Hey guys, my first post here. Have a few questions for you all.

First off I should say is that Im praying on a vocation to monastic life in the Eastern Churches. With that said Im looking at communities, and had a few questions on them.

First off is Holy Transfiguration Monastery- Mt Tabor. The name itself is kinda crazy but what Im trying to figure out is if its a safe place to settle into for my vocation. I had heard that there was a wave of monks who recently left in protest and that their abbot was asked to resign. Does anyone have news on this community?

Secondly, Holy Resurrection Monastery. This community has switched locations from their original in California and has also changed jurisdiction. Are they currently in good graces with the Apostolic See based on this change?

Third is Holy Transfiguration Skete- Society of St. John. This is the one that is honestly tempting out of all of them. They have shown a great deal of stability and perseverance in the monastic discipline. My only concern is that it is made up of mostly Latins who embraced the Eastern Church, want to make sure there isn't excessive latinzation etc.

Lastly, in most pictures I have seen of the UGCC communities, I have see no evidence of the Great Schema, the klobuk and outer cassock. Do these groups maintain a separate religious habit and do they maintain the traditional degrees of Byzantine monasticism?

Thanks again!
[u]IC|XC[/u]
NIKA

While I would defer to members of the clergy who frequent this forum and others more enlightened than I for direct advice, I would offer that it is simply wonderful to hear of your calling to monastic life. In our parish, we are praying fervently for all vocations, and I will pray for you and the fulfillment of your vocational calling!

May God bless you and keep you!

Please keep us posted as you continue your discernment.

I would suggest getting in contact with HRM. They have just purchased a permanent home in WI and have been under the Romanian Greek Catholic Jurisdiction for a few years now AND are in full Communion with the Church of Rome. (and never have not been for that matter!) If you are serious about living an authentic Eastern/Byzantine Monastic Life within the Catholic Communion then Holy Resurrection is the place to be, IMHO.

Nelson

Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement!

I suppose the thing that concerns me the most is the short time most of these foundations have been in existence (as opposed to some of the more established Latin monasteries here in the US) and the small sizes of the communities.

I know quite a bit about all three of these communities.

Holy Resurrection is strong and well-respected but Abbot Nicholas and Fr. Maximos do travel quite a bit and I think that is a negative. Mt. Tabor/Holy Transfiguration is going into a challenging rebuilding period and probably won't stabilize for at least another year or two. The Michigan Skete I would not recommend to anyone, for reasons I would not express in a public forum.

There is another option, the Skete of the Precious and Life-Creating Cross in the eparchy of Edmonton, Alberta. Fr. Taras has been leading this small community for a couple of years. They are very solid and have generous support from the eparchy.

Are you canonically an Eastern Catholic? If not, you will no doubt have to go through a canonical change of rite and that could take some time, even before a community would consider admitting you as an observer. I believe the Code of Canons of the Eastern Catholic Churches is pretty clear in this regard.

All this aside, may God bless you as you discern your monastic vocation - a call to draw near to the very heart of God!

You might also check out maronitemonks.org, a community of Maronite monks that have many members who began canonically as members of other sui juris Catholic churches. From their website:

Perhaps I am misunderstanding you, but it sounds as though you are going to decide which community to join without having visited any of them. That would be, I believe, a grave mistake. This is not like choosing a college or university, where you can enroll without ever having visited the campus and, if you are unhappy, simply transfer a year later. (Yes, you can do that, but I can think of no better way to destroy a potential vocation.)

I think you need to plan an extended visit to all of the communities you are considering. By "extended," I mean for a period of several weeks, so that you can experience the rhythm of the community and get a sense of the spirit of the house. I don't know how you can possibly make such a decision, make such a commitment without meeting and praying with the men whose life you would be joining.

I will hold your intentions in my prayers.

Rybak: Traditionally, most Churches try to avoid this where it is possible. Rather they prefer to grant an indult of accommodation so that the ascription to a sui iuris Church is maintained while a religious is subject to the institute and its Church episcopacy.

Theophan: Many thanks! I am aware of that community but I am looking more into communities following the Byzantine rite as opposed to the Maronite rite (which is Antiochian in origin if Im not mistaken).


Penthaetria: No, absolutely not. What I was inquiring was the canonical status and if (one in particular) was in good graces of the Apostolic See. After talking to various friends, retreatants and indeed members of these communities; I most likely would not be joining the monks of Mt. Tabor. The latter two are still a great possibility.

Sister Penthaetria has said it well - you really have to see where the best "fit" is with the community you choose - both for them and for you. Whether trying to choose a spiritual father or a community to join, visiting and seeing for yourself is imperative. I can't believe looking back at my earlier post I didn't include the best kept secret of monastic communities in North America, Hieromonk Taras Kraychuk and the Skete of the Precious and Life-giving Cross in Myrnam, Alberta.

Fr. Taras has lived faithfully to the Studite monastic tradition for a long time, and has an amazing personal life witness of metanoia as well. He was in the Monstery of the Mother of God in Orangeville until the monks decided to return to Ukraine and then he received a blessing to remain and start his own skete according to the Studite Rule. My family and I visited Orangeville several times while it was still active and he has been a wonderful source of spiritual guidance for our family, although unfortunately we haven't been able to see him in a while. Here is a newsletter he did a couple of years ago:
http://saintelias.com/monastic-life/Monastic_Life/About_Me.html You should add this to your "must visit" list if you can.

Diak: I have heard of this community before but can find no additional information on it besides that update which I think was written in 2009. Anyone have an idea how to contact them?

Please forgive my poor manners. I failed to welcome you to the forum in my first reply to you.

Bob

Palaiologos - Your PM box is full.

Diak for some reason it won't let me view user profiles or send PMs. And yes I have the right stuff set in my preferences

Or send me a PM with an email address.

Palaiologos:

As a new member, you're not yet able to access either user profiles or or make PMs. Sorry, but that's something the board had to begin a few years back because of some not-so-friendly new members. Please be patient with us.

Bob
Moderator

Are all these Eastern Catholic Monasteries growing in numbers and able to attract new recruits to the fold?

Glory to Jesus Christ!
I think we ought not judge monasteries based on any other than a direct experience with the fathers there and those who have visited first hand. It's possible that numbers are down, jurisdictions have changed, and the like, for reasons that are outside of the spiritual life of the particular monastery in question. For one considering a monastic vocation, nothing other than that experience for an extended period can truly give one a sense of the spiritual life of there.

The overwhelming majority of Eastern Christian (Catholic and Orthodox) monasteries in North America are quite small. Only a handful have more than 10 monks.

Of the 4 EC monasteries mentioned in this post, 3 of them have been seeing new vocations every year or two. Only the Michigan skete has had no new vocations.

Most of the Orthodox monasteries I have visited have only 2 or 3 monks currently.

That being said, do not judge a monastery or its monks by the size of the community. Throughout Christian history we see so many examples of great things done by and through individuals and very small groups.

True enough.

As an update I will (hopefully) be visiting Holy Resurrection Monastery later this month.

Anyone have news on the monasteries in DC and Butler, PA?

A Ukrainian GC priest friend of mine told me that the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Washington DC now has only one monks left there. I have no reason to think otherwise as he regularly corresponds with the monk.

Holy Trinity in Butler has three monks left: Br. Michael (73), Fr. Anselm (85ish), and Abbot Leo (79). They are a rather aging community. I just moved back to PA from NY and I am attending Fr. Leo's parish (he celebrated our Crowning at our last parish in PA) and I get to talk to him regularly. He told me that as of late many of the men looking to join are running from their lives not to God and the Monastery. He also said that it could be difficult for a young man to join without any other men in formation because of the need for somebody to grow with. It's a terribly sad situation.

Truly a sad situation. However, what is even more sad is that it seems to be a growing trend.