Sea of Galilee. Pilgrims will pray on sacred mountains, seeking stillness and silence on Mount Tabor, the place of Transfiguration, the Mount of the Beatitudes, and the Mount of Olives.If you’d like to learn more, please contact Saint George’s College, Jerusalem: www.SGCJerusalem.org

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Documents

Cowley Magazine - Summer 2010