The Holy Silence of a Monastery

by Sophia, SEM Intern

‘We have one sword–the Jesus Prayer.’ (St. Barsanuphius of Optina) Spending a month at one of Elder Ephraim’s women’s monastery, I saw St. Barsanuphius’ quote taken quite seriously. In the busy bakery, amidst the whirring of baking and cooking machinery; in the cafe, serving curious tourists and eager customers; walking up to their cells on a sunny afternoon: these valiant warriors of Christ always were wielding this sword. Sometimes I would hear a nun before seeing her. Yes, they would murmur it under their breath, sometimes saying it out loud, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” Gerondissa Makrina, the “grandmother” of the monastery, encourages her nuns to say the Prayer out loud, so that any sister whose mind had wandered off would remember to resume the Prayer when she hears her sister saying it. 

A monastic spends the whole day in prayer. Visiting the monastery for such a lengthy time, I got to experience almost their whole schedule and–I have to admit– it was hard. I didn’t have to wake up at one in the morning to do my short rule, but I did go to the two am Paraklesis services that were held four days a week, and the four-thirty am liturgy on Thursdays. The services were beautiful with the simple, sweet nuns’ chanting, but it was very hard not letting my heavy eyelids close for a bit. I will tell the truth and say that I have fallen asleep more than once during services, but my guardian angel always nudged me awake whenever a sister passed by to cense with the incense burner. 

For Dormition, during my stay, a long vigil was held in honor of the Panagia’s special feast. It was beautiful–and lengthy. Vespers, orthros with lamentations, and liturgy. It started at eight the evening before, and ended at three in the morning. The chanting, the polycandelon swaying from side to side during specific moments, representing the angels, and the prayerful atmosphere of the packed church made the service seem to fly by. It was such a blessing to be there. 

During the normal week days, everyone kept busy. There was the cafe/bookstore to run, food orders to be made, bakery sweets and spanakopitas to be baked, the meals to be cooked, flowers to be watered–to name a few. The list could go on and on and on. And no matter what they were doing, the sisters always kept the prayer-filled atmosphere. Because of that, everyone was at peace despite the evil one’s attacks. 

My trip was such a wonderful blessing, and I strongly encourage everyone– but especially, young adults– to experience not only a pilgrim's point of view, but to be invested and part of the monastery for a little while. I’ve been told many times that the monastic life can be tried out, unlike marriage. So, if you are able to visit, do it!

 Glory be to God for all things!!

In the Shadow of the Monastery

by Olivia, Fall ‘23 Intern

Three years ago I moved to Goldendale from Wenatchee. Many things changed for me then, and one of them was that I was now minutes away from a large women’s monastery. Many of the Orthodox families in the area attend monastery services to be with family, soak up the grace, or simply because they live closer to it than to a regular parish. Although I attend the mission in town, I still visit the monastery often to assist the sisters with their work, and it has been highly beneficial. My and my parents’ plan was to make visiting the monastery part of my education. And I have been learning a lot–it almost feels like a type of home economics course. I’ve discovered how to chop the perfect size of lettuce and how to fold fitted sheets (yes, it’s possible). However, my education and learning is not the only thing that’s flourishing–let’s not forget that this is a monastery!

As soon as you enter the monastery, you can feel the difference. There’s something about the quiet of the trees and the restful bleating of the goats that just fills your heart with delight; that and the continual prayer from the sisters that makes your soul dance with joy. It feels so different from the disorderly, wild, distracting world we all live in. There are no phones screeching notifications at you, no social media demanding your life, no one to try to impress or to be judged by. I like to call it a grace bubble, a place to take a break from the confusion of the secular world and to let our souls take a breath.

Some people may consider monasteries boring, or they may think that there’s nothing to do. I beg to differ. Every sister has a job, and guests are seldom without one. There is a little rest period after lunch, thank God, but other than that we work from breakfast to vespers. The work is also pleasant in many ways. Not only have I learned fabulous new things and have been assigned fascinating and potentially fun projects (it all depends on attitude!), but I am also bathed in grace as I work. Why? Because every single thing done at a monastery is for Christ, so whatever happens is blessed.

Of course you don’t need to do everything for Christ: our God is not a tyrant, and neither are the sisters. They don’t look over your shoulder as you mop, murmuring “you’re doing that for Christ, right?” Sure, you will get a little bit of the grace merely because the sisters around you are working for Christ's sake, but you won’t get the full benefit if you yourself are unwilling to work or unwilling to be joyful.

I like to work in the kitchen, where the miracles happen. I’m only half joking: the monastery food is crazily good, no matter what they put in front of you. Many moms around here have asked the sisters for their recipes, but what sits on the dinner table at home is nothing compared to the meals at the monastery, even if the cook uses the exact same ingredients. Wondering why? Well, it becomes very clear when you work in the kitchen alongside the sisters. This is the miracle: the room echoes, and all day long, it sounds like it is filled with chirping birds–the sound of the sisters whispering the Jesus Prayer into the food. Grace is an energy; prayer produces grace. So it only makes sense that whatever energy you are producing affects the food you are making. The grace of God, which makes everything beautiful, also has the ability to make food delightful.This is also true about bad energy. If you’ve had a really hard day, and you’re sour and feeling like you are about to detonate with wrath, the food will not be as miraculously delectable as if you had had your mind on Christ. It’s the hidden yet most crucial ingredient to making good food.

I also like to work with the guest house sisters. They do chores, chores, and more chores. To some that might sound like a nightmare, but for me, it is fantastic. We clean the guest house so that staying at the monastery is welcoming; we clean the trapeza so that eating is enjoyable; we chop wood so that winter is cozy. It feels so good to think that you are bringing delight and comfort to another, just by cleaning. One of the sisters told me something that Elder Ephraim had said: “Hospitality and cleanliness are the highest virtues.” It sounded a little strange at first. What about humility or diligence? But when I thought about it, I eventually got what he was saying. What is more humble than getting on your hands and knees and cleaning a toilet? What is more diligent than mopping the same floor day after day? What is more selfless than cleaning an area that you aren’t meant to use anyway, like the guest house? It is dumbfounding what you learn, and what grace you acquire by doing chores.

I realize how insanely fortunate I am to have this ability to escape, truly, whenever I want. I can drive myself to the monastery, even just to stay for a few hours in the morning; it’s only fifteen minutes away. Some of my friends live farther away from monasteries, so they have to pack a week’s load of stuff, go on a long road trip, and get only a taste of the monastery before driving all the way back again. Some people are entirely fine with that. I guess God understood that the ability to visit this monastery whenever I needed would draw me closer to Him, and it has.

Working at the monastery has taught me how to do, and the value of doing, everything for Christ’s sake. I mean, He died for my sake; cleaning and cooking is the least I can do. I don’t believe it is just monastics that benefit from living this life; I think it is the calling of the Christian life in general. If we love Christ, why wouldn’t we want to do everything for him? Monasteries in general are so beneficial, they are havens in this turbulent world. I am growing emotionally and spiritually in the shadow of this monastery, and working there for Christ’s sake has brought so much light into my life.