www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Dostoevsky and our Alex

Dear Diak,

How utterly fascinating!

I did my year's postulancy to be an Oblate but have yet to formally complete it and be professed.

Could you comment on how Byzantine Rite Benedictines have adapted the Rule of St Benedict, especially his rules for the Psalter and the Office, to the spirituality of the Byzantine Church?

I've always assumed Byzantine Benedictines would just follow the liturgical tradition of their own Church.

Alex

+JMJ+

I have not visited yet, but will ASAP. I have heard about it before and hope to go there for a visit soon. If all works out, maybe I will go to that monastery.

What part of Kansas are ya'll from?

Joe Zollars

I'm in Toe-Peaka Joe :rolleyes: Don

I'm in Par-suns Don.

Joe Zollars

PS: my Ya'll comes from my years as a southerner.

Dear Diak,

Is there not a Ukrainian Benedictine Monastery in your Eparchy?

Alex

Dear Joe and Don,

This reminds me of the story of the visit to the Ole South of an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi from New York City.

As he walked around the streets, he was greeted by stares and stares from the Southerners.

He could take no more of this, turned around and yelled out, "Whatsa matteh? Haven't y'all seen a Yankee before?"

Alex

I can say Ya'll because I grew up in Okie-Homa, now displaced to northern regions, like northeatern Kansas. Don can say it too, because he's from that Missouri boot-heel country. We live southeast of Topeka and southwest of Lawrence in the scenic Wakarusa River country, nearest to the unincorporated berg of Berryton.

Alex, we have two monasteries in our Eparchy, Holy Transfiguration in Ukiah, California and Holy Transfiguration Skete on the Keewenaw Peninsula in Michigan. HTM in California is Studite while the Skete is Studite-style that follows the rule of St. Benedict.

The monks at the Skete, Father Nicholas and Father Basil, were both former primitive-observance Latin Benedictines who were received by the Eparchy and were instructed in the Eastern monastic life by Archimandrite Boniface in California. They actualy do follow the Rule of St. Benedict and integrate that fully into the Byzantine monastic life. True to the Eastern way they don't formally call themselves 'Benedictine' but they certainly follow and read the Rule.

There is talk of at least one more mnastery in the works inour eparchy, as well.

The spiritual fathers for my family are all in your Eparchy, strangely enough...Toronto's been our home away from home for the last three or four years.

I was down in Oklahoma recently to visit relatives and an old friend of mine and former teaching compatriot was giving a seminar at the new Benedictine monastery I spoke of to Joe on education of boys and the connection to monastic life, so it was a good chance to check out the new traditional Latin Benedictine monastery, pray with the monks, hear some good talks and see some old friends. Interestingly enough, they had a large copy of Rublev's Holy Trinity in the narthex and another large hand-written icon of the Theotokos in the chapel as a side-shrine for which I commended them.

[ 07-17-2002: Message edited by: Diak ]

Dear Diak,

Then please tell the monks that there is no limit to class with them!!

Alex