praise God!

[The Liturgist]

no, we have plenty who are married.


Elder Ephraim, Abbess Olympiada, etc.

I met Elder Ephraim and found the experience to be awesome and one of the best of my life, but not terrifying, or rather, I was terrified at the time, but not of Elder Ephraim, but rather I was worried about a relative who had gone with me to the monastery, but it turned out she was in the church, and everything was fine (the heat of the desert knocked me out and caused me to sleep through dinner, so that I was only awakened by the symantron for dinner).

So there was terror, but not as a result of Elder Ephraim causing me to become terrified. And subsequently when I saw him at luncheon and dinner each day of our pilgrimage I just felt a profound sense of loyalty and attachment to him, and to his deputy Elder Paisios. When they walked in I stood perfectly still, indeed I felt like saluting them, but such a militaristic gesture would of course have been out of place. I felt like these men were given the awesome responsibility of not just fighting the devil directly through the intense prayer that happens at the monastery, but of organizing that battle by leading the monks in their efforts of prayer, making sure that novices were properly trained, that the tradition of hesychasm was maintained, that prelest was avoided, and also of providing hospitality on a scale that rivals that of a world-class hotelier across nineteen monasteries in the US, and of maintaining good relations with GoArch, a denomination which has some clergy who sadly resented Elder Ephraim and the very traditional approach to worship followed at St. Anthony’s.

 

[ArmyMatt]

I met Elder Ephraim and found the experience to be awesome and one of the best of my life, but not terrifying, or rather, I was terrified at the time, but not of Elder Ephraim, but rather I was worried about a relative who had gone with me to the monastery, but it turned out she was in the church, and everything was fine (the heat of the desert knocked me out and caused me to sleep through dinner, so that I was only awakened by the symantron for dinner).

So there was terror, but not as a result of Elder Ephraim causing me to become terrified. And subsequently when I saw him at luncheon and dinner each day of our pilgrimage I just felt a profound sense of loyalty and attachment to him, and to his deputy Elder Paisios. When they walked in I stood perfectly still, indeed I felt like saluting them, but such a militaristic gesture would of course have been out of place. I felt like these men were given the awesome responsibility of not just fighting the devil directly through the intense prayer that happens at the monastery, but of organizing that battle by leading the monks in their efforts of prayer, making sure that novices were properly trained, that the tradition of hesychasm was maintained, that prelest was avoided, and also of providing hospitality on a scale that rivals that of a world-class hotelier across nineteen monasteries in the US, and of maintaining good relations with GoArch, a denomination which has some clergy who sadly resented Elder Ephraim and the very traditional approach to worship followed at St. Anthony’s.

yep

 

[Light of the East]

I would be terrified in the presence of someone who could read my heart . . . it is a filthy stable unfit even for the Holy Spirit to dwell within. But at the same time, I would be hopeful that such a one would in love sit me down and give me help in overcoming these things which constantly send me to Fr. David for confession.

 

[ArmyMatt]

I would be terrified in the presence of someone who could read my heart . . . it is a filthy stable unfit even for the Holy Spirit to dwell within. But at the same time, I would be hopeful that such a one would in love sit me down and give me help in overcoming these things which constantly send me to Fr. David for confession.

it is terrifying and healing at the same time.

 

[The Liturgist]

I would be terrified in the presence of someone who could read my heart . . . it is a filthy stable unfit even for the Holy Spirit to dwell within. But at the same time, I would be hopeful that such a one would in love sit me down and give me help in overcoming these things which constantly send me to Fr. David for confession.

Because the Orthodox have a non-forensic hamartiology, I don’t fear my confessor and will not confess to a priest who is unhelpful, and I can think of only one who falls into such a category, and he is not a canonical Orthodox priest but rather an Old Calendarist. That is not to say there aren’t some who I prefer to others among the canonical Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, but in general I have an extremely positive attitude. Rather than penancing me or causing me distress, Orthodox clergy have delivered me from great pain and fear. For example, I am substantially bereaved, having lost most of the friends and relatives I care about, but they have assisted with that bereavement; even the less successful priests who I have confessed to was able to remove a lifelong fear of hearses, which was irrational and stupid, and I now understand my actual revulsion was not with hearses but with the dark aspects of the funeral industry, particularly cremation, which I am adamantly opposed to, and which is a thoroughly dehumanizing practice which has been glamorized by Hollywood with scenes of Viking-style funerals, but which is objectively wrong and evil.

 

[RileyG]

it is terrifying and healing at the same time.

I don't think the Orthodox have the "sinners at the hands of an angry God" approach. So I would be scared but almost relieved?

 

[ArmyMatt]

I don't think the Orthodox have the "sinners at the hands of an angry God" approach. So I would be scared but almost relieved?

yep, and exposed and embraced.

 

[RileyG]

yep, and exposed and embraced.

Thanks, Father.

 

[ArmyMatt]

no problem

 

[RileyG]

Quick (related) question: Is it common for a parish to have a priest who is a monk-priest (celibate) rather than a diocesan priest (married), or are all diocesan priests married?

Excuse my terminology. I don't know what words the East uses.

In other words, are there unmarried priests that do not live in a monastery/are not monks? They take a vow of celibacy after ordination?

Thanks

 

[ArmyMatt]

In other words, are there unmarried priests that do not live in a monastery/are not monks? They take a vow of celibacy after ordination?

yes and yes.

 

[E.C.]

Quick (related) question: Is it common for a parish to have a priest who is a monk-priest (celibate) rather than a diocesan priest (married), or are all diocesan priests married?

Excuse my terminology. I don't know what words the East uses.

In other words, are there unmarried priests that do not live in a monastery/are not monks? They take a vow of celibacy after ordination?

Thanks

Yes.

There are a number of hieromonks (priest-monks) out there who do have parishes of their own. Bishop Nikodim of the OCA's Albanian Archdiocese was a hieromonk and had a parish in Jamaica Queens, NY before he was made a bishop.

There are also unmarried priests who are not monastics as well though they tend to be more rare.

 

[Chesterton]

I don't think the Orthodox have the "sinners at the hands of an angry God" approach. So I would be scared but almost relieved?

One of my daily prayers is from St. Basil which includes the lines "we thank thee that thou has not destroyed us in our transgressions, but in thy love toward mankind thou hast raised us up...". So we do recognize that we are here not because we deserve to be, but only through His love and grace.

 

[RileyG]

Interesting. So most priests that are not monks are married? Thanks for answering the question.

 

[ArmyMatt]

So most priests that are not monks are married?

yeppers

 

[E.C.]

Interesting. So most priests that are not monks are married? Thanks for answering the question.

Yes.

The caveat, is that one has to marry before getting ordained. If a priest is divorced or the wife dies then there is no getting married again. Which means that part of our own clergy shortage is brought on by a lack of women who would marry a future priest. The bishop also can not ordain the man to the priesthood without the wife consenting to it as well.

 

[RileyG]

Yes.

The caveat, is that one has to marry before getting ordained. If a priest is divorced or the wife dies then there is no getting married again. Which means that part of our own clergy shortage is brought on by a lack of women who would marry a future priest. The bishop also can not ordain the man to the priesthood without the wife consenting to it as well.

It’s my understanding marriage is eternal? What if they get divorced? I assume no one has relations once they reach paradise.