New Skete Monasteries News

 By Brother Theophan We live in an age of unprecedented distraction, our inner worlds often resembling a noisy, crowded ecosystem of competing anxieties, looping memories, and a relentless inner narrator. Fragmentation is now the norm—we’re pulled in a dozen directions at once. But what if this isn’t a personal or moral failing? What if it’s simply the natural condition of an unregulated mind and a numb heart—and there exists a reliable, experience-proven path, understood by both ancient wisdom and modern science, to bring harmony to the chaos? In the late 18th century, a monumental anthology of spiritual texts known as the Philokalia (literally, the Love of the Beautiful) was published in Venice. Compiled from the writings of ancient Christian contemplatives, it was never intended for monastics alone, but to make the existential truths of Christianity accessible to everyone. As Metropolitan Kallistos Ware (of blessed memory) observed, the Philokalia’s ultimate aim is to awaken...

  A continuation of interesting dog names By Ida Williams When Turkey’s owner contacted me about scheduling training for their new puppy, Goblet, all I could think was: Are they setting the Thanksgiving table? Three years ago, I wrote an article titled Gus from Accounting and Other Interesting Dog Names . Since then, we've seen over 300 more dogs come through training, and with the return of Turkey—now joined by Goblet—I thought it was time for another round of name highlights. Animal and Plant Names In addition to Turkey, we’ve welcomed dogs with names like Bear, Bee, Birdie, Cricket, Foxy, Gazelle, and Wren. Plant-inspired names are equally popular, including Aspen, Buttercup, Cedar, Daisy, Holly, Iris, Ivy, and Juniper. Food-Inspired Names Food names remain a trend, though perhaps not as strong as before. We've met dogs named Apple, Babka, Ginger, Honey, Pepper (aka Pepsi), Spaghetti, Sugar, Taco (aka Taco Lion), Tuna, and Waffles. Tuna and Waffles—sounds like ...

  Part 1 By Ralph Karow   Last month one of my closest friends for over 40 years entered life eternal. John was only a few months younger than me and was diagnosed with early-onset dementia 5 years ago. I was having weekly “facetime” calls with him and sadly watched him fade away during that time. Calls for the past few months were only possible with his wife as a go-between. His slide from home to hospice came on rather suddenly and unexpectedly. Also unexpected is that I feel closer to him now that he’s passed on than I have in probably the past 10 years. I’m saying 10 years because that’s when I think I started noticing him becoming more irritable, dissatisfied, and possibly even a little disenchanted. Things like that don’t end a connection like ours, but they do add an element of concern and desire to get to the root of whatever was bugging him and fix it. To remove the discord from the harmony we used to share. I spent the past year putting together a book like...

  By Brother Brennan Decades ago, just before my first “brush” with professed religious life, my girlfriend at the time would sometimes attend Sunday Mass with me at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Church in suburban New Orleans. Although she lived in the neighboring parish, we had graduated from the same Catholic grammar school, just one year apart, and thus were immersed in a very traditional Roman Catholic/Southern Christian milieu (just imagine that—a very long-established, traditional, provincial enclave of Old World Roman Catholicism below the Bible Belt). While we would eventually separate, our time together included being very much a part of the religious landscape of such a place and time. It was still the 70s, when the sexual liberation movement was kicking into high gear in the deep South, and many young people were rebelling against traditional religiosity, dissatisfied with the perceived rule-loving, devotion-addicted, spiritual stagnation of church authority. At the same...

  by Brother Christopher We are already halfway through Lent, and this might be a good opportunity to pause and ask ourselves, “So...?” Now, to be clear, I’m not suggesting that we grade ourselves on our Lenten resolutions, as that would place the emphasis on externals rather than on the real transformation this season calls for. There is a reason we have placed the cross in the narthex for each of us to reverence as we enter. It is meant to bring to mind a fundamental question: What does it mean to be a faithful disciple of Jesus? This morning’s Gospel presents a challenge that makes clear the cost of discipleship for anyone who would follow after him: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Each of us shares in the cross—each in our own way, with our own burdens, and with our own name metaphorically inscribed at the top of our own cross. There are no exceptions. To grasp the seriousness of this—Jesus is not ...

 By Sister Cecelia The monastic winter retreat this year has been especially wonderful for me. Ordinarily, I love having a dog to care for, but I do not have one now, so I am enjoying more time for the “leisure” activities monastics are supposed to have time for. I was especially blessed to find and read a biography of Fr. Thomas Keating by Cynthia Bourgeault. Fr. Thomas was the Abbot at St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, when we first came to New York. These monks helped us through their friendship and also financially as we were getting started here. Having met, talked with, and shared a meal with the person being written about certainly increased my interest. It was such a delight for me to read about his struggles and breakthroughs, especially in his last five years. Fr. Thomas was able to experience what theosis is. Understanding and living theosis is a goal of Eastern Orthodoxy. The union with God and awareness of God’s presence eventually enabled him to say, “I ...

By Brother Theophan I’d like to offer a few observations on our practice of group Scripture sharing at the monastery. Rooted in ancient monastic traditions, lectio divina —meaning “divine reading”—involves reading, meditating, praying, and contemplating sacred Scripture in a manner that allows the text to speak directly to the heart of the believer. While often practiced individually, group lectio divina offers a unique opportunity for communal transformation, where the presence of Christ becomes central to the practice, and the relational dynamics of the group help to deepen the understanding of God’s Word. This collective engagement with Scripture mirrors the early Christian communities, where the shared experience of Christ through the Word was foundational to their lives and growth.             Imagine a group of people gathered around a flickering campfire. As they each share their stories and listen carefully to one anoth...

By Brother Luke Once again I have fallen asleep with some lights on in my room. Then a strange crunching sound arouses me. Struggling to see what's causing the noise, I look toward my armoire, and there is my five-month-old puppy, Pyrena, chewing on the wooden handle of a lower drawer. I cry out NO! and spring into action as she dashes away and hides under the bed. I pull her out from under the bed and lead her over to the crate where she will spend the night. She actually has been very good in my room overnight, but she is still teething and learning what is and what is not OK to chew on. She is not the first or the last puppy or dog to do this in my room. Yes, I am frustrated by her destructive behavior. But I also have to remember that taking on the task of raising a puppy will inevitably include episodes like this. So the puppy tests my patience.             It is often thought that being so intimately involved with an...