Priests who don't like monasteries

[OrthodoxWanderer]

***ORTHODOX ANSWERS ONLY PLEASE!***

What is it with some priests discouraging their parishioners from visiting monasteries?

I've heard different stories about this. I've heard it said that the priest might be nervous that parishioners will tithe to the monasteries instead of their parish. Or, that they will stop attending their home parish altogether and swap to a parish affiliated with a monastery. I've also heard that priests have horror stories of over-zealous people becoming infatuated with what they imagine the monastic life to be, instead of the reality, so they are nervous about a spiritual disaster for their flock.

Any experience or thoughts on this?

 

[Pavel Mosko]

Not really. On the Coptic OO side, the closest I had to something like that was my priest had mixed feeling when hearing I was buying and reading "The Orthodox Prayer Life" written by Matthew the Poor (a very notable Coptic monk who died a few years back), the book is published by Saint Vladimir's press incidentally. So he recognized their was good stuff in the book, but was leery because there is some advanced mystical stuff in the book. "The book talks about stuff even I haven't experienced as a priest".

So I think that sort of thing causes worry. Because people like to be able to answer every question they are asked, and some people may be trying to run before they walk, and of course their is that potential of things like Prelest....

Orthodox Prayer Life: The Interior Way


But otherwise it seems an unusual attitude, because monasteries, are generally always seen as being positive. Maybe their is something specific wrong with the monastery in question or a particular monk ...

 

[ArmyMatt]

as a priest, I would never discourage going to a monastery.

 

[All4Christ]

I haven’t seen this myself.

 

[GreekOrthodox]

I've never seen it either, but I have run into Orthodox converts who are into devouring everything they can consume about Orthodox. One woman who wasnt even chrismated somehow got hold of The Rudder and decided that all Orthodox churches had apostatized according to her reading of the canons. She ended up in some odd Old Believer sect in Oregon.

 

[SalemsConcordance]

***ORTHODOX ANSWERS ONLY PLEASE!***
Any experience or thoughts on this?

You may just be hearing old stories about Elder Ephraim, who was hated while he established 20 monasteries across America and Canada - which is astounding, and such a blessing in our godless.

Olga Rozhneva, Alexandra Lagos. The great work of Elder Ephraim of Arizona: A conversation with Alexandra Lagos, a spiritual child of Elder Ephraim

Elder Ephraim of Arizona. Elder Ephraim of Arizona: On Slander & Condemnation

 

[GreekOrthodox]

You may just be hearing old stories about Elder Ephraim, who was hated while he established 20 monasteries across America and Canada - which is astounding, and such a blessing in our godless.

Olga Rozhneva, Alexandra Lagos. The great work of Elder Ephraim of Arizona: A conversation with Alexandra Lagos, a spiritual child of Elder Ephraim

Elder Ephraim of Arizona. Elder Ephraim of Arizona: On Slander & Condemnation

That's the one that I did hear about especially as Internet chatrooms and discussion boards were starting up. It was a Wild Wild West situation and even I ran into a few people back in the late 1990s and early 2000s who got very weird about Elder Ephraim when I was moderating Yahoo chat rooms. I don't believe it was Elder Ephraim or his monks that were deliberately causing the problems but I remember one person who declared their priest a heretic for not enforcing monastic standards on their parish. Fanaticism, lack of education and the internet can be a deadly combination.

 

[ArmyMatt]

That's the one that I did hear about especially as Internet chatrooms and discussion boards were starting up. It was a Wild Wild West situation and even I ran into a few people back in the late 1990s and early 2000s who got very weird about Elder Ephraim when I was moderating Yahoo chat rooms. I don't believe it was Elder Ephraim or his monks that were deliberately causing the problems but I remember one person who declared their priest a heretic for not enforcing monastic standards on their parish. Fanaticism, lack of education and the internet can be a deadly combination.

yeah, there was some family who accused Elder Ephraim of using sleep deprivation to control his monks...except that it's pretty known that his monks, aside from the ascetics, get about 7 hours each night.

 

[OrthodoxWanderer]

Hmmmm....maybe it's a local thing where I am, dunno. But I've experienced it firsthand and know others who have. Glad it's not more widespread.

 

[Phronema]

***ORTHODOX ANSWERS ONLY PLEASE!***

What is it with some priests discouraging their parishioners from visiting monasteries?

I've heard different stories about this. I've heard it said that the priest might be nervous that parishioners will tithe to the monasteries instead of their parish. Or, that they will stop attending their home parish altogether and swap to a parish affiliated with a monastery. I've also heard that priests have horror stories of over-zealous people becoming infatuated with what they imagine the monastic life to be, instead of the reality, so they are nervous about a spiritual disaster for their flock.

Any experience or thoughts on this?

This if the first I've heard of this, and our parish priest has encouraged me to go to the local monastery. He did mention that a confession to a Hieromonk would be a bit more strict, but that's to be expected in my opinion.

That said I have read some defamatory comments against Elder Ephraim, but I've heard/read many more good things than bad things about him. Frankly the bad stuff I read seemed unfounded as it surrounded one event, and once that publicity faded the negative comments went with it.

 

[E.C.]

Probably a local thing. But, for what it's worth, the late Metropolitan Philip was vehemently anti-monastic which is why the Antiochians have no monastic communities in North America. Of the priests I've met who are anti-monastic are typically from that jurisdiction.

I've not heard of the fear of someone tithing to the monastery instead of the parish, one can support both. However, I have seen some crazy converts who visit a monastery, think that everyone needs to live like that monastery does, than they forget that monasteries and parishes have different needs, and later either apostatize out of disappointment, or become monks for a short time before abandoning the monastery for not living up to their own misguided expectations.

 

[OrthodoxWanderer]

But, for what it's worth, the late Metropolitan Philip was vehemently anti-monastic which is why the Antiochians have no monastic communities in North America. Of the priests I've met who are anti-monastic are typically from that jurisdiction.

Interesting! I'm Antiochian and so the priests I've had this discussion with were Antiochian as well. Why would the Metropolitan be anti-monastic? (I was not around for Metropolitan Philip).

EDIT: I never put 2 + 2 together and figured out we don't have our own monasteries here...

 

[GreekOrthodox]

Probably a local thing. But, for what it's worth, the late Metropolitan Philip was vehemently anti-monastic which is why the Antiochians have no monastic communities in North America. Of the priests I've met who are anti-monastic are typically from that jurisdiction.

They do have one:
The Monastery of Our Lady and Saint Laurence
A Western Rite Monastery of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
https://www.ladyminster.com/

 

[All4Christ]

They also have a small monastery St Paul Skete in Tennessee. There isn’t an official website though to share.

St. Paul Orthodox Skete

 

[E.C.]

Interesting! I'm Antiochian and so the priests I've had this discussion with were Antiochian as well. Why would the Metropolitan be anti-monastic? (I was not around for Metropolitan Philip).

EDIT: I never put 2 + 2 together and figured out we don't have our own monasteries here...

Supposedly he was raised by strict monks in Lebanon during a time when Orthodoxy in the Middle East was particularly weakened. He had some heartburn about it.

Personally, I think his bad Westernizing may have had something to do with it too.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Been Orthodox almost ten years. I’ve never visited a monastery in the states.

 

[OrthodoxWanderer]

Been Orthodox almost ten years. I’ve never visited a monastery in the states.

Have you visited one overseas or not at all?

 

[ArmyMatt]

Been Orthodox almost ten years. I’ve never visited a monastery in the states.

you really should check one out

 

[prodromos]

Been Orthodox almost ten years. I’ve never visited a monastery in the states.

I live in Australia and I've visited more monasteries in the USA than you have

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Greece. I saw a couple at Meteora.

I've stood where St. Paul stood at Corinth, Athens, and Caesarea (Israel).

However, I've been to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the Church at Canaan, the Jordan River baptismal site, Emmaus Road, Mt. Nebo where Moses looked down on the Holy Land and died, went into the Upper Room (Last Supper), the field where David and Goliath fought, drove by Mt.Tabor, the Tomb of King David, walked the Stations of the Cross, and visited where Jesus performed the Swine Miracle in Jordan plus a ton of other things I can't think of at the moment. I think it makes up for my lack of American monastery visits!

Have you visited one overseas or not at all?