The Planting of a Monastery (part 10)

Culture Shock
The return to the United States

After having spent almost a month in Greece, including ten days on Mount Athos, the return to the United States, via New York City, was major culture shock. I found myself grieving for the loss of the simple life of the Holy Mountain, with its lack of phones, electricity, vehicles, and noise. From the monks and pilgrims traversing the medieval cobblestone roads, with walking sticks in hand, and the occasional monk leading his donkey, laden with supplies, to the rush of an American airport, was a shock. Running between connecting flights, coupled with the seemingly endless flight to the West Coast, made me feel as though I had been ripped from paradise.

The return to the old farmhouse on Vashon Island, which had served as our temporary monastery, was for me, paradise regained. It enabled me to reenter the rhythm of daily monastic life, with services, the cell rule, gardening, spiritual reading, and simple monastic food, keeping me connected to the Holy Mountain. Although I felt sad that the co-founder of the monastery, Father Paul, had not been able to experience Mount Athos, I also knew he was committed, as was I, to create a Holy Mountain on Vashon Island, where God had placed us.

The Island of my Salvation

Following my return from the Holy Mountain we were faced with mounting bills, rising rent costs, little income, and my personal desire to return to Mt. Athos to continue my monastic struggle. I went so far as to ask a blessing from my spiritual father, Archimandrite Dimitry of Santa Rosa, California’s Kazan Skete, for a blessing to return to the Holy Mountain. Much to my surprise, Father Dimitry told me that my “salvation was on Vashon Island”.

It seemed, given our near financial ruin, to be utter nonsense. How could this possibly be true, living as we were in a rental house, with no prospects of owning property, and no viable way of founding a monastery in the Puget Sound region. However, I knew as a monk I was bound by my vows in obedience to my spiritual father. I also believed, as did many, that Father Dimitry had been blessed with the gift of clairvoyance, and that he could see something in the future that was hidden to me. So I withdrew my request and committed myself to Vashon Island as the place God had chosen for me to work out my salvation.

In June of 1991 my elder, Archimandrite Dimitry (Egoroff) reposed, and the loss for all of his spiritual children was devastating. We drove south to Santa Rosa, for his funeral service, which took place in the small chapel of the Kazan Skete, where Mother Susanna, my spiritual sister, was abbess.

Northern California had been suffering under a severe drought, with the usual rainy season having passed, and the whole region parched with lack of rain. Yet on the morning of the funeral the skies opened, and we were hit with torrential rains that lasted all day. During the drive to Healdsburg, where Father’s holy relics where to be laid to rest, it poured so hard we could hardly see the pavement ahead. For Russians, it has always been seen a sign of God’s blessings for it to rain on the day of one’s burial.

With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon

Saturday November 18, 2017 / November 5, 2017
24th Week after Pentecost. Tone six.

Synaxis of saints of Karelia (movable holiday on the Saturday between October 31st and November 6th).
Martyrs Galacteon and his wife Episteme at Emesa (253).
Repose of St. Jonah, archbishop of Novgorod (1470).
St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus (Election 1917).
New Hieromartyr Gabriel priest (1937).
Apostles Patrobus, Hermas, Linus, Gaius, and Philologus of the Seventy (1st c.).
St. Gregory, archbishop of Alexandria (9th c.).
Martyrs Domninus, Timothy, Theophilus, Theotimus, Dorotheus, Eupsychius, Carterius, Pamphilius, Agathangelus, and Castorus of Palestine (307).
Hieromartyr Silvanus, bishop of Gaza.
St. Kea, bishop of Devon and Cornwall.
Venerable Odrada, virgin of Balen (8th c.) (Neth.).
St. Cybi, abbot in Cornwall and Wales (550) (Celtic & British).
St. Gregory of Cassano, Calabria (1002).

The Scripture Readings

2 Corinthians 11:1-6

Concern for Their Faithfulness

11 Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly—and indeed you do bear with me. 2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!

Paul and False Apostles

5 For I consider that I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles. 6 Even though I am untrained in speech, yet I am not in knowledge. But we have been thoroughly manifested among you in all things.

Luke 9:1-6

Sending Out the Twelve

9 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. 2 He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.

4 “Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5 And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”

6 So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.