St. Paisios of Mt. Athos: ‘Don’t sit at the crossroads. Choose a cross…’

In his edifying little patericon, 'Athonite Fathers and Athonite Matters', Elder Paisios (who was officially entered into the calendar of saints a year ago, on January 13, 2015) presents "the lives of Athonite fathers who were vessels of divine grace and lived approximately in the period from 1840-1980. As a conclusion to the book, the author …

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Am I Called to the Monastic Life?

Here we have a very profound and important message from St John Climacus, conveyed to us by Archimandrite Irenei (Steenberg), Abbot of the Monastery of St Silouan in Sonora, California. In it he reminds us that "the Christian calling  involves finding a suitable place, and suitable exercises, for living out the transformative life in the …

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OCA Monastic Synaxis looks to ‘Creative Methods’ to Nurture Vocations

Key Points of Convergence show how the Thebaid Project resonates with the Monastic Mission of the OCA. The timing and topics of the Orthodox Church in America's 2015 Monastic Synaxis could not have been more significant. While His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, His Eminence, Archbishop Benjamin of the Diocese of the West, and fourteen superiors from among …

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Monasticism and the Church

This landmark address by the Abbot of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk Monastery is one of the primary motivators behind the effort to launch The Northern Thebaid Pilgrimage Project as quickly as possible. The Project can help foster a "culture of monasticism" in the Church, one which continually turns our hearts and minds towards prayer, pilgrimage, and …

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