Category Archives: Monastery Diaries

Monastery Diaries Day 1: A Time of Healing

The time has come! The day has finally arrived! After a long, tiring month full of all kinds of jobs and obediences —other than a blessed Synaxis at Holy Cross, UK —and an especially hard time last week, I have finally arrived at the first monastery in my pilgrimage “list”: the Dormition of the Theotokos monastery at the Panorama suburbs of Thessaloniki.

This most beautiful monastery is dedicated to Panagia Elefterotria, the Liberator. It was founded in 1957, has 60 nuns and Melania is their Mother Superior.

Last August, we visited this monastery together with Father J. but our visit was very brief …

I remember so little from our visit last year. I cannot find my way anywhere around. I have arrived so upset, sad and stressed out. Yet here at the monastery, there is an hesychia and a fullness of the Holy Spirit that is most healing.

The hospitality and kindness of the sisters is felt in their warm smiles and their radiant, kind, prayerful eyes. They offer me breakfast, ask me to wash the guests’ dishes, then take me to my room and I start meeting pilgrims from all over the world!

Talking about hospitality, please have a close look at this notice in my cell:

I translate the last two paragraphs: “To our dear guests: A humble request: … You can leave a pair of your own bedsheets if you are a frequent guest. Please do not keep the monastery bedsheets, if you are not considering returning to our monastery within a fortnight”. “Returning to our monastery within a fortnight”!

Everything is happening very fast and with as few words as possible. The sisters work hard and very fast, they multitask, they are such bright busy-bees, yet more importantly they constantly pray. They had to accommodate nearly 300 (!) pilgrims during Dormition Fast in August.

My first obedience, upon arrival, is ivy pruning. I sense that this will be my obedience all these days, until I leave, as the monastery fence is a very long, miles long fence. The other pilgrims from other countries cannot suffer the heat and the sun. As for me, after all this prolonged, all summer training of 40-45 Celsius here, this 30+ C heat and sun feels a bit autumn-like breeze!

So, I prune and pray and hope my sadness will fade away since this is what my spiritual father reassured me and is praying about. I always love to work in nature, yet even here my thoughts, my logismoi still bother me and interfere. But I have faith in my Gerondas’ words. I am under obedience, he will stand by my side on Judgment Day before our Lord, surely he knows better.

Hours pass under the sun with pruning and the Jesus prayer. A little tortoise seems confused with our pruning and we have gently to carry her across the road to greener paths. Glory to God! Little by little, my sorrow begins to evaporate with this heat, sun and prayers. So Gerondas was right, again! “A disciplined schedule, manual labour, study and prayer” (Abba Isaiah of Scetis Ascetic Discourses), and this blessed monastic community did work miracles for my pusillanimity and faintheartedness.

No time for logismoi, thoughts, moaning, worries, fear, sorrow and self-pity. This is the time, καιρός, for metanoia, obedience, faith, and joyful, godly, bright sorrow, “Charmolipi” (an old Greek work made up of ‘chara’ (joy) and ‘lipi’ (sadness). There is no equivalent word in English; it means a feeling of happiness and sadness at the same time.

10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)

Lunch is served at midday, delicious crispy veggie balls and rice, and then a few words and fellowship with the other pilgrims before a bit of rest and Vespers and Little Compline. Of all the pilgrims I met today, I am most impressed by two, one from the States and the other from Canada, both baptised at a mature age, and both really close to Elder Efraim monasteries: Holy Protection Monastery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and St. Kosmas Aitolos Greek Orthodox Monastery, Ontario and Holy Monastery of Virgin Mary the Consolatory, Panagia Parigoritissa, Quebec.

One has literally moved next to the monastery to be there all the time, and the other one does not mind driving 6 hours to be at the church services and the fathers of the monastery! This pilgrim was baptised in a Roman Catholic Church due to his Orthodox parents “carelessness and ignorance” — the pilgrim’s own words— but our Lord found him, guided him to His Church, and he is now on pilgrimage together with his mother! Glory to God for all things! All these Elder Efraim’s monasteries, 20 in total, I believe, in USA and Canada, are all following the Cenobitic way of monastic life (“Cenobitic” is derived from the Greek word “Keenovio” which means “common way of life”) therefore consisting of common work, common meals, and common rest periods.

These monasteries have wrought such a miraculous renewal and perform such amazing missionary work according to all first-hand testimonies I hear from our Protestant brethren finding the true faith and the true church. The value of this treasure and the unquestionable contribution of the Elder Ephraim to the Orthodox of North America and Canada is beyond appraisal.

After Little Compline, a small fasting dinner and then hesychia. My sorrow has been healed and joy fills my heart. What a transformation in just a few hours! My spiritual father was right: “The time there will be a time of healing”. All this prayer and few idle words, manual labour and study, have wrought a miracle.

Abba Isaiah of Scetis

“Observe these three things: your manual labour, your study, and your prayer. Think to yourself daily, “I only have this day to do something in this world” and you won’t sin before God.“

Gerondas Gregorios of Blessed Memory 10 “Commandments”

+ 19/11/2019

Gerondas Gregorios Papasotiriou, Spiritual Father and Founder of the Saint John the Forerunner Monastery at Metamorfosi, Chalkidiki–This list was compiled by some of his spiritual children in his memory on the day of the memorial.

  1. Orthodoxy equals Orthopraxy— we should always seek virtue by engaging in a spiritual battle against our passions.
  2. Paradise is not earned “from the armchair” [Greek idiom, meaning without any effort],
    but requires hard work. “The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the
    violent take it by force.    ” (Matthew 11:12)
  3. We should endure with patience sorrows, trials, injustices, and insults.
  4. We should study the Gospel and the lives of the Saints so that we can see our spiritual poverty and wretchedness.
  5. We should also pray alone “ Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on us”, “ Most
    Holy Theotokos save us”, “ Holy Saints of God pray/ intercede for us”.
  6. We should chant to dissipate our melancholy and spiritual idleness/acedia.
  7. Whatever we do, we should do it with all our heart. Life without a heart is not
    really life. We become robots if we have a mind, a sharp brain, and are very
    clever, yet do not have a heart; then we have nothing.
  8. We should attend Church as often as we can and we should receive Holy
    Communion after Confession, and if that is not possible, when we have peace in our heart.
  9. We should prepare before Confession so that when we go to the Sacrament,
    we should confess our own sins, and not those of others, without idle words,
    with self-knowledge, and real repentance.
  10. We should tolerate and forgive others so that God also forgives us.

End of an Era

Elder Gregorios 40 Day Memorial Service

Day 5: Returning

Panorama Monastery Dormition of the Theotokos
On our way back from St. Arsenios Monastery

Some years ago I learned that numbers are not important. The number of people attending Church is not an accurate indicator of either faith or success; however one measures success? Geronda Theoklitos of St Arsenios monastery confirmed this independently of my thoughts when he said ” look after your small flock.”
” God looks at the heart not on the outward appearence” as the prophet Samuel said to Jesse, the father of David.
I have passed through security and passport control. The flight is delayed. Time to pray. We pray that God will keep us all in his love.
“Wherefore, O you who fear the Lord, praise Him in the places where ye now are. Change of place does not effect any drawing nearer unto God, but wherever you may be, God will come to you, if the chambers of your soul be found of such a sort that He can dwell in you and walk in you.” St Gregory of Nyssa 8

A still small voice

Greece and its next plague of Egypt … This and the following images show the devastating effect of the storm Daniel on its eastern coast.

*

“Then He said, ‘Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it…”
1 Kings 19:11-13

*

The travelling guide’s diary—2

Some Abouna quotes and vignettes that struck my attention during his little pilgrimage … all in a ‘still small voice’ which ended up in silence …

The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent! (Ex. 14:13-14).

*About Joy in Christ and Suffering: “Christ has offered us so much joy in meeting twice at such a short time [I am bound to travel to the UK end of September] barely a month apart, because we are going to suffer when all this ends.”

*About House Blessings: why did Abouna say such fervent prayers at the blessing of a particular house — his eyes were ablaze!— and he completely ‘ignored’ another house we visited? He barely stayed there 5 min and even suggested we all have coffee outside (!) at the neighbouring cafe. Such hurry, such ‘rudeness’! He barely even looked at their icon corner!

*About Monastic Calling and Monasteries: So many lengthy discussions and inquiries all these days, on foot, or inside the car during the long car drives, about which monastery to choose and become a monastic, even at the monasteries we visited, inquiring/ discussing with the monastics themselves about their monastery typikon … yet no conclusive answer … only silence! Just hints about city hermits …

*Gerondas Theoklitos of St. Arsenios of Vatopedi holding Abouna tightly and hugging him so tightly! A scene I will never forget! What a surprise! I always thought Gerondas Theoklitos was very strict and never expressed his emotions!…

Day 4. Washing your face

overlooking the sea from the Monastery of St Arsenios in the mountains

Monasteries are places of healing and light. The Monastery of St Arsenios is one such place.

N.b.This is as close as I came to Agion Oros in the distance!

Another little miracle enabled us to meet Theologos and Vaiga with children again . We were joined by a priest from Germany Fr Victor with his Presbytera and children. The usual courtesies were extended to us, loukoumi, coffee and biscuits along with the necessary water!

Geronda Theoklitos joined us and he afforded us a great deal of his precious time even though he had many confessions to hear.. It was a true blessing to meet him.God it seems bends time in order for those who seek Him to receive His grace . Time is not really measured in monasteries. Of course there are set times for worship and work but one does not sense time passing.

I told Geronda of the mutual ministry we have at our parish and he quoted a greek proverb
“Το ‘να χέρι νίβει τ’ άλλο και τα δυο το πρόσωπο” which when translated goes something like : ” The one hand washes the other hand and both wash the face “. I suppose we have similar saying” many hands make light work.”Washing the feet is an act of service and humility, but washing the face brings cleansing and refreshment.He gave another word:St Anthimos of Chios: “ εκείνο το ´γιατί κι εκείνο το ´εγώ´ που έχομεν, αυτά μας απομακρύνουν απο τον Θεό και μας χωρίζουν απο αυτόν» — «this “why” and this “I” which we have, these distance us from God and separate us from Him.”


The proximity of hospitality and holiness is palpable in Orthodox monasteries. Faith ,food and fellowship are inseparable. For some visitors monasteries are places not only of refreshment but of healing where quiet can replenish the soul and regenerate the spirit. It is most important for Orthodox Christians to renew their spiritual batteries. Such peace was abundant at Panorama monastery. Sister S shared the typicon and structures of monasticism and we glimpsed the evening service before heading back to Thessaloniki. I think words alone cannot convey the experience of visiting monasteries. For those who truly seek God then they are places where His energies are to be found…in abundance!


– “The orthodox monastics are like the lighthouse. The lighthouse has to be always on the rocks by the sea. Do you want them to go and live into the city and be added to the other street lights? They can not become a lantern and be placed into the city’s roadside. The orthodox monastic is like a remote lighthouse, that stands high on the rocks, directing the ships of this world with their flashes, and upon the open seas the ships are orientated in order to reach their destination, which is God.” Saint Paisios of Mount Athos from the book: Spiritual Awakening

Day 3 Thursday :the Angelic Habit

Monastery of St John the Forerunner at Metamorfosi

The drive from Thessaloniki to Halkidiki was furnished by olive trees but to remind us of the fragile nature of our planet there was the faint smell of smoke in the air. (*) As St Paul says in Romans 8″ creation is groaning “. Our first visit on the itinerary was the Monastery of St John the Forerunner at Metamorfosi. Although it has a strict typikon we were allowed to sing a glorious trilogy of apolytikia and Kyries. We were joined by Baia and Theologos.

… and four of their ten children.. Konstantinos overheard my English tones and introduced me to his wife Marina and mother Gabriela who lives in London. A most interesting exchange of spiritual experiences ensued. Gabriela studied at Lancaster university at the same time as I was studying by Post Graduate certificate of education at St Martin’s college now University of Cumbria ( Lancaster campus)and having been brought up in the middle east she is looking forward to Dmitry’s ordination to the diaconate in September in Arabic. Two priests joined us with their families for monastic hospitality “metrio cafes parakalo ” the most delicious cake, loukoumi and much needed water. It was after all 37c.

On to Ormilia monastery where Marta and Alexandra have stayed. We venerated the tomb of the founder Geronda Emilianos. K. said she wanted me to meet a nun who spoke better English than me ” if that’s possible” K. added with playful wit, ” This is Mother P. I was not at all offended or diminished by K. words, especially when I learned that mother P was born and brought up five miles from where I was born.

Ormylia monastery, Holy Convent of the Annunciation


We were in the company of people from Cyprus who had connections with our parish, a Belgian priest and a Serbian priest whose Metropolitan and Professor respectively sit on the same International Commission as me.Lunch time beckoned it was 4.00 after all. A wonderful local cafe near K’s beach house where we were joined by Nikos. We made the short journey to K’s beach house where we met the Romanian family who were staying there. You can’t get much closer to the sea! If you rolled over in bed you would be splashing in the gentle waves!

On to St Paisios Monastery where we met friends of Sayedna. We joined the queue to venerate the tomb of St Paisios. A little boy repeatedly took the blessing from priests in the queue. The light of joy shone in the eyes of the faithful, reflecting the Light of Christ. Everyone we met today, those wearing the angelic habit and those who were faithful Pilgrims were happy. God is glorified in his saints.

St. Paisios’ tomb
St. Paisios poem above his tomb

Above his tomb, inside the monastery yard, on a marble plaque is found a humble poem written by himself:

“Here life has come to an end

Here my breath has stopped.
Here the body will be buried,
And my soul will rejoice.
My Saint dwells here, [St. Arsenios of Cappadochia]
And that is my honour.
I believe he will pity

My miserable soul

He will pray to the Saviour

To have the Virgin Mary with me.”


“God wants us, above all, to be happy and to enjoy inner peace. God is not a tyrant who pesters and intimidates us, but instead he wants us to be free.”St. Paisios

(*) Due to fires raging all over Greece at the time of this pilgrimage

Dadia National Park

Counting the cost

Still in a discernment process. Again in lock down. Only now inside a monastery. Glory to God for all things. Counting the cost… whether I have enough to finish it … (Luke 14:28) It is this all that makes all the difference. “Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:33)

Your prayers

PS1. Today, one of my obediences was gardening, and guess what it was: climbers!

Archangel Michael Monastery in Pella

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The monastery of Archangel Michael is a precious and invaluable adornment of the whole region.

Its rich and long history, its national and religious offer, its imposing bearing and the frescoes of the interior of the temple, distinguished by the unique sweetness in the faces, as well as realism in its movement, its revival and its upward course tends to highlight it in one of the largest pilgrimages of Northern Greece, as its surrounded by rich flora and fauna.

Tradition wants the Monastery to be built on an ancient sanctuary dedicated to the Artemis hunting goddess due to the rich flora and fauna of the area.

Today it is proved, by documents that are saved in the Holy Monastery of the Greatest Lavra of Mount Athos, and by elements of the previous century, that it was dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. From various documents, such as the “Chrysoboulos Logos” of Alexios Komnenos, published in 1082, it seems to have existed since the 11th century as a glebe land of the Greatest Lavra of Athos.

Regardless of the above, it remains a fact, that one and a half centuries after the restoration of the Monastery, it is dedicated and has its protector and guide Archangel Michael. In fact, in 1858, the monastery was rebuilt with a charter of the Sultan, and was renamed this way, because the monastery was burned on September 6th, the day of the Miracle of Archangel Michael at Chonae, and as a sign of gratitude by many residents of the area, who survived harmless on the day of destruction by certain death. In 3/1182, the monastery of Greatest Lavra, founded a glebe in the form of a regular monastery in the village of Hostiani (today’s Archangelo).

The monastery of Ossiani until the 18th century has a lively presence in the area, to the point where it founded a subsidiary monastery at the foothills of Voras outside the village of Promachi. The monastery is Saint’s Hilarion, Bishop of Moglenoi. The monastery was besieged by the Turks in the 18th century. The Turks decimated the monks and burnt the monastery, while a one of them escaped alone, and gory beetled along to the Great Monastery.

The danger to the monastery was great. At the same time, the inhabitants of the current village of Notia adopted the religion of Muslim. At that time, took also place the tragic incident of the burning of the Monastery, by the neophyte Muslims, who also destroyed the surrounding building facilities. The homesteads, the fields and the forests, were destroyed and the pastures were granted to new owners, and the neighbors and the animals of the Monastery were dispersed.

Desolation lasts more than half a century, but already in 1858, with the permission of the sultan, the burnt monastery is reconstructed, and Valis of the Vitolioi returned the land that had been appropriated. From now on, an economic robustness began and the monastery provided dynamic assistance to the region’s poor. The monks undertook initiatives in the fields of education, moral support and national orientation of Karatzova.

The 19th century is one of the cruel times of Turkish slavery. Nevertheless, the Monastery of Archangel Michael is a robust presence in the northern Almopia. Inside this hive of the monks and ordinary people, the cells were transformed into hidden school rooms. The children were taught the ancestral wisdom and the ancient Greek letters. So, returning to their place, they became priests or teachers.

In the high mountains of Jena and Koziaka, a generation of young patriots was manned. The same period of time, was surrounded by violence and terror, and the propaganda of Bulgarians and Romanians contributed to this. In the Macedonian struggle the Holy Monastery was the center of Hellenism and the stronghold of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

As for its national offer, many brave chieftains were dressed as monks, led by Archangel Michael, to encourage and guide the Macedonian men and the frightened inhabitants of the region. A typical example, is the brave chieftain Captain Matapas who, with the nickname Papa Christos and based in the Monastery of the Archangel, organized rebelliously the region of Aridaia and Goumenissa of Kilkis.

Other brave chieftains used the Monastery as a base and hideout, such as George Kakoulidis, Nicholas Vlachos and Emmanuel Skountris, who won victories against the Bulgarians at Promachoi.

For some decades the monastery was a chapel of the parish of the village of Archangelos. Today the Monastery operates with a cenobitic rite. The rhythm of the temple is a three-aisled basilica and its walls are one meter thick. The katholikon of the temple is painted by frescoes of folk painters from Krousouvo.

Indeed, the most famous frescoes are scenes from the martyrdom of Saint Chrisi and the hagiography of Saint Hilarion, Bishop of Moglenoi, which is unique throughout Greece. Finally, the miraculous icon of Archangel Michael is preserved.

The monastery

The surrounding hills

Make Good Use of Pain

Suffering
“God will centrifuge each one of us” (!)  Those words by Gerondissa Philothei were repeated rather ‘ominously’ 3 to 4 times at the first (*) homily I attended at the Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery in Panorama. Doesn’t the centrifugal force cause an object to move out and away from the centre of its path? Is God through various afflictions centrifuging me away from the centre of my old self?

“How good it would have been if we did not let the pain go to waste! One way or another we will suffer. But our whole torture and struggle will go down the drain unless we make good use of pain unless we exploit it. …When we suffer, when a pain insists, let us think like that: “God wants something good to come out of this in me, and I act as if I do not get it. And all I do is moan and groan.” …. 

“Know this: When pain will have completed the work it is supposed to do, God takes away. It is not difficult at all for God to remove whichever pain. … A Christian is capable of making such good use of every pain so that he can constantly be in paradise. …. Let there be no complaint, no rebellion, no kicking about.

If possible, whichever pain you have, deal with it by saying these words: “Let it be blessed, my God. Whatever You Want.” This way our pain won’t get wasted but will be exploited to the full. We will take advantage of it, and the great good which saves will come to our hearts. When God visits you with sorrows, say: “Thank you, my God. As I had absolutely no intention to embrace a few ugly things, a few pains, and truly follow your path, you caught up with me and gave me a few. How can I thank you enough?” (!) [+S.K]

*

(*) The first homily, that is after 35 or so years to be precise. Because Elder Symeon Kragiopoulos monastery was my starting point to the Church.  The moment I stepped my foot into the narthex, it all came back to me. Literally that “taste” and “fragrance” of life and teachings which I understood so little back then, yet never forgot since.  What an encouragement for my ‘new’ obediences!   The second ‘word’ which I received soon after was a mission to make pilgrimages and establish contacts with all nearby Thessaloniki monasteries. All nearby monasteries?! Quite bold a list of obediences for such a timid little city hermit. But may it be blessed. Your prayers

[Monastery Diaries 7]

 

 

The Monastery Diaries 6

elder symeon kragiopoulos monasteries.jpg

Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery

 

assumption monastery panorama.jpg

Assumption Monastery

 

New 2020 obediences–New Envoy duties

 

This time to two monasteries at the suburbs of Thessaloniki, both at Panorama. The one is of the Nativity of the Theotokos, which belongs together with the nearby men’s monastery of the Holy Trinity, to +Elder Symeon Kragiopoulos’ monastery ‘complex‘. The opening photograph at their website shows both monasteries; the women’s monastery is the smaller one in the background); the second monastery is of the Assumption to the Theotokos  https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x14a846fddfe0e7d3%3A0xc72518e226191bdc!3m1!7e115!4shttps%3A%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPPDnFBdX1QlSJkJUMbysQeSsbBjsnLEGKPQOrb%3Dw480-h320-k-no!5zzpPPhc69zrHOuc66zrXOr86xIM6ZzrXPgc6sIM68zr_Ovc6uIM6azr_Ouc68zq7Pg861z4nPgiDPhM63z4IgzpjOtc6_z4TPjM66zr_PhSDPgM6xzr3Ov8-BzrHOvM6xIC0gR29vZ2xlIFNlYXJjaA&imagekey=!1e10!2sAF1QipMNsnxgG8ntgkYI5Rvp_YnQPBa30XAbs3XvDizB&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiiq6-hs_nmAhURaFAKHRJ_BoMQoiowGHoECAwQBg

 

Never a dull moment! So much to discover… I hardly know anything about the inner life of these two monasteries. Your prayers