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Quiet and commitment at Orthodox monastery in the desert
By Angela Cara Pancrazio
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 14, 2007 12:00 AM
Just before the monk climbed the stairs to ring the 4 p.m. bells,
Anastasia Lagos waited below the tower.
In the presence of men who have committed their lives to Greek
Orthodox monasticism, Lagos tied a babushka under her chin and wore a
long skirt. There must not be any distractions.
The 27-year-old was on a pilgrimage.
She had traveled from her homeland, Greece, to reflect and pray at
St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery, the domed chapels and bell
towers that rise above the saguaro-studded desert in Florence.
The middle of the desert may seem an unlikely place for a monastery
famous among the international Orthodox Christian community. But to
the hundreds of pilgrims like Lagos who journey here, even through
the torrid heat of summer, the serenity and spirituality here is
reminiscent of ancient monasteries.
"In the middle of the desert it's so quiet; here you feel like you're
living centuries ago," Lagos said.
"Time passes slowly."
It's been about 10 years since the monastery began to take root here.
But the Byzantine-style chapels and churches that rise from the lush
landscape of palm trees, saguaros, cholla, greasewood and creosote,
look as if the monastery has stood here for hundreds of years.
With the exception of an occasional Federal Express or United Parcel
Service delivery truck, the monastery fits in with centuries long ago.
Because of its setting in the Arizona desert, the monastery is unique
among the 17 Greek Orthodox monasteries in North America.
It is St. Anthony's spiritual leader, Father Ephraim, who chose the
desert outside Florence to build his monastery.
He loved the tranquillity and climate.
Then, the story goes, driving in the desert, looking for land for his
monastery, the elder heard bells, recalled Father Markellos, one of
St. Anthony's monks.
And just where the bells came from, no one knows.
"That's a mystery," Markellos said.
But Father Ephraim seemed to be called by the bells to spread out
over the swath of more than 100 acres where the monastery stands
today.
Ephraim brought six monks from Athos to the Sonoran Desert to build
his monastery.
Side by side, the monks and construction workers first erected the
traditional Byzantine style, domed basilica church.
Inside, the Panagia Arizonitissa or the Mother of God of Arizona, the
icon special to the monastery, was painted in Greece.
Crosses, rings, necklaces - offerings to the Virgin Mary - hang from
the gilded icon.
A single candle flickers.
Outside, pathways meander through lush gardens connecting four more
chapels.
Originally, there were six monks; now there are nearly 40.
Their day begins at midnight with personal prayers, followed by
morning prayers.
After a light breakfast and rest, they begin their work.
Father Markellos is tall and youngish-looking but doesn't reveal his
age.
He's usually the monk near the front gate who checks that the
visitors - both men and women - are appropriately covered.
He also stresses that the photogenic black-robed monks are off limits
photographically.
Though some of the monks are in their 80s with longish white beards
like Father Ephraim, they reflect an ageless, youthful quality.
Dressed in black, the soft utterances of their prayers can be heard
throughout the vegetable gardens, olive grove, citrus orchard, and
even in the bookstore where they sell their organic applesauce and
red wine vinegar.
What they've created, say the monks, is an oasis.
It is not only the quiet that draws Orthodox Christian pilgrims to
St. Anthony's from around the world; Father Ephraim comes from the
sacred heritage of Mount Athos, the "Holy Mountain," a remote
monastery in Greece reachable only by boat that has not changed much
in the last 10 centuries.
"In the Orthodox world, it's probably the most well-known monastery
in America," said John Alan Jones, a pilgrim from Kodiak, Alaska.
"Greece has Mount Athos. America has St. Anthony's in Florence. This
is a bit of Mount Athos in America."
Though the monastery has a global reputation among pilgrims, St.
Anthony's is also a sanctuary for local Greek Orthodox.
"Stepping onto monastic grounds such as Florence is stepping out of
ordinary time, out of the ordinary world," said Victoria Keegan, a
member of Scottsdale's Assumption Greek Orthodox Church.
Keegan's first journey to the monastery is a momentous one.
"The very first time I went to the monastery, I had a feeling of
angst because I was struggling with something," she said.
"When I stepped through the archway, I burst into tears; I felt like
I had found a haven."
Alexandr
