The 'tempered ascetic' and clairvoyant elder featured in The North American Thebaid I kept hearing Blessed Elder Dimitri's name during my pilgrimage to monasteries on the West Coast, and was able to visit for an afternoon at the small women's skete, Our Lady of Kazan, in Santa Rosa, California, which was founded by the Elder, …
Category: Monastic Saints
St Herman, Spruce Island & the Alaskan Pilgrimage
This past Tuesday I returned to Anchorage from Kodiak, having spent four days with the monks at Archangel Michael Skete on Spruce Island. I'm back on the road today for my return leg, and am just putting up this quick post before leaving for the Divine Liturgy at St George (Antiochian) near Portland OR, …
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Venerating a Saint, and Sunset at the Pacific
During the course of my Western Pilgrimage, I have (somewhat reluctantly) passed by many touristy destinations so as to keep to both my schedule and my purpose. The growing list is quirky, and includes the following: Red Rocks Amphitheater, Denver CO (their Performers Hall of Fame is a 'Who's Who' of Rock and Roll artists, …
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Recent Elders on Monasticism
First in a new series of blog posts featuring reflections on monasticism by 20th century Orthodox monks and nuns. In working on the design for the North American Thebaid coffee table book — the publishing goal of my two-year photographic pilgrimage to Orthodox Christian monasteries of the USA & Canada — I am going back …
Documentary Film: ‘The Relics of Saint Herman’
The complete, 25 minute documentary, finally available for online viewing, and in much better quality! This impressive and award-winning film was for years only able to be viewed in two 9-minute parts (the third and final part was apparently never uploaded), until PressValaam posted the complete video in January 2017, and in higher resolution. I'm …
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The North American Thebaid 