Emery House


Emery House
West Newbury, Massachusetts

We Brothers are delighted to be able to invite guests and retreatants to join us at Emery House. Located on the border of West Newbury and Newburyport, Emery House provides a quiet atmosphere for prayer, reflection, and retreat in the context of a monastic community.


Staying at Emery House

The Emery House property consists of multiple buildings: a 15-room main house begun in 1720, six small hermitages, and two small 10×10 cabins in the forest used by retreatants in the summer. The majority of our retreatants stay in the six small hermitages built around a courtyard.

The Brothers living at Emery House are pleased to offer hospitality, meals, and occasional spiritual direction for those on individual and group retreats.

Guests are also invited to join in the Brothers’ daily worship (Morning Prayer, Holy Eucharist, Evening Prayer, and Compline), which follows The Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.

Emery House is normally open to guests from Tuesday afternoons through early afternoon on Sundays and is closed on Mondays for the brothers’ day of Sabbath rest


The Chapel of the Transfiguration

The Brothers at Emery House follow the traditional monastic practice of singing the Daily Office – Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Compline – and we celebrate the Holy Eucharist most days. Retreatants are invited to attend any of the daily services. The chapel is also open day and night to retreatants for personal prayer and meditation.

We seek to offer silence and sanctuary for our retreatants, free from intrusion, and our chapel size is quite limited. Because of this, we are unable to accommodate “walk-in” guests. (In Cambridge, the Monastery chapel is open to everyone for all services and as a quiet sanctuary for personal prayer.)


The Emery House Property

Emery House is situated on 144 acres, bounded by the Merrimack River on the north, by the Artichoke River on the east, by Route 113 on the south, and by a stone wall running through the woods on the west. A walking trail follows the upper perimeter of the land overlooking the Merrimack River. Another trail cuts through the woods between the two cabins south of the main house. There are also trails through the woods along the west side of the property including a colonial era stone stepping bridge. If you would like a map of the property, please see the guest brother.

We invite you to roam this beautiful property during your stay.


An Atmosphere of Silence

We strive to maintain an atmosphere of silence at Emery House as the climate in which each person can find the prayer and meditation to which God might be calling that individual.

The Greater Silence begins immediately after Compline and ends the next morning after breakfast (usually at 9:00 AM).


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