A Call to Cloister?

I re-read today the parting message I addressed to readers of The Continuum nearly 10 years ago, announcing that I was preparing to receive instruction in the Orthodox faith with the goal of being received into the Church of Cyprus. I promised to keep in touch, but have done a very bad job of doing so. It is now nearly nine years since I became Orthodox, with the aim of being nothing more than a common foot soldier in the army of Christ. That is the course that I have followed. And since I retired to my home in the mountains of southern Spain nearly three years ago, I have been gradually withdrawing from the world and dedicating a greater amount of my time to prayer, spiritual reading and meditation. I am writing now to tell you that I am giving serious thought to joining a new regiment, by entering a monastic community. I will spend the first two weeks of November as a guest at St Tikhon of Zadonsk monastery in Pennsylvania, after which I hope to finally come to a decision about whether a life is community is for me. I will also, obviously, be examining whether St Tikhon's might be the right place for me, and giving them a chance to think about whether they would like me to join them. I ask your prayers that the Holy Spirit make manifest to me and all those concerned what His will is for us. Yours in Christ, Albion (Ilias) Land

14th SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

Sermon preached by Fr. Hart on Sept. 2, 2018 at St. Benedict's ACC. Click here.