Elder Ephraim

[Giantsbran1227]

Recently their has been much controversy about Elder Ephraim of Philotheou who is currently at St. Anthony's in AZ. I wanted to know if you guys knew anything about the validity of these statements that he has been forming "cult-like" groups.

http://www.monachos.net/forum/showthread.php?t=2198

http://pseudo-prophet.tripod.com/

 

[buzuxi02]

Not true, those accusations arent recent they began to surface when he initially arrived in America and formed monstaries thru-out America. It was a culture-shock for many american(ized) people, who first came into contact with athonite monasticsm.

 

[Andrew21091]

The accusations against Elder Ephraim are not really recent. Those who accuse him of forming these "cult-like" groups are spreading nothing but slander. These so called "cult-like" groups that he has been forming are traditional Athonite monasteries and those who spread the slander were parents of monastics who did not want them to follow Christ in the monastic life and they accused the Elder of brainwashing them which is ridiculous. These people think that Orthodox monasticism is a cult! The so called accusations of Elder Ephraim are false.

Read this article which is an interview with Fr. Theologos who is a monk at St. Anthony's in Arizona: http://www.athosinamerica.org/

 

[Giantsbran1227]

That's good to hear.

I was suspicious about these accusations and assumed that they were false. I just wrote Elder Ephraim a letter today and I wanted to make sure before I sent it.

Thank you guys.

God Bless.

 

[ArmyMatt]

yeah I don't think that a cult leader would be the spiritual father of the monasteries he founded here, some of the communities on Mt Athos, and others is Greece.

this usually happens with really holy saints in an unholy country. a lot of people hated St John of San Francisco

 

[E.C.]

this usually happens with really holy saints in an unholy country. a lot of people hated St John of San Francisco

Could you blame them? He walked around shoeless for crying out loud!
I kid, I kid.



Yes, anything that resembles monasticism at all, for Westerners, immediately brings up suspicion. Add that Elder Ephraim is of Eastern monasticism, a not-so-familiar country, and a not-so-familiar faith; then just magnify the suspicion by about fifty.

 

[maybenotcrazy]

I don't know. I am considering the monastic life. If there is any hint of something like this, which sounds spurious I will steer clear. I'd rather live an ascetic life of devotion to god than one of discipleship to a man. Any evidence this isn't happening? Are there websites that accurately describe the monastic life for those considering it?

 

[Giantsbran1227]

^^^^
Go visit a monastery. If you are seriously considering it, you cannot base your decision off of a few websites....

 

[Andrew21091]

I don't know. I am considering the monastic life. If there is any hint of something like this, which sounds spurious I will steer clear.

We are very blessed in America to have Elder Ephraim since he brought genuine Orthodox monasticism to America. I'd say if you are considering monastic life, then you should check out some of the monasteries that are under his eldership, especially St. Anthony's in Arizona. Don't steer away from his monasteries just because of some false accusations that were made against him. Many of the Holy Saints were slandered against! Read the article I posted above of the interview with Fr. Theologos.

I'd rather live an ascetic life of devotion to god than one of discipleship to a man.

To live an ascetic life, it takes obedience to an elder or spiritual father. You cannot do as you please since that will only bring delusion. In the life of St. Theodore of Sanaxar, it tells the story of three young monks who one day decided they wanted to leave the monastery and go live as hermits so they went to St. Theodore who was the monk's abbot and elder and asked for his blessing to go off to live in the desert (by desert I mean the Russian forests) and he refused because they were young and inexperienced but they decided that they were going to do it anyway since they thought it was what God wanted them to do. One of the monks couldn't handle the severe life in the desert and through off his schema and went into the world and got married, the other ended up joining a group of Old Believers, and the last one decided to interpret the Gospel on his own and chopped his hand off taking the words of the Gospel literally. You see what happens when one is not under obedience?

Are there websites that accurately describe the monastic life for those considering it?

I don't know of any websites except www.orthodoxinfo.com which has some articles on monasticism. I could recomend some good books though on monastic life. My favorite book is Monastic Wisdom: The Letters of Elder Joseph the Hesychast, Athonite Fathers and Athonite Matters by Elder Paisios, The Ladder of Divine Ascent by St. John, The Northern Thebaid by Fr. Seraphim Rose, and St. Herman's Monastery's Optina Elders Series is also really great aswell as their Little Russian Philokalia series. One book that I have heard great things about is The Arena by St. Ignatius Brianchaninov which I have not read yet but I hope to read it soon.

 

[gzt]

Go and see for yourself. That's really the only way.

 

[ArmyMatt]

Could you blame them? He walked around shoeless for crying out loud!

haha, nice.

but in all seriousness, I have been to three of Elder Ephraim's monasteries, I have been reading his book, and not once did I ever get a weird vibe from any of them.

 

[HandmaidenOfGod]

I visited the Monastary of St. Nectarios founded by Elder Ephraim in Roscoe, NY and absolutely loved it. A few of my friends actually helped in the construction of the grounds. The priest's son of an OCA parish I used to attend when I lived in NJ was a novice there for a while. (Left because he no longer felt called to be a monk; nothing to do with the monastary.)

When you belong to a cult you have to give up your possessions and cannot leave the cult. When you join a monastary, it is completely voluntary. You can leave at any time. That is why one is a novice so long; they want to make sure that you are certain about your choices before you are tonsured a monk.

Not everyone is meant to be a monk; not everyone is meant to be a lay person.

Best way to find out is to visit monastaries, pray, and seek out God's will.

Visit different types of monastaries as well. Perhaps an Athonite monastary isn't your thing, but a ROCOR monastary is. I hear the Jordanville monastary is wonderful.

We actually have a lot more monastaries in this country than most people realize.

 

[E.C.]

I visited the Monastary of St. Nectarios founded by Elder Ephraim in Roscoe, NY and absolutely loved it. A few of my friends actually helped in the construction of the grounds. The priest's son of an OCA parish I used to attend when I lived in NJ was a novice there for a while. (Left because he no longer felt called to be a monk; nothing to do with the monastary.)

When you belong to a cult you have to give up your possessions and cannot leave the cult. When you join a monastary, it is completely voluntary. You can leave at any time. That is why one is a novice so long; they want to make sure that you are certain about your choices before you are tonsured a monk.

Not everyone is meant to be a monk; not everyone is meant to be a lay person.

Best way to find out is to visit monastaries, pray, and seek out God's will.

Visit different types of monastaries as well. Perhaps an Athonite monastary isn't your thing, but a ROCOR monastary is. I hear the Jordanville monastary is wonderful.

We actually have a lot more monastaries in this country than most people realize.

QFT.

Last I heard the number was hovering around 80 or so.