New Women’s Monastery established in Upstate New York

The quiet churching of America continues, with yet another monastery being established in New York State. Glory to God! New Women's Monastery blessed in Upstate New York OrthoChristian.com, Richfield Springs, New York, November 29, 2017: Property in upstate New York was recently purchased and blessed for a new Russian Orthodox convent, reports the site of …

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Books for Monastic Seekers: ‘Recollections of Mount Athos’

A warm and inspiring first-person account of the author's journey to the Holy Mountain as a young man, his experiences with different monasteries, counsels received from various monks and elders, and how the Lord directed his steps and helped him grow in his early days as a monk. Published in the early years of St …

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Books for Monastic Seekers: ‘The Arena’

A classic manual on the Christian spiritual life, by Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov, this is the second in this series of posts. See post 1 here. The Arena: Guidelines for Spiritual and Monastic Life By Ignatius (Brianchaninov) Translated by Lazarus (Moore) Foreword by Kallistos (Ware); Holy Trinity Publications, Jordanville NY. From the publisher's description: This is one …

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Books for Monastic Seekers: ‘Letters to a Beginner on Giving One’s Life to God’

For the first of a new series of blog posts, I would like to share a thin but extremely weighty and important book which was recommended to me several years ago when  I was preparing to test the monastic life: Letters to a Beginner on Giving One's Life to God by Abbess Thaisia of Leushino, …

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An Outline of Orthodox Monasticism – Part 3

Third and concluding part from the journal, Orthodox America. Part 1 | Part 2  The Monastic Rule The Rule or "Typicon" governing Orthodox monastic life is based upon that of St. Basil the Great (d. 379), which he synthesized from the tradition of the early Desert Fathers. This Rule was later adapted by various great fathers of monasticism …

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