Laity, Clergy, and Monastics Waiting to Receive The Valaam Icon of the Theotokos

In early August, we had lightening roll through the property behind our doublewide and take out numerous items whose source of power is electricity. Within two weeks everything was fixed, we thought. Since the well has a submersible pump, we have to have electricity to have water. At first the switch and a portion of the pipe were replaced. A few weeks later, twenty feet of the electrical line to the pump had to be replaced. That worked for three more weeks when further electrical problems manifested themselves. Then a new trench was dug and new electrical wiring was installed from the switch box to the well. During this time we lost electricity again due to another storm. Being without water and having to haul it from town, not to mention having many guests throughout this time, as well as needing water for the animals and ourselves, prompted us to have a well drilled and a hand pump installed. There is no above ground source of water and no city water here. Petrol supplies will become increasingly tighter in the coming years. We know that without water, we could not live here. God willing, we will always have good water here.

Andrew the Handyman made his annual visit to help with repairs. He built a cabinet for a three-hundred-pound book press and a much needed light box. He and Ethan, a tall, strapping, young fellow, have done various phases of painting our Red Shed. Ethan helps us with many projects, one of which was helping us add a storage shed for the candle shop.

August and September are wine-making time -- elderberries first, then grapes, and lastly pears. It is hard to imagine, but the pear tree has easily produced twenty bushels.

The fourth Thursday through Sunday of September, we hosted the Clergy Wives’ Retreat. With the expense of the All American Council and the soaring gas prices, only four were able to attend. We pray that more will attend next year as we enjoy their company.

On Sunday, September 25^th, Mother Seraphima became the Godmother of little Anna Marie. Her baptism, chrismation and first communion were a great joy for all of us. As you can see in this picture, she is receiving her first communion with Mother Seraphim’s veil partially over her face.

“ Nothing is ever simple!” is one of our mottos in this monastery. Just before we were to write this newsletter, the computer that we use for this task and many others crashed. With much help from Subdeacon James, it is now up and running. We find the computer to be a great tool and have lived long enough to remember when there were only 13 TV channels. We are amazed at how indispensable it has become.

Prayers for the living and the dead are important in our lives. As we continue to remember those whose names are given to us whether by post, telephone or email, we also continue to provide a place where the living can come for spiritual refreshment, and those who have reposed a place to be buried and remembered. Evpraxia Smolianikoff and Claudia Pinnock have been buried here in the last three months. May their memory be eternal.

As you can see, we are busy and happy working in God’s vineyard.

This world is God’s vineyard and each of us has the responsibility of tending it. When we take the time to look at His creation we marvel at the variety – God does not seem to like sameness! There are so many different types of oak trees and pine trees on our monastery grounds. The wild flowers and native plants abound and the people who visit are uniquely different.

So we reflect on our responsibility. Whether we are monastic, married or single, the command of God is to love. The mark of a Christian is love – not warm fuzzies or feeling good but the love symbolized in the Cross of Christ and Christ has taught us to love one another as He has loved us. He prayed that we might be one as He and the Father are one. The oneness is Trinity!

Again we are struck by variety. Our orthodox jurisdictions and churches provide variety. Monastic communities provide different styles. Is that bound of love visible that defines us as Christian? Do we cooperate in evangelizing and supporting each other? Are we putting down rather than building up? Are we clinging to laws as the Pharisees did or can we accept that God works in and through all.

We have been gifted with the true faith; may we share it lovingly not in competition with others but in a spirit of cooperation recognizing it is the Spirit who makes holy.

The story of St. Febronia is one of the most beautiful accounts of martyrdom ever recorded. Although through numerous translations and distribution to other countries it became embellished with romantic overtones and hints of legend, to totally dismiss this account as spurious fiction would be to reject the relevant information it contains, not to mention the intimate glimpse it offers into the daily life of the religious community at Nisibis in Northern Mesopotamia. It is incorrect to limit “monasticism” to that typically found in Egypt, on Mt. Athos, or in 19th century Russia. Since cenobitic monasticism had not yet reached Northern Mesopotamia in the third century, religious life there evolved quite differently, developing its own distinctive uniqueness.

Religious communities for women at the time of St. Febronia would have consisted of groups of consecrated virgins known as b’nat qyāmā, or “Daughters of the Covenant”. This term refers to women and even young girls, living in community, who took upon themselves a special station in the life of the Church primarily characterized by the vow of virginity. However, they did not lead a life of isolated withdrawal, but were intimately involved with the larger Christian community, counseling, comforting, healing and guiding the faithful. In contrast to the Egyptian monastic model of anachoresis or withdrawal from populated centers to the desert, the religious communities in Northern Mesopotamia were an essential and indispensable feature of city life.

The women’s community at Nisibis was founded by St. Platonida in the mid third century. She was succeeded in the abbacy by her spiritual daughter, St. Bryene, who strictly kept the traditions and rule handed down by the foundress, which included recitation of the Hours and reading of spiritually edifying manuscripts to encourage the nuns in their special vocation. St. Bryene allowed young married women to come to the monastery on Fridays and Sundays to hear the word of God and so learn the path of salvation. The women, however, were kept physically separated from the nuns during their visit. It was very important to St. Bryene that her “daughters” be shielded from any worldly influences.

St. Febronia was the niece of St. Bryene and had been raised in the community since the age of two. Nourished by the communal life, the young girl’s mind and entire outlook had become heavenly. As she grew to womanhood, she possessed unsurpassed beauty of body and soul. It was St. Febronia’s obedience to serve as reader. Because she zealously studied the Scriptures and teachings of the Church, she read with understanding and illumination and, thus, the hearers were edified. The young nun was held in awe by her sisters not only for her beauty, but because of her purity of soul and angelic countenance. She also became known in the city for her beauty, humility and learning.

Around 304, an entourage sent by Emperor Diocletian (284-305) arrived in Mesopotamia to “silence” the Christians. Seized with fear, all Christians in the area, including bishops, priests and monks, fled and hid in the mountains. Most of the nuns under St. Bryene followed the example of their hierarchs and abandoned the monastery. However, St. Febronia had become ill, and her loving aunt intended to stay put and remain steadfast, trusting that God would protect them. St. Thomaïs, the next in authority and supposed author of the life of St. Febronia, also chose not to flee.

The senior nuns were very concerned for their beloved spiritual daughter. They feared that St. Febronia might be defiled by the pagans and lose courage in the face of evil and torture. They reminded her that Jesus Christ, the true Bridegroom, bestows immortality upon those betrothed to Him with all their hearts. They counseled the young nun to remain faithful and keep the promises she had made to the Lord Jesus.

When soldiers forcibly entered the monastery, they decided to arrest the most beautiful nun, St. Febronia. She was shackled and brought to the prefect to stand trial. The prefect offered the young maiden wealth and liberty if she would but renounce Christianity and agree to marry. St. Febronia refused. Furious, he commanded that she be mercilessly tortured. She was stripped naked, then beaten, whipped and burned with fire. The tortures were so horrific that even the crowd implored them to stop. Deaf to their pleas, the soldiers literally stripped her skin from her bones. The prefect ordered that St. Febronia’s tongue be removed, but instead some teeth were knocked out. After this, he had St. Febronia’s limbs severed and then ordered that her head be cut off.

The young nun’s courage was an amazement to the onlookers. The spectacle was so gruesome and merciless, and the victim so pure and courageous, that the crowd cried out against Diocletian and his gods. In fact, many onlookers secretly decided to become Christians. St. Febronia’s remains were gathered to be returned to the monastery for a funeral worthy of her courage and faith. Even the area where her blood had soaked into the ground was preserved. As the soldiers prepared to return the relics to the monastery, the whole city crowded in to see the remains of the renowned nun who had struggled so heroically. St. Febronia’s life proves that persecution and martyrdom afforded women public roles of authority otherwise barred to them, including the propagation of the faith and veneration by the faithful.

Upon arrival at the monastery, the entourage was received with great dignity tinged with sadness. A glimpse of the mangled and mutilated body of the beloved nun brought forth cries and lamentations. The community agreed that St. Febronia had crowned the race of women with the beauty, purity and valor of her struggle. The sisters lovingly washed her remains and placed the pieces upon the bier, putting each limb exactly in its proper place. Hundreds of laypeople marched by paying their respects to the valorous St. Febronia.

On the anniversary of her death, St. Febronia began the first of many appearances during her community’s services, standing in her original place. The nuns were struck with fear and no one dared approach her. They would simply gaze upon her angelic countenance and find edification, as they once did through her reading.

The Bishop of Nisibis, who had built a church dedicated to St. Febronia, came to the monastery with a great entourage and requested her relics. At first, St. Bryene protested, but then relented, perceiving that God might be pleased with this request. After the Bishop had prayed and prepared to lift the reliquary, thunder roared. Everyone fell to the ground trembling. After the thunder passed and they recovered from their fear, they again tried to lift the reliquary. Immediately, an earthquake began. The Bishop, humbly realizing that the holy martyr objected to being taken from the monastery, asked for a portion of her relics instead. The abbess agreed and when she opened the coffin, brilliant flashes of lightning blazed forth from the saint’s relics. The abbess apprehensively reached for the holy martyr’s hand, but her own hand became paralyzed. When she somehow released her grasp, her own hand was immediately restored. St. Bryene then quickly removed a tooth that had been placed on the martyr’s chest and presented it to the Bishop on a gold dish. Everyone returned with joy to the new church and the Bishop placed the relic in the altar.

Many wondrous miracles occurred through the saint’s presence both at the monastery and at the church. In her life St. Febronia labored much; in her death she reached the summit of martyrdom where she glorified God by her faithfulness and devotion. For this reason, the miracles that occurred through her relics never ceased because it is God Himself who produces such marvels, thus glorifying His victorious and righteous martyrs throughout all times and all places.

(Eggplant and Tomato )

From the Kitchen of Tatiana Gregory

Preheat over to 350°

1 large eggplant

Cut eggplant into ½” cubes and place in a lightly oiled 9” x 13” Pyrex baking dish. Olive oil or canola oil is best.

1 8 ounce can tomato sauce

1 medium onion chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil

1 teaspoon dried sweet basil

Salt and pepper to taste

½ teaspoon of chopped jalapeno or more to taste

In a mixing bowl, mix together the above ingredients. Spread over the eggplant.

Spread 15 or 16 ounces (one container) of Ricotta or slightly drained cottage cheese on top of the tomato mixture. Then add a layer of sliced tomatoes.

Bake for 40 minutes.

Remove from oven and mix in 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese on top and bake another 15 minutes, uncovered.