The Quarantine of the Son of God   

The entire world is experiencing the impact of COVID-19, the Novel Corona Virus pandemic. It is commonly said that one of the Chinese words for crisis can be interpreted as opportunity. With the limiting of so many being able to go out, we invite you to discover the opportunity to go in. To go in to the place of the heart. Over the coming days, we will be posting wisdom from the Desert Fathers and Mothers of the Church regarding the values to be found from times of silence, solitude, and reflection.

One of the fourth-century African fathers, St. Athanasius of Alexandria, wrote that “God became a man, that man might become God” [by grace].  The idea of God becoming a man to bring us into eternal communion with Himself is at the heart of the Christian message. It began with a nine-month period of containment, quarantine if you will, for God in the womb of the Virgin Mary. It was during this period...

Self-knowledge from Solitude   

The entire world is experiencing the impact of COVID-19, the Novel Corona Virus pandemic. It is commonly said that one of the Chinese words for crisis can be interpreted as opportunity. With the limiting of so many being able to go out, we invite you to discover the opportunity to go in. To go in to the place of the heart. Over the coming days, we will be posting wisdom from the Desert Fathers and Mothers of the Church regarding the values to be found from times of silence, solitude, and reflection.

The enlightened St. Moses the Black has many lessons for us during these times. One of the best known Desert Fathers, his entire story is a model of transformation.  Known in the stories of the desert as Abba Moses,  he was a former gang leader, murderer, and thief, from sub-Saharan Africa.  When he went to rob the skete, where St. Macarius and St. Isidore lived, they welcomed him as a brother and ho...

Silence   

The entire world is experiencing the impact of COVID-19, the Novel Corona Virus pandemic. It is commonly said that one of the Chinese words for crisis can be interpreted as opportunity. With the limiting of so many being able to go out, we invite you to discover the opportunity to go in. To go in to the place of the heart. Over the coming days, we will be posting wisdom from the Desert Fathers and Mothers of the Church regarding the values to be found from times of silence, solitude, and reflection.

One of the most immediate things we start to experience when we are alone is silence. Often, at first, it can be destabilizing. We are used to noise. The noise of Youtube or Spotify, the noise of news about COVID-19, the noise of a podcast, the noise of the beeps of friends contacting us via Twitter, Whatsapp, or texts. This becomes normal. Yet, while alone, if we turn it all off and listen, something deeper begins to happen....

The Journey to the Kingdom   

The entire world is experiencing the impact of COVID-19, the Novel Corona Virus pandemic. It is commonly said that one of the Chinese words for crisis can be interpreted as opportunity. With so many being unable to go out, we invite you to discover the opportunity to go in. To go in to the place of the heart. Over the coming days, we will be posting wisdom from the Desert Fathers and Mothers of the Church regarding the values to be found from times of silence, solitude, and reflection.

Sarapion the Sindonite travelled once on a pilgrimage to Rome. Here he was told of a celebrated recluse, a woman who lived in one small room, never going out. Sceptical about her way of life - for he was himself a great wanderer - Sarapion called on her, and asked, 'Why are you sitting here?' To which she replied, 'I am not sitting; I am on a journey.'

Daily Readings with the Desert Fathers, p. 70

A journey. It has been sa...

Prayer and work   

The entire world is experiencing the impact of COVID-19, the Novel Corona Virus pandemic. It is commonly said that one of the Chinese words for crisis can be interpreted as opportunity. With the limiting of so many being able to go out, we invite you to discover the opportunity to go in. To go in to the place of the heart. Over the coming days, we will be posting wisdom from the Desert Fathers and Mothers of the Church regarding the values to be found from times of silence, solitude, and reflection.

A common experience of being alone with ourselves is a feeling of restlessness and at other times boredom. This was also experienced by the holy ones of old. In beginning to pray, the advice of the ancient ones was to creatively balance prayer and work.

Many forms of prayer are found in the prayer books. To pray from the written prayers at specific times has been a tested practice from the time of King David of Israel...

Balance 

“Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by.” (Isaiah 26:20 ESV)

The entire world is experiencing the impact of COVID-19, the Novel Corona Virus pandemic. It is commonly said that one of the Chinese words for crisis can be interpreted as opportunity. With the limiting of so many being able to go out, we invite you to discover the opportunity to go in. To go in to the place of the heart. Over the coming days, we will be posting wisdom from the Desert Fathers and Mothers of the Church regarding the values to be found from times of silence, solitude, and reflection.

I’m often asked, ‘what is the meaning of “skete” (as in the name of our monastic community)?’ In monastic life there are basically three modes: a hermit (a monk alone praying and working out his/her salvation, e.g. St. Antony); a larger community (cenobia, e.g. St. Pachomius, St....

We currently have two books available for sale from the monastery online store written by Fr. Alexii. Each book is also available by email to holyarchmichael@gmail.com. Once the payment is received we will send you the book. If online store is not used, please add 20% (for local shipping) or 40% (for international shipping) to the price of each book. Send a check made payable to Holy Archangel Michael Skete, 28650 105th St. Weatherby, MO 64497.

"Reflections on Nature in These Times", by Hieromonk Alexii Altschul. 

It contains reflections on the Orthodox Christian view of nature with quotes from Scripture, the Holy Fathers, Church Services, Chief Seattle, and George Washington Carver. 

Available for $7.95, plus shipping and handling.

"Wade in the River: The Story of the African Christian Faith", by Fr. Paisius Altschul. 

Written, prior to his becoming a monk, when Fr. Alexii was parish priest of St. Mary of Egypt Serbian...

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Fr. Zacharias is a disciple of Saint Sophrony, and a member of The Patriarchal and Stavropegic Monastery of St. John the Baptist, Tolleshunt Knights by Maldon, Essex, England.

Currently our monastic community is reading his book, "Remember Thy FIrst Love" together. He is in the living tradition of St. Silouan of Mt. Athos and St. Sophrony of Essex.

The following is a recent letter that he sent to Abbot Sergius of St. Tikhon's Monastery in Pennsylvania:

17.03.20 Father Zacharias’s Word of Consolation for the Pandemic

Part I

Many people are in confusion and others panic because of the threat of the Coronavirus epidemic that spread in the whole world. I think, however, that this should not happen, for whatever God does with us, He does it out of love. The God of Christians is a good God, a God of mercy and lovingkindness, ‘Who loveth mankind’. God created us out of His goodness in order to share His life and even His glory with us. When we...

 Holy Martyr Corona (Stephanie): invoked in the West for help during epidemics.

Greetings all!

As many of you know we have just dealt with a presumed COVID-19 infection in our monastic community. Going through this together has opened our eyes to the gravity of the situation.

Thank God the monastic tested negative this week. We are very grateful for all your prayers! 

Initially we had hoped to open the monastery back up to visitors with that negative test, but right now that seems unwise. Many of our monastics are older and suffer with illnesses that put them at risk for serious consequences should the COVID-19 virus infect our community. In order to stay strong and maintain our monastic prayer rule we have decided to curtail visitors at this time.

If you need to consult with Fr Alexii, please feel free to contact him through our web site. We are praying for God’s mercy through this pandemic, for your health and salvation. Please cont...

Fr. Alexii will be at the Nativity of the Mother of God Serbian Orthodox Women's Monastery in New Carlisle, Indiana for Saturday Vespers and Sunday Liturgy on March 7/8, 2020

Then, on Sunday evening he will be the homilist at Pan-Orthodox Vespers for Northwest Indiana.

Services will be as usual for Lent while he is gone, but only Typica on Sunday a.m.

May God strengthen us all as we seek to go deeper in offering ourselves completely to our Lord in love and repentance!