Holy Myrrhbearers Monastery

The meaning of Christian asceticism is ultimately positive, not negative. Its point is not the rejection of any aspect of creation, but to learn to see creati...on as the gift that it is, and to receive it with attentiveness and gratitude rather than craving or entitlement. It is a detachment aimed not at turning from the world, but being able to turn towards it with purity and love. - Jeremiah Carey Blessed Nativity Fast for those on the New Calendar!

Maria Struve, a well known iconographer, who, together with her husband Nikita, were our friends and visited HROC many times. In 1981, she conducted an iconogra...phy workshop for the parish, and all the icons in our iconostasis is her wonderful and humble work. We treasure them. (See the attached photos.) Memory Eternal, dear friend! In Christ, Fr A "Marie Eltchaninoff, wife of Nikita Struve, my mom, passed away peacefully yesterday [Nov, 12th] after a long and rich life full of extraordinary encounters (father Serge Bulgakov, mother Maria, and so many others). She leaves us with her many icons spread worldwide and a life lesson: great dignity and simplicity. Eternal memory! Mélanie Rakovitch, Paris, France" See more

Save the Date and plan to join us on YouTube for our Virtual St. Andrew's Day celebration. See the Attached Flyer for details and spread the word! Clergy interested in participating please contact me ASAP

Can you place your hope in the world? Whom has it not deceived? To whom has it not lied? It promises much, but gives very little. Only those who hope in the Lord, according to the words of the Prophet David, do not sin, i.e., they are not deceived in their hope! + St. Anthony of Optina

The Archangel Michael, called Archistrategos or Chief Commander, is perhaps the most celebrated of the angels and bodiless powers. His name means "like unto God..." or "he who is like the Lord." This icon portrays a story about the archangel’s involvement with the rescue of a church in a place called Chonae. Apostle John the Theologian looked upon that place and prophesied that a spring of miraculous water would open up there. A church dedicated to Saint Michael was built there, which worried the local pagan population. They altered the course of a river so that it would destroy the church. It was then that the archangel appeared and diverted the river again so that the church was saved. The Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Chonae is commemorated today. The Archangel Michael at Chonae c. 1650 Russia

Memory eternal Matushka.

Select sayings of Saint Sophrony on loving our neighbor and the world. From Words of Life, published by Stavropegic Monastery of St. John the Baptist, Essex: ...We must have the same consciousness as Christ, who bears in himself the whole world; this is what makes for the universality of the human person. The word of Christ does not stop; it is without limits... Someone who loves Christ, who assimilates and bears within himself the feelings that were in Jesus Christ, lives the world as one Adam, prays for the whole Adam. That is what true Christianity is... To follow Christ means to suffer so that all humanity be healed and saved. It cannot be otherwise To love our neighbor as ourselves, to live according to the Commandments of Christ, will lead us to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Christ prayed for the whole world To follow Christ means to open oneself to the same consciousness as Christ, who bears in himself the whole of humanity, the totality of the tree, without excluding a single leaf. If we acquire this consciousness, we will pray for all as for ourselves... We repent personally, but our passions are also those which dominate the whole world. Thus, what we live is not separated from cosmic life. Little by little, quite naturally, we begin to live our state as a reflection of the state of all humanity. We begin to live our life as through God‘s eyes, in a universal way. Through our repentance, we do not only live our own individual drama; we live in ourselves the tragedy of all humanity, the drama of its history since the beginning of time... In Christ, our consciousness expands, our life becomes unlimited. In the commandment ‘love thy neighbor as thy self,’ we must understand the self in this way: every man, the whole Adam, is my being... One cannot love without suffering. The greatest pain is that of loving to the utmost. Christ loved so much that he gave himself up to a terrible death. The Saints too. Paradise always costs this price. Prayer for the world is the fruit of extremely deep and acute suffering." - Saint Sophrony of Essex

Today we celebrate St Dimitry, a priest who worked with Mother Maria to save Jews from the Nazis. St. Dimitry signed many false baptismal certificates in order ...to save people from the Nazis, while also baptizing many who also sought to convert. But he never baptized anyone who didn't want it. He told Mother Maria why he signed the false certificates saying, I think the good Christ would give me that paper if I were in their place. So I must do it. Eventually, a German officer named Hoffman collected a large amount of evidence on how Jews had been helped by Mother Maria and Fr. Dimitry. He was prepared to question the priest for a long time, and was astonished when Fr. Dimitry told him frankly about everything he had done. Hoffman said curtly, And if we release you, will you promise never again to aid Jews? Dimitry answered, I can say no such thing. I am a Christian, and must act as I must. Hoffman stared at him in disbelief for a moment, and then struck Dimitry across his face. Jew lover! he screamed. How dare you talk of those pigs as being a Christian duty! The frail Dimitry recovered his balance. Staying calm, he raised the Cross from his cassock and faced Hoffman with it. Do you know this Jew? he said quietly. The blow he received knocked him to the floor. Shortly thereafter, Fr. Dimitry was taken to a concentration camp where he died.

First feast of the repose of Saint Sophrony of Essex and Mt. Athos. Have a blessed day.

"God is our refuge and strength; a help in the afflictions that have come upon us; therefore we will not fear when the earth is troubled; when the mountains are removed to the heart of the sea." (Psalm 46(45)) I'm sure we have all repeated these words often during these days of "COVID-19". God is with us and our refuge even if, even when "the mountains are toppled into the midst of the sea". With God's help we will all get through this. The first people who recited the psalm surely had their COVID-19s. They also had no antibiotics, no hospitals, no emergency rooms or doctors as we know them. Just as then, the Lord who "holds all creation in the palm of His hand" helped them; so He helps us now. So we are still here; still praying to the One who will never forsake us.

Recently received recommendation for our Reader's Service Book and Psalter. Father gave his permission to share on Facebook. I have been using the Reader's Service Book and Psalter for my own prayer and can say that it is the best version of the Byzantine Daily Office that I have ever used or found anywhere. Thank you all so much for providing this much-needed service. I look forward to receiving the books and giving them to people to help them deepen their prayer lives du...ring these rather turbulent times. With best wishes in the risen Lord, Fr. Chrysostom Frank ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Setting up a new store is very slow going . . . Thank you very much for your help! In Christ, Mother Anna See More from Mother Sophronia Hofstead

We wish you a blessed Pentecost and All Saints Tide In spite of the epidemic Spring finally came and now the "first glimmerings" of real Summer-after a peculiar of and on again Winter with-it seemed- almost endless rain and, on Pascha, snow! Everything is beautiful and green. Our goats presented us with a buck kid (named Maimonides by one of our neighbors) and three lively lambs named Amarillis, Timbrel and Dance. "The hills skipped like lambs" We take precautions, masks, when we leave the property for early (7AM) shopping for the two oldest.Masks also worn in the small house chapel we have just now begun attending again; praying hard for all of the ill and those "left behind"; and commending all creation to our Lord.

Wool Pool Part 3 The bales are then reweighed and moved to form rows ready for the factory’s truck. Things are diminishing. This year only 55 producers participated. Many of the large flocks, including that of Cornell, have been dismantled. We made 89 bales which figured out to about 35,000 lbs. It’s not much as it seems there was no collection last year. This is 2 years’ weight.

Wool Pool Part 2 First the fleeces are weighed: the producer is paid so much a pound. Then the fiber is dumped along a raceway where we push it down toward the baler. The baler is basically a hydraulic ram that compresses the fleece to its least possible dimensions. A completed bale weighs about 400 pounds.