Pilgrimage to St. Paisius Monastery

Since around 2005, many of our ladies have traveled to the dessert of Arizona to leave their cares behind and embrace the love of Christ at this Serbian Monastery. This year I traveled with four of our ladies across the country in the middle of October. What a blessing it was to have been with them. I was tucked away out in the new olive tree orchard with Fr. David and Papadija Theodora Brunton while our ladies found lodging at St. Anna’s and St. John’s houses near the book store.

I was kept busy with fire alarm work and minor carpentry repairs while the females harvested basil, made beaded prayer bracelets’, worked in the orchards, and weeded the gardens. We were there seven days and attended four liturgies and numerous other services and were able to venerate the relics of St. Anastasia of Serbia. We were nourished with organically grown produce and fish, I think I gained weight!

Since there is a three hour difference in time, I was able to awaken at 5 am and attend church each day, while my body believed it to be 8 am back home. The two choirs sing antiphonally. There are some regular residents that live outside the monastery that attend regularly and there is also a small girl’s school on campus taught by Papadija Theodora. The new dormitory is being constructed which will locate the nuns beside the new church and afford the monastery to us the nun’s existing quarters for guests. This year they have received over 1200 guests. If you haven’t yet been to this monastery, I highly recommend it; it is a taste of heaven on earth.

Our group left a day early and visited St. Anthony’s Greek Men’s Monastery. We were blessed to be able to venerate the relics of Elder Joseph the Hesychast and St. Panteleimon. The grounds were beautiful and the bookstore is a must-see.

Fr. Gabriel Weller