In
the summer of 1995, six monks arrived in the southern Arizona desert to
establish St. Anthony’s Monastery, carrying with them the sacred
heritage of the Holy Mountain, Athos. For over a thousand years, this
steep and rocky peninsula in northern Greece has maintained the
traditions of the greatest monastic establishments of ancient
Christianity in Egypt, Cappadocia, and Constantinople, thus preserving
intact the wisdom of the Holy Fathers and the sacred traditions of the
ancient Church. Today, the Holy Mountain consists of 20 independent
monasteries and numerous sketes and hermitages, housing thousands of
Orthodox Christian monks from all over the world.
Geronda
Ephraim, a disciple of the renowned Saint Joseph the Hesychast (+1959),
restored and repopulated four Mt. Athos monasteries and established
over a dozen monastic communities in Greece and North America. Then in
1995 he transferred several monks from the Philotheou Monastery on Mt.
Athos to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona to start a new monastery. Upon
their arrival, the fathers began the necessary construction, building
the main church, living quarters for monks, a dining hall, and guest
quarters.
As
the monastery expanded, more chapels were built; a vegetable garden, a
small vineyard, citrus orchards, and an olive grove were soon planted.
An elaborate system of gardens, pathways, gazebos, and Spanish fountains
make the monastery and its extensive grounds a true oasis in the
desert.
St.
Anthony’s Monastery is a Greek- and English-speaking monastery in the
Metropolis of San Francisco of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of
America. The monastery is named after St. Anthony the Great (ca.
251–356), the renowned Egyptian ascetic, known as “the father of
monasticism.” The monastery follows the cenobitic rule of monastic life:
the brotherhood of over 50 monks and novices holds all things in common
and follows a daily schedule of prayer and work under obedience to the
abbot, their spiritual father.
The
monks’ daily program begins two hours before midnight with personal
prayer time and spiritual reading, followed by the cycle of morning
prayers and the Divine Liturgy. After a light breakfast and a rest
period, the monks begin their work day, attending to prayer and their
tasks until evening. Tasks include construction, woodworking,
publishing, food preparation, offering hospitality, grounds keeping,
tending the vineyard and the various gardens and orchards. To support
themselves, the monks translate and publish books, sell their
agricultural products, and rely on donations from the thousands of
pilgrims and tourists visiting the monastery every year. The day ends
with evening Vespers followed by dinner and Compline.
† May our Lord and God Jesus Christ bless you!
