New Skete Monasteries News

One of the signs of a book that could be deemed prophetic is its continued relevance close to fifty years after its original publication. Olivier Clément’s Dialogues with Patriarch Athenagoras , recently translated from the French by Jeremy Ingpen, is just such a book. Set within the framework of an intimate dialogue between Clément, an outstanding Orthodox theologian, and Patriarch Athenagoras, the Ecumenical Patriarch from 1948 to 1972, this book opens a treasury of Orthodox reflection that we desperately need to hear in our day. The power of the book lies in its ability to let the reader eavesdrop on the interchange of two brilliant thinkers as they reflect on any number of important issues, both spiritual, theological, and cultural.             The book is divided into three parts. The first, “A Man Called Athenogoras,”   gives a historical overview of the Patriarch’s life, helping the reader to understand the context ...

  By Sister Cecelia September 1 begins the Orthodox liturgical new year, and that made think of all the NEW things that have happened and will happen in the near future. It is new that the foliage is not very spectacular this year. That is the first for me in over 50 years! For the first time, the eleven apple trees in our orchard produced only one apple because of the late freeze in the spring. For the first time, the three hazelnut trees bore nuts—and with a very bountiful crop. We will roast our own hazelnuts for the first time. It will be a tasty treat. In October the monks welcomed their second novice this year, and that is a welcome new sight. The nuns have recently received several inquiries seeking monastic life—so, new faces soon, perhaps. New faces reminds me that in September a beautiful well-mannered German Shepherd named Tori was lent to me to care for as long as she is in the breeding program.  Our walks are energized by her running gracefully through the fields ...

  By Brother Vladimir   Metropolitan Anthony Bloom, of blessed memory, once instructed his audience on a BBC television series to set aside regular periods of silence for sincerely praying this (seemingly) simple prayer: “ Help me, O God, to put off all pretenses and to find my true self .”   Since my first encounter with this prayer, I’ve often returned to it as a way of acquiring what the Zen tradition calls “beginner’s mind.” For in its pithy phrasing is contained the inner dynamic of prayer as entry into a deeper, more profound knowledge of self . “Enter eagerly into the treasure house that is within you, and so you will see the things that are in heaven; for there is but one single entry to them both,” St. Isaac the Syrian informs us.   When approaching this short prayer, one should tread carefully: its words, when deeply felt and experienced, are extremely potent. There is no rule book as to how such a prayer, pronounced with faith, will grow and ...

  By Brother Vladimir   Note:  this is a description of my experiences in the first month of moving back to the Northeast to be closer to New Skete. The transition from the frenetic noise of Silicon Valley to the stillness of rural upstate New York was startling. During this writing, I lived in a log cabin in Salem, New York, and drove to New Skete for daily morning and evening services.   The rhythms of life are more tangible when a person lives in the country. Surrounded by rolling hills, expanses of forests, and mountains, the imagination gradually becomes purified of the dross; stripped of the heavy images that have been deposited there, often without our knowledge. The inner life gradually becomes clarified like fresh spring water.              Sensory impressions are a subtle food for the soul no less than the physical food we ingest and the invisible air we breathe. So often we fail to regulate w...

By Brother Gregory   Back in 1983, a group of chapel community members at New Skete felt very strongly about the monastic witness lived by the monks and nuns of New Skete. These married couples wanted to join in a closer relationship with the monks and nuns as a third monastic community, and they became known as the Companions of New Skete. With their financial resources and the help of the monks and nuns, Emmaus House was built on the property of the monks’ monastery. For the next 30 years, the Companions at Emmaus House added their voices and zeal to the witness of New Skete as a monastic presence in America. The Companions helped in many ways with the hard work needed to keep New Skete alive. They painted icons, trained dogs in the Adult Dog Training Program, made dog biscuits, added their singing voices to the daily monastic services, offered hospitality to guests visiting New Skete, and gave in so many other ways that the Companions developed their own ministry identity. ...

  By Br Brennan Just over a year ago I was planning an early retirement with an eye to monastic life. While I can’t say that I had one of those great careers and was at the top of my game, I had come to know some really amazing people over my years in the last job. Among those, I always enjoyed truly close relationships marked by great mutual respect. However, I was also one of those artists with a day job, and as a dancer/instructor/choreographer I had come to notice in recent years a certain status of “esteemed eldership” of sorts (at least in my particular genre, that of East European ethnic dance), however awkward I felt about it. After numerous visits to New Skete over the years, I knew the transition to postulancy and novitiate would involve quite a shake-up in my sense of self. And I was correct. First, I was not going to jump in and wow anyone with any diligence, knowledge, or finesse, as I might try to do in a new job. All I could do was pay attention, and learn what t...

  By Ida Williams The vintage phrase “in like a lion, out like a lamb” comes to mind as I think about March 2023.               After a three-year hiatus from hosting the Lenten retreat in person, the monks and nuns decided it was once again time to gather with friends old and new to share monastic perspectives on the Great Lent.   The date of March 18th was selected, and the title for the conference was determined: Tilling the Lenten Soil.               I felt a little rusty in my role as event coordinator for this retreat.   Getting the word out, setting up pre-registration, planning meals, and staging the settings for maximum occupancy—all the while keeping in mind the need for ample space so everyone felt comfortable.   All planning went well, and we met our goal of 40 people registered for the retreat.       ...