Our Guesthouse offers more than just a place to stay.
Our Guesthouse offers spaces of silence, beauty, and simple comfort to guests, for an hour, a day, or for a longer visit.
It’s located on Memorial Drive, just off Harvard Square, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and looks over the Charles River and its flanking parklands designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.
Compared to the cacophony of the world, silence keeps catching us off guard—inviting wonder about being so loved by God.
There are many ways for you to join us as we pray our lives, including stopping by the chapel at our monastery in Cambridge for some blessed stillness and silence, or participating in our daily worship. For those looking for more, we offer a number of programs and retreats at our monastery in Cambridge.
Retreat and Program Offerings
For help with filling out the online reservation request form, please see our Commonly Asked Questions.
Experience the healing power of silence and stillness while on retreat at the Monastery. Join the Brothers for shared prayer, worship, and meals; otherwise, your time is your own.
Self-Guided Retreats
Come for up to 5 nights. These retreats are ideal for those who want unstructured time for rest, prayer, and reflection.
Quiet Days
Can’t stay overnight? Join us on select Tuesdays throughout the year. You will have your own room and other spaces in the Guesthouse for prayer and rest.
Self-Guided Calendar
Please note: The Guesthouse is only open on the dates listed below. We do not offer retreats outside of these dates.
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Retreats
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Quiet Days
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Request a Reservation →
Grow your spiritual life in a program led by a Brother. Common topics include teaching on prayer, introductions to silent retreat, and seasonal invitations.
Program Retreats
Brothers introduce their topics over multiple sessions and offer invitations for personal prayer. Usually Thursday or Friday through Sunday; Companioned Retreats take place Tuesday through Sunday.
Day Programs
Occasional Saturday workshops on topics like embodied prayer, Lectio Divina, or the spirituality of pilgrimage. These are interactive, teaching-focused events (usually 2–4 hours).
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Program Retreats
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Day Programs
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Can’t make it to Cambridge? Join us online for our livestreamed services, and explore our online programs below.
Online Retreats and Courses
Periodically, we offer guided online retreats and teaching series. When available, they will appear below.
We also invite you to explore our past offerings:
Blessed Are You
Against the dominant voices of power, wealth, and privilege, Jesus valorized and lifted up the lowly, marginal, and oppressed in both his life and his teachings, notably the Beatitudes. The reflections on the Beatitudes, which invite you to hear afresh Jesus’ countercultural message in our own day, were developed in collaboration with the Communities for Spiritual Vitality for Lent 2026.
Mystery | Presence
During Advent and Christmastide 2025, as we await and welcome the coming of our Savior, we invite you to join us in praying with a series of new seasonal Collects. These seven prayers, newly authored by the Brothers, draw on the richness of both scriptural language and imagery and the Christian tradition. Accompanying the prayer book Collects for the seasons, these new prayers form a part of our community’s intentional experiment with inclusive and expansive language in our liturgies this coming year.
In Your Light
Each day, we Brothers gather beneath the gaze of sixteen of our forebears in the religious life, spanning from Anthony of Egypt in the third century to our own founder, Richard Meux Benson, in the nineteenth. As the sun illuminates their faces in our clerestory windows, creating icons in glass, so did their own faces—and lives—shine with the light of new life in Christ through his death and resurrection. “In your light,” we pray with the psalmist, “we see light” (Ps 36:9).
In a series of sixteen video reflections on our monastic ancestors, we invite you to reflect on your own “family tree of faith.” Whose face shines out God’s light and love into your heart? Whose example inspires you to make your own life “shine like stars in the world” (Phil. 2:15)?
The Gift of Silence
One of the most defining aspects of our monastic hospitality is the silence that permeates our life. We don’t take a vow of silence, but we believe that silence is the greatest gift we have to offer those who come on retreat.
In a culture saturated with noise—literal and figurative—how can we possibly hear God? The monastic tradition bears witness to the quietness of God’s voice. As the prophet Elijah discovered, God speaks not in earthquake, wind, or fire, but in “sheer silence.” It’s sometimes put this way: “God’s first language is silence. Everything else is a poor translation.” (— attributed to St. John of the Cross)
When you come on retreat, we invite you into this silence—not as a burden, but as a gift. What might you hear?
Practical Information
Retreats at the Monastery Guesthouse invigte you into the rhythm of the Brothers’ day. Guests are welcome to join the Brothers for any or all of the daily worship in the Chapel. Breakfast is taken in the guesthouse, dinner and supper with the brothers in the refectory. Silence, a gift we give to and recieve from others, is maintained throughout the Guesthouse and Monastery, including at meals, and we ask all guests to honor this practice for the sake of everyone in residence.
The Guesthouse is open only on the dates listed in the calendar above. Please do not plan to arrive outside of scheduled retreat dates.
To make a reservation, please full out the form here.
What to Bring
Pack simply. The Guesthouse provides a private single room with linens. Bring:
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Comfortable clothing suitable for Chapel services and quiet walks
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Personal toiletries for shared bathrooms
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Any medications you require
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A Bible, journal, or spiritual reading you are working with. We have a well-stocked Guesthourse library
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Weather-appropriate layers — Cambridge weather changes, and a walk along the river is always worth taking
You are invited to unplug and be present. The guesthouse is largely a silent space and the silence is the gift.
Accessibility
The Monastery Guesthouse is wheelchair accessible. We have 2 fully accesible guest rooms. The Chapel itself is accessible via the main entrance on Memorial Drive.
If you have specific accessibility needs or questions, please contact us at reservations@ssje.org before you make a reservation request so we can ensure your stay is comfortable. We are happy to make arrangements in advance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to be Episcopalian, or even Christian, to come on retreat?
No. We welcome people of all backgrounds and traditions. The life of prayer we offer here is for everyone who is seeking.
I’ve never been on a silent retreat. Is this right for me?
Taking a time away from the demands of everyday life, to be quiet, to pray, to worship, to read, rest, and relax, allows us to refocus our lives on what is most important to us. Some people come on retreat at moments of transition, where they feel the need for particular discernment. Others come on retreat simply to refresh and renew their spirit. Our relationship with God, like all human relationships, needs attention and care to grow. Times of retreat allow us to turn our whole selves to God, to listen and be attentive to the voice of God. Many people experience retreats as times when God seems particularly near.
What will I do with my time?
The Brothers meet for several services marking the hours of each day, beginning with Morning Prayer and ending with Compline. On most days, Brothers and guests will also gather to celebrate the Holy Eucharist. We invite guests to join us for all these services, or as many as they wish. The midday and evening meals punctuate the day as we eat together, often in silence, with one Brother reading aloud from a book or while listening to recorded music.
Between these hours, our Chapels are open to guests for silent prayer and meditation. Our collection of books on spirituality, of biography or fiction might tempt you. The Monastery and Emery House are situated in beautiful natural settings conducive to recreation, offering paths for walking or jogging. Many guests report, after a retreat, how surprised they were by the rich joy of being able to rest, even to the point of napping for long hours each day!
Can I meet with a Brother?
If you would like to meet with a Brother for spiritual direction during your stay, please schedule a Companioned Retreat.
Brothers may be available at other times for individual meetings, but this is not always possible and cannot be guaranteed.
Can I bring my phone or laptop?
We ask guests to maintain silence in the Chapel and Guesthouse by leaving their devices in their rooms.
Are there age restrictions?
We welcome adult retreatants. Individuals under the age of 18 need to be accompanied by an adult guardian. Please contact the Guesthouse Team at reservations@ssje.org or (617) 876-3037 x10 for further information.
Can I come for just a day, without staying overnight?
Yes. Our Quiet Days are designed exactly for this. See the Self-Guided Retreats section above.
Who do I contact with questions?
The Guesthouse Team is available at reservations@ssje.org or (617) 876-3037 x10.
Contact the Guesthouse Manager
The Guesthouse Team is available at reservations@ssje.org or (617) 876-3037 x10.