What I saw at Holy Archangels Greek Orthodox Monastery at Kendalia, TX
Cushingura
To those who are looking for a stinging indictment or a judgement
unfavorable to Fr. Ephraim, I must advise you to stop reading. I found
nothing at the monastery that would fit my understanding of
brainwashing or cult like devotion there. I’m not saying that it isn’t
possible that abuses have occurred elsewhere, only that I failed to see
anything at Kendalia which would support that finding, and, to be
honest, I left with a rather positive view of the monastery and the
monastics who live there. Essentially, in my view (which I reiterate
is quite untrained), I would give Holy Archangels a clean bill of
health.
Holy Archangels Greek Orthodox Monastery was, according to the monks
there, founded on a 140-acre site four years ago. It used to be Sufist
colony, but due to financial reasons the Sufis were forced to abandon
the mosque they had built and the surrounding land. (They still
maintain a cemetery there, which is protected in the deed
arrangements. There are about 15-20 graves.) The mosque has
subsequently been converted into a chapel built along Byzantine lines.
(The iconostasis is an unbelievably ornate work of wood hand carving.
A must see for those interested in modern Byzantine Church art.)
The construction of the chapel is almost complete, and the construction
of a rectory is about 65%[guess] complete. The monks plan to build
cells next to the chapel where the remains of the Mosque still stand,
and the domed structure that formed the roof of the mosque will be used
to build a gazebo. There is a photographic record of all of the
construction and renovation performed on the monastery grounds.
The personnel who are there do fit the description given by Michael
Crane earlier. The abbot is Fr. Dositheus, who has spent 15 years as a
monk including a considerable amount of time at Mt. Athos. He is from
Toronto and is of Greek extraction. There were two other monks of
Greek extraction from Texas (Brenham and Galveston), one convert from
my parish (St. George’s Orthodox Church in Houston, TX), one who is
Greek but due to visa problems was not there, and one who is from
Florida. (To satisfy Gerard’s racial quota mania :) of a few threads
earlier, he happens to Black.)
All of them were quite healthy. None of them exhibited signs of
malnourishment. One is quite thin, but that is due to his natural
metabolism. They all smile, laugh and exhibit independent
personalities and show no signs of being overly dependent upon any
authority figure. They were all quite open to answer questions of any
nature, and did so patiently. (With me that can be quite a task at
times which is why I have chosen to marry an infinitely patient woman
whom you can be assured I do not deserve!) I should also add that when
I was there, two of the monks’ mothers were visiting them as well. From
the number of vehicles on the grounds and the work being done there,
they have quite a bit of contact with the outside world, though there
are no radios or television which I believe is a monastic norm. (A
practice I’m tempted to adopt after watching Peter Jennings.)
As to theology, they do place an emphasis upon experienced theology
above book theology. In answer to my question “What educational
activities do you engage in here?” Father Dositheus related that by
preserving tradition, acting as a reflection of the spiritual life and
praying for others the monks acted as a living education. To emphasize
this he quoted St. Maximus the Confessor who he told me had said,
“Theology without the Holy Spirit is the theology of demons.” (Is this
quote familiar to anyone? BTW This had nothing to do with the
seminaries. More on that below.)
They exhorted the youth group that I was chaperoning to visit their
parish priest for confession as often as possible. They did not give
us a recruiting pitch, and, quite to the contrary, emphasized the
difficulty of becoming a monk. They exalted their life there, but
there was no deprecation of marriage or married life. In fact, they
insisted that the monastery was there for married individuals as well.
There was nothing I could detect in what they said that was out of
line. (Again, I emphasize my lack of expertise.)
As to Fr. Ephraim: there is a great deal of reverence for the man. Fr.
Dositheus relates that it was through him that he became involved with
monasticism. Another monk also gave him credit. They were clearly
quite devoted to him, but nothing I saw would approach what could be
characterized as unhealthy or slavish. There is a photo of him hanging
in the reception room, but it is relatively small compared to a number
of photos of various heirarchs such as +Bartholomew and +Spyridon. (He
was presiding when the monastery was operating and is pictured with the
monks in front of the chapel itself, so I would not take the photo to
be a statement of avid “Spryridonism” if there is such a thing.)
Ephraim’s photo was not prominently displayed either which is what I
would expect if he were a “cult leader” of the type that has been
described.
In the bookstore there are a number of publications. They come from
St. Anthony’s in Arizona (an associated monastery), Jordanville, and
Holy Cross and St. Vladimir’s. There was one collection of Fr.
Ephraim’s epistles and homilies that I purchased (more below). The
most prominent author was the Metropolitan of Nafpaktos Heirotheos
Vlachos, who also wrote an introduction to Fr. Ephraim’s collections.
There were works by Fr. Seraphim Rose, Elder Porphyrios, Elder Pasais,
Tito Colliander, Epiphanios Theodoropoulos, Cabasilas and Cavarnos.
Clearly a conservative lot, but none of them struck me as being unduly
out of line.
As to the Elder’s book. I’ve read about 40 pages now. It is a strict
work, but one would expect as much as he is writing mainly to fellow
monastics. I’ve found the tone and style very similar to the first
volume of the Philokalia translated by Bp. Ware. The introduction by
Metropolitan Heirtheos seems to lay it on a bit thick, but one could
say that about a contemporaneous admirer of St. John Chrysostomos as
well. Again, I’m not an expert, so I may be missing something here,
but I can’t find anything that theologically controversial aside from
an avid endorsement of “aerial tollhouses” which the book does note as
being controversial and subject to refutation by modern theologians.
Here’s the title and publisher for those interested:
Title: “Counsels from the Holy Mountain.”
Subtitle: “Selected from the Letters and Homilies of Elder Eprhaim”
Publisher: St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery
Address: 4784 N. St. Joseph’s Way
Florence, AZ 85232 USA
I’ll read through it and post quotations of what strikes me as
potentially being controversial. Also, if you’d like I can look
through the index on any topics that you’d care for me to concentrate
on. (Yes Jack and Louis, I’ll start with the stuff about chastity and
marriage.)
Danger! Personal Opinion Below:
The only problem I did have was that the evening service was conducted
in Greek. [ Now Alex will jump in to the fight! :) ] However, it’s
their Monastery, and they do can do as they please there I suppose as
long as they aren’t hurting anyone else. While the tone and Greek did
sound extremely beautiful, the hymns are also didactic, and as the
visitors there tend to be English speaking, I, personally, believe they
would be far more in keeping with tradition by using the language of
the land.
I also believe that they should provide a more active educational role
for the Orthodox in the world. Fr. Dositheus discussed the role that
the monasteries played in keeping Orthodoxy alive during the Turkish
occupation by catechizing children secretly at night. A task he seemed
to imply wasn’t as necessary as there is currently no forced repression
of Orthodoxy. However, I would counter that by stating that in our
secular age, religion is viewed with some hostility by general society,
particularly the government and media. My own personal belief
therefore is that a more vibrant relationship between the parishes and
the monasteries would benefit both greatly. The laity would benefit
not only from the example of the monks, but their education and
reflection. The monks would benefit in that they wouldn’t be such a
secret, nor so vulnerable to either unfounded accusations or very real
abuses. (However, to be fair to the monks at Holy Archangels, there
are only six of them, and much of their time is dedicated to the
construction of their facilities. So for now what I’m discussing isn’t
really possible for some time, but I do believe it will become an issue
in the future.)
Aside from these two issues, I was positively impressed with what I
saw. The monks do lead a strict life without most of comforts. (They
are monks after all.) They forsake shaving haircuts and mirrors, but
not hygiene. They forswear meat, but not basic nutrition. They have
essentially left the secular world, but they are available to it both
for visitation and, in their view, as an example.
I hope this report, as sketchy as it surely is answers most questions,
but if not, then I am would be happy to answer any specific queries.
Best Regards,
Derek Copold
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Atsaves
experienced at Holy Archangels Greek Orthodox Monastery. I still remained
concerned about the Fr. Ephraim monasteries, but your comments certainly have
helped eased some of those concerns which remain general in nature and to all
of his founded monasteries. My concerns do not lie with whether or not they
are "too traditional" or not, but what they teach.
I'm in the process of acquiring Fr. Ephraim's book as well and I would like to
compare notes with you in the future about it.
Congrats on your announced pending marriage!
Regards,
Louis Geo. Atsaves
<< Subject: What I saw at Holy Archangels Greek Orthodox Monastery at Kendalia,
TX
From: Cushingura crash_...@my-deja.com
Date: Sun, Jan 16, 2000 9:23 PM
Message-id: <85u1up$f5q$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>
Cushingura
ats...@aol.com (Atsaves) wrote:
> Derek, thank you for your honest portrayal of what you saw, heard and
> experienced at Holy Archangels Greek Orthodox Monastery. I still
> remained concerned about the Fr. Ephraim monasteries, but your
> comments certainly have helped eased some of those concerns which
> remain general in nature and to all of his founded monasteries.
Yes, I understand this, and I want to underline that my report covers
only one monastery over a one day period, and is not an exhaustive
investigation. It doesn't mean that there aren't problems elsewhere, it
only means that I didn't see any when I was there.
Based upon a "prudent man's principle" I would say that nothing struck
me as being wrong during that limited time, and from talking to people
from my parish who visit the monestary on a regular basis, I can't find
any reason to say that there's a problem at Kendalia. Further I would
say that they actually do a lot of good.
> My concerns do not lie with whether or not they are "too traditional"
> or not, but what they teach.
It seems that most of their teaching is directed within the organization
for now. Like I had written earlier, a lot of it parallels the
Philokalia and strikes me as being Stoic in general outlook (One
example: Illness is a challenge provided by God, by enduring it with
patience one helps to effect one's salvation.) I would agree that more
knowledge of the monasteries and their workings would be beneficial for
all parties.
> I'm in the process of acquiring Fr. Ephraim's book as well and I would
> like to compare notes with you in the future about it.
[...]
No sweat. I'm going to try to scan some of the works in. Failing that,
I'll just type it in.
Mike Craney
Derek's post is great, but I have a couple of things to add:
Cushingura wrote in message <85u1up$f5q$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>...
>
>Holy Archangels Greek Orthodox Monastery was, according to the monks
>there, founded on a 140-acre site four years ago. It used to be Sufist
>colony, but due to financial reasons the Sufis were forced to abandon
>the mosque they had built and the surrounding land. (They still
>maintain a cemetery there, which is protected in the deed
>arrangements. There are about 15-20 graves.)
Actually, the Sufis quit paying their taxes, got the FBI's attention, and it
turns out that those bad boys were running guns out of the place. The
FBI seized the property and put it up for sale. (My source of this info,
should
anyone care, is my wife, who has been a Kendalia visitor almost since its
opening and it a frequent houseguest of the Orthodox realtor who brokered
the property, also frequent visitor to the monastery.)
The mosque has subsequently been converted into a chapel built along
Byzantine lines.
It's even better than that. The architect (Orthodox) noticed that the
infrastructure had
almost exactly the same dimensions as the chapel at St. Catherines of Sinai.
Its
a close reproduction.
<snip>
>The only problem I did have was that the evening service was conducted
>in Greek. [ Now Alex will jump in to the fight! :) ] However, it’s
>their Monastery, and they do can do as they please there I suppose as
>long as they aren’t hurting anyone else. While the tone and Greek did
>sound extremely beautiful, the hymns are also didactic, and as the
>visitors there tend to be English speaking, I, personally, believe they
>would be far more in keeping with tradition by using the language of
>the land.
And so would they. The counsel the Elder Ephraim has received is that
adequate translations of the services into English have yet to be made. So,
the decision so far has been to use Greek.
I'm not sure how long this situation will persist. I got the impression (not
distinct, but
an impression) when Bp. ISAIAH was there for their feast day that he would
prefer
that the services either be done in English, or at least not be completely
in Greek.
Also, the Kendalia monastery seems to be on better terms with the
surrounding
Antiochian churches than GOA, although I don't know how this would come into
play.
>the role that
>the monasteries played in keeping Orthodoxy alive during the Turkish
>occupation by catechizing children secretly at night. A task he seemed
>to imply wasn’t as necessary as there is currently no forced repression
>of Orthodoxy. However, I would counter that by stating that in our
>secular age, religion is viewed with some hostility by general society,
>particularly the government and media. My own personal belief
>therefore is that a more vibrant relationship between the parishes and
>the monasteries would benefit both greatly. The laity would benefit
>not only from the example of the monks, but their education and
>reflection. The monks would benefit in that they wouldn’t be such a
>secret, nor so vulnerable to either unfounded accusations or very real
>abuses. (However, to be fair to the monks at Holy Archangels, there
>are only six of them, and much of their time is dedicated to the
>construction of their facilities. So for now what I’m discussing isn’t
>really possible for some time, but I do believe it will become an issue
>in the future.)
>
>
My guess is that they would agree with you on these issues. But, you are
right,
for the moment they are all construction engineers.
Mike
proto alban
myself, but where is Kendalia, what's the nearesr town of any size?
Thanx in advance, Seraphim
Alexander Arnakis
<crash_...@my-deja.com> wrote:
>What I saw at Holy Archangels Greek Orthodox Monastery at Kendalia, TX:
>
><snipped>
>
>Holy Archangels Greek Orthodox Monastery was, according to the monks
>there, founded on a 140-acre site four years ago. It used to be Sufist
>colony, but due to financial reasons the Sufis were forced to abandon
>the mosque they had built and the surrounding land. ... The mosque has
>subsequently been converted into a chapel built along Byzantine lines.
Comment: In Greece, no mosques that were originally built as mosques
were ever converted into churches, with one exception that I know of.
(Trivia factoid: that one exception is the chapel in the fortress of
New Navarino, at Pylos.) This is due to both symbolic and practical
reasons -- mosques face Mecca, whereas churches face due East.
(Reconversion of original churches that had been converted into
mosques is, of course, another matter.) But the result has been that
abandoned mosques have fallen into ruin, or been put to mundane uses
(cinemas, etc.).
> The monks plan to build
>cells next to the chapel where the remains of the Mosque still stand,
>and the domed structure that formed the roof of the mosque will be used
>to build a gazebo.
Remember that in the Athonite monastic tradition, the "gazebo" is not
for decorative purposes only, but usually covers the holy water font
(fiali) in front of the church. I'm not sure how appropriate it is to
use a former mosque structure for this purpose.
Something like the reverse almost happened to the fiali at Megisti
Lavra, on Mt. Athos. A local Turkish Agha took a liking to the large
marble font, and wanted it to grace his harem. As his minions were
preparing to cart it away, the monks prayed for a miracle to prevent
this desecration from happening. Sure enough, the workmen
"accidentally" dropped the font, cracking it. The Agha no longer
wanted it in its damaged condition, and left it there.
> There is a photo of him hanging
>in the reception room, but it is relatively small compared to a number
>of photos of various heirarchs such as +Bartholomew and +Spyridon.
This follows the Athonite tradition, in certain monasteries, of photo
galleries in the guest reception rooms. For example, the Serbian
monastery of Chilandar and the Bulgarian monastery of Zographou have
extensive portrait collections of their countries' respective former
royal families on prominent display (even though they are ostensibly
not political).
>
>Danger! Personal Opinion Below:
>
>The only problem I did have was that the evening service was conducted
>in Greek. [ Now Alex will jump in to the fight! :) ] However, it’s
>their Monastery, and they do can do as they please there I suppose as
>long as they aren’t hurting anyone else. While the tone and Greek did
>sound extremely beautiful, the hymns are also didactic, and as the
>visitors there tend to be English speaking, I, personally, believe they
>would be far more in keeping with tradition by using the language of
>the land.
>
My only comment is that the use of Greek in the monastery is largely
wasted. Greek should be used in the parishes, where it can be heard
and (hopefully) appreciated by the young.
> I also believe that they should provide a more active educational role
>for the Orthodox in the world. Fr. Dositheus discussed the role that
>the monasteries played in keeping Orthodoxy alive during the Turkish
>occupation by catechizing children secretly at night.
Actually, the "secret schools" during the Ottoman occupation were
conducted in parish churches and even in private homes, but generally
not in monasteries. (After all, the schools were supposedly
coeducational.) And the purpose of the "secret schools" was not to
teach the catechism, but to teach the reading and writing of the Greek
language, and through the language the Revolutionary ideas of the
Greek writers of the Enlightenment. Under the Ottoman "millet" system,
the Turks certainly did not object to the teaching of the Orthodox
catechism.
> A task he seemed
>to imply wasn’t as necessary as there is currently no forced repression
>of Orthodoxy.
"Forced repression of Orthodoxy" is not what generally happened under
the Turks. In fact, the Turks co-opted the Church hierarchy, beginning
with the Ecumenical Patriarch, to help keep their Orthodox subjects in
line. It is true that the Christian peoples were forced to contribute
a quota of boys (the devshirme) for service in the Janissaries, but
that was not a direct attack on their religion. Nor was the exploited
economic condition of the subject peoples an attack on their religion
(and, in fact, it was possible for them to amass great fortunes, under
the right conditions).
>Aside from these two issues, I was positively impressed with what I
>saw. The monks do lead a strict life without most of comforts. (They
>are monks after all.) They forsake shaving haircuts and mirrors, but
>not hygiene.
Unlike on Mt. Athos, where the monks traditionally bathe but twice a
year. <G>
Marina
pretty regularly (once a week or more). I have this on the authority of
friends who became monks there. (Their mothers wanted to know!)
Marina
* Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet's Discussion Network *
The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet - Free!
Linards Ticmanis
> Comment: In Greece, no mosques that were originally built as mosques
> were ever converted into churches, with one exception that I know of.
> (Trivia factoid: that one exception is the chapel in the fortress of
> New Navarino, at Pylos.) This is due to both symbolic and practical
> reasons -- mosques face Mecca, whereas churches face due East.
Of course in Texas the difference between "to Mecca" and "due East" is
a lot smaller than in Greece.
--
Linards Ticmanis
The Master said, "The business of laying on the colors follows the
preparation of the plain ground."
If you post a follow-up, I'd appreciate an e-mail copy very much.
Important: If your mail to me bounces, you might have hit a spam
filter. Please
be so kind and resend it to:
mailto:liti...@stud.uni-sb.de
Please do so _only_ if the mail in fact bounces.
sp...@erols.com
Alexander Arnakis wrote:
> >Aside from these two issues, I was positively impressed with what I
> >saw. The monks do lead a strict life without most of comforts. (They
> >are monks after all.) They forsake shaving haircuts and mirrors, but
> >not hygiene.
>
> Unlike on Mt. Athos, where the monks traditionally bathe but twice a
> year. <G>
Make that four times a year. They would present a new face unto the Lord
for the times they take communion, no?
Alexander Arnakis
>
>
>Alexander Arnakis wrote:
>
>> >Aside from these two issues, I was positively impressed with what I
>> >saw. The monks do lead a strict life without most of comforts. (They
>> >are monks after all.) They forsake shaving haircuts and mirrors, but
>> >not hygiene.
>>
>> Unlike on Mt. Athos, where the monks traditionally bathe but twice a
>> year. <G>
>
>Make that four times a year. They would present a new face unto the Lord
>for the times they take communion, no?
I was told that they bathe only for the Easter and Christmas feasts,
which are the only times they eat meat (lamb for Easter and goat at
Christmas). They eat fish only on important Saints' Days.
I am sure they commune more often than four times a year!
sp...@erols.com
Alexander Arnakis wrote:
> On Tue, 18 Jan 2000 00:22:56 -0500, sp...@erols.com wrote:
>
> >
> >
> >Alexander Arnakis wrote:
> >
> >> >Aside from these two issues, I was positively impressed with what I
> >> >saw. The monks do lead a strict life without most of comforts. (They
> >> >are monks after all.) They forsake shaving haircuts and mirrors, but
> >> >not hygiene.
> >>
> >> Unlike on Mt. Athos, where the monks traditionally bathe but twice a
> >> year. <G>
> >
> >Make that four times a year. They would present a new face unto the Lord
> >for the times they take communion, no?
>
> I was told that they bathe only for the Easter and Christmas feasts,
> which are the only times they eat meat (lamb for Easter and goat at
> Christmas). They eat fish only on important Saints' Days.
>
> I am sure they commune more often than four times a year!
Wow, I don't know even one monk who eats meat any feast of the year. Priests,
yes, monks, no. On the communing - depends
Marina
Christmas.
Marina
Cushingura
I'm not sure where you're located, but if you start on a map from
San Antonio and follow US281 North about 40? miles you'll run into
Kendalia. Just before the town, you turn left on Ranch Road 473, and
then there's another right on Twin Sisters road (about 1&1/4 miles down
473) Twin Sisters road leads to the gate.
There's also a sign that says "Holy Archangels Greek Orthodox Monastery"
on 473.
Cushingura
Alexander Arnakis <Arn...@postoffice.worldnet.att.net> wrote:
> On Tue, 18 Jan 2000 00:22:56 -0500, sp...@erols.com wrote:
>
> >
> >
> >Alexander Arnakis wrote:
> >
I
> >> >saw. The monks do lead a strict life without most of comforts.
(They
> >> >are monks after all.) They forsake shaving haircuts and mirrors,
but
> >> >not hygiene.
> >>
a
> >> year. <G>
> >
> >Make that four times a year. They would present a new face unto the
Lord
> >for the times they take communion, no?
>
> I was told that they bathe only for the Easter and Christmas feasts,
> which are the only times they eat meat (lamb for Easter and goat at
> Christmas). They eat fish only on important Saints' Days.
>
> I am sure they commune more often than four times a year!
Father Dositheus told us that they fast for three day
(Monday,Wednesday and Friday) and commune four times
a week at Kendalia.
I understand that daily bathing is more of an American idiosyncracy,
or am I wrong in that?
BTW, thanks for extra info to my original post. Great Stuff.
Mike Craney
Actually, you're about 30 - 40 minutes from the monastery when you're at the
Motel 6 (brand spanking new) in New Braunsfels on I35. However, the
monastery is glad to put up male pilgrims anytime. They have about 30 beds
available.
Mike
Cushingura wrote in message <861ucv$7ng$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>...
Alexander Arnakis
wrote:
>They also never eat meat on the Holy Mountain ... not even at Easter and
>Christmas.
>
Nonsense. I was there on two extended visits, in 1963 and 1969, and
that is what the monks themselves told me. Now, it is possible the
practice has changed since then, and there are of course variances
from monastery to monastery. (When I was there, most of the
monasteries were idiorhythmic, and now most are cenobioetic.)
Alexander Arnakis
<marinarb...@otenet.gr.invalid> wrote:
>On a few monasteries on Athos they never wash, and on others they bathe
>pretty regularly (once a week or more). I have this on the authority of
>friends who became monks there. (Their mothers wanted to know!)
>
Yes, the monastery of Vatopedi is famous for its "newfangled"
porcelain bathtubs. It also has porcelain toilets "a la turque" (if
you know what that means) in its guest facilities, a rarity on Mt.
Athos. But even there, it is not clear how often the monks bathe. I
was told by some monks on Mt. Athos that after a period of not
washing, one's pores close and one no longer smells. I can attest
personally that this is NOT the case; it is best to maintain a certain
physical distance from an Athonite monk.
proto alban
Kendalia's location sounds fairly near to Blanco.
sp...@erols.com
Alexander Arnakis wrote:
then there is the garlic.
Marina
It is a known fact that they do not eat meat on the Holy Mountain.
They do not generally eat meat in all the monasteries throughout
Macedonia, not just the Athonite peninsular. In other monasteries they
do eat meat at Easter and Christmas ( Patmos, for example)
Marina
there. The only monastery where they don't really wash is Philotheou!
(We did a survey)
Cushingura
alb...@webtv.net (proto alban) wrote:
> Thanks Derek. I am in Odessa, sounds like more than a day trip to me.
> Kendalia's location sounds fairly near to Blanco.
>
It's in the same region. Blanco County in fact.
Derek
Atsaves
here?
Regards,
Louis Geo. Atsaves
<< Subject: Re: What I saw at Holy Archangels Greek Orthodox Monastery at
Kendalia, TX
From: Marina marinarb...@otenet.gr.invalid
Date: Wed, 19 January 2000 09:06 AM EST
Message-id: <06994dae...@usw-ex0102-010.remarq.com>
Marina
The last time Alexander went was in the 1960s. I have friends who visit
frequently, and I have other friends who are monks there. If you had
been noticing, one of the things their mothers particularly wanted to
know was whether they washed or not. Of the several monasteries where I
have contacts I know that they wash at most - with Philotheou being a
notable exception! The "we" refers to my friends, (and the monks
mothers)!!
Alexander Arnakis
<marinarb...@otenet.gr.invalid> wrote:
>
>The last time Alexander went was in the 1960s. I have friends who visit
>frequently, and I have other friends who are monks there. If you had
>been noticing, one of the things their mothers particularly wanted to
>know was whether they washed or not. Of the several monasteries where I
>have contacts I know that they wash at most - with Philotheou being a
>notable exception! The "we" refers to my friends, (and the monks
>mothers)!!
>
be of interest to our friends in ROCOR...
evagr...@my-deja.com
Shhhh. It's a secret. They went on a mission.False fuzzy beards, long
robes, who's to know?
In article <20000121185040...@ng-fz1.aol.com>,
ats...@aol.com (Atsaves) wrote:
> Who is "we?" Women are allowed on the Holy Mountain? Am I missing
something
> here?
>
> Regards,
>
> Louis Geo. Atsaves
>
> << Subject: Re: What I saw at Holy Archangels Greek Orthodox
Monastery at
> Kendalia, TX
> From: Marina marinarb...@otenet.gr.invalid
> Date: Wed, 19 January 2000 09:06 AM EST
> Message-id: <06994dae...@usw-ex0102-010.remarq.com>
>
> On your own admission its been a very long time since you have been
> there. The only monastery where they don't really wash is Philotheou!
> (We did a survey)
>
> Marina
>
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Kenneth Prickett
I'm in Dallas and had been thinking about a pilgrimage to Blanco. Is
this the same monastery or are there two Greek monasteries there? I know
there is the Russian one also. Are they all in close proximity to one
another?
Thanks,
Your brother in Christ,
Ken
Cushingura
ken...@webtv.net (Kenneth Prickett) wrote:
> Great post!
> I'm in Dallas and had been thinking about a pilgrimage to Blanco. Is
> this the same monastery or are there two Greek monasteries there? I
know
> there is the Russian one also. Are they all in close proximity to one
> another?
> Thanks,
There is another monastery in the county that used to be under the
jurisdiction of the ROCOR. However, due to a number of legal problems
and their refusal to be audited, ROCOR pulled their blessing.
Holy Archangels, an entirely separate monastery is under the GOA, and
they have NO such legal problems.
Best Regards,
Derek Copold
Morris
Alexander Arnakis <Arn...@postoffice.worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:fc5i8sovlbe1o40a4...@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 21 Jan 2000 16:08:04 -0800, Marina
> <marinarb...@otenet.gr.invalid> wrote:
> >
> >The last time Alexander went was in the 1960s. I have friends who visit
> >frequently, and I have other friends who are monks there. If you had
> >been noticing, one of the things their mothers particularly wanted to
> >know was whether they washed or not. Of the several monasteries where I
> >have contacts I know that they wash at most - with Philotheou being a
> >notable exception! The "we" refers to my friends, (and the monks
> >mothers)!!
Perhaps this is more a cultural than a spiritual issue. As anyone who has
lived in Germany knows, Europeans do not bathe as often as Americans.
Archpriest John W. Morris
Cushingura
When I was stationed in Zweibruecken, ZDF, a national network, did a
survey on that subject. Once a week was the answer.
Daily bathing is really an American particular.
john b.
Mount Athos, where Gerontas Ephraim was abbot, and a Godson of mine has
spent over a year there under him. I had a number of personal
interviews with him during that time. You will get from him nothing
but solid, traditional, Athonite monasticism. And there is no question
that he is a genuine Elder.
Best regards to all.