Saint Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Caves

February 14 is the Commemoration of Saint Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Caves.

“Saint Isaac the Recluse was a monk during the early years of the Monastery of the Kiev Caves. He was deluded by a false vision but later recovered. St. Isaac passed away in the 12th century.
This Saint Father was a wealthy merchant in the city of Toropets of the Pskov province. Having decided to become a monk, he gave away all his possessions to the needy and monasteries and came into the cave of Saint Anthony.
Having become a monk, Saint Isaac loved the harsh life: not only did he put on sackcloth, but also told to buy a goat and take off his skin. Out of this skin still damp and wet, he made his robe and wore it over the sackcloth so that that skin dried on his body. Then Isaac shut himself in narrow cave and there prayed to God with tears. Only one little prosphora served him as food, but even that he ate in every other day. He quenched the thirst with water and only in small quantities.

St. Anthony brought and gave food and drink to him through a narrow window of such size that it could accommodate only one hand. In addition, Isaac never went to bed but was sitting up during a short sleep. Thus, he spent seven years in the great feats not going outside of his close cell.
One day in the evening, Isaac began to do prostrations as usual, singing psalms till midnight. Suddenly the cave was illuminated with the great light, bright like the sun, and Isaac was approached by two demons in the form of beautiful young men. Their faces shone like the sun and they said: “Isaac! We are the Angels, and Christ is coming to you with the heavenly hosts”.
When rising, Isaac saw many demons. Their faces shone like the sun. One of them was shining more than others, and the rays were proceeding from his face. Then the demons said to Isaac: “Isaac! This is Christ. Fall before him and worship him”. Failing to understand the devilish tricks and forgetting to make the sign of the Cross, Isaac bowed to the demon as if to Christ. Immediately, the demons have raised a great cry, saying: “Isaac – you are ours now!”
Offering him a seat, they themselves sat around him. Then one of the demons, imaginary Christ, said: “Take the pipes, timbrels and gusli and play them and let Isaac dance in front of us”. Immediately, the demons began to play the pipes, timbrels and gusli. Having seized Isaac, they began to leap and dance with him for a long time. Having tired him and leaving him half dead, the demons disappeared.
The next day when Isaac usually took his food, St. Anthony went as always to the window and said: “Bless me, father Isaac”. There was no answer. Amazed, Anthony thought: “Did Isaac repose by any chance?” Then he sent to the monastery for St. Theodosius and for other brethren. The brethren came and dug the cave and brought Isaac out, thinking he was dead and laid him in front of the cave. But then they noticed that Isaac was still alive.
Then the hegumen, Saint Theodosius, said: “In truth, what happened to him is demonic”.

Then Isaac was put on the bed and Saint Anthony himself took care of him. When Saint Anthony left the monastery and went to Chernigov, Saint Theodosius took Isaac, moved him to his cell and took care of him. What is surprising is that within two years, Isaac ate no bread, no water, no vegetables, and any other food, but still remained alive, lying on his bed mute and deaf.
At the third year, Isaac started to speak. Then he begged to put himself at his feet. Later he learned how to eat and gradually recovered completely.
When Saint Theodosius reposed, Isaac began again the harsh life saying to the tempter: “You deceived me, the Devil, when I was in seclusion in the cave, but now I do not shut myself, but working in the monastery I will try with God’s help to vanquish you”. Isaac began to help the cooks and worked for the brethren. At matins he entered in the church before everyone and stood motionless in his place. When winter came, he stood in the church in very torn shoes despite the bitter cold, so that his feet were often frozen to the flagstone, but he did not shift one foot to the other until the end of the service. After matins, he was the first who went to the bakery, he was preparing the fire, wood and water before the other monks came.
Once one of the monks, also named Isaac, said laughing at the Saint: “Isaac! There sits a raven, come and catch him”. Having bowed to the ground, the humble monk came and took the raven and brought him to the kitchen to the monks. Everyone was surprised at such thing and monks started to respect him since then. But not wanting glory from people, the blessed Isaac took the foolishness on him and began to insult either the hegumen or the brethren, or the laity, so that many even beat him.
Having become a holy fool, he again moved into the cave of Saint Anthony who had already died. The demons tried to frighten him, but he casted them away making the sign of the Cross. And since then the demons could not cause any harm to Isaac. Since he moved into the cave for the second time, he was fighting against them during three years. After this, he began to have more severe life with greater abstinence.
The time of his death came among these feats. Isaac became sick in his cave and the brethren moved him into the monastery where he reposed 8 days later. Hegumen John and all the brethren prepared the body of the Saint and buried him honorably in the cave with other Fathers. So this good soldier of Christ, first being defeated by the enemy, later himself defeated the Devil and honored to receive the Heavenly Kingdom.”
http://orthodoxwiki.org/Isaac_the_Recluse

The Near Caves of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Drawn by author Abraham van Westerveld (1620-1692) in 1651.
“The Near Caves or the Caves of Saint Anthony Ukrainian: Ближні печери, Blyzhni pechery; Russian: Ближние пещеры, Blizhnie peschery) are historic caves and a network of tunnels of the medieval cave monastery of Kiev Pechersk Lavra in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. The Near Caves have a total length of 383 metres and are 5 to 20 metres deep. The Near Caves were founded when in 1057, Saint Varlaam was appointed as the first hegumen (abbot) of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra by Saint Anthony. Monk Anthony withdrew himself from the monastery and later settled on a new hill, where he dug out a new underground cell, now called the Near Caves.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_Caves

“Saint Isaac was the first person in northern lands to live as a fool for Christ. His name in the world was Chern. Before becoming a monk, he was a rich merchant in the city of Toropets in the Pskov lands. Having distributed all his substance to the poor, he went to Kiev and received the monastic tonsure from St Anthony (July 10).
He led a very strict life of reclusion, eating only a single prosphora and a little water at the end of the day. After seven years as a hermit, he was subjected to a fierce temptation by the devil. Having mistaken the Evil One for Christ, he worshipped him, after which he fell down terribly crippled.

Sts Anthony and Theodosius took care of him and nursed him. Only after three years did he begin to walk and to speak. He did not wish to attend church, but he was brought there by force.
Upon his return to health he took upon himself the exploit of holy foolishness, enduring beatings, nakedness and cold. Before his death he went into seclusion, where again he was subjected to an onslaught of demons, from which he was delivered by the Sign of the Cross and by prayer.
After his healing he spent about twenty years in asceticism. He died in the year 1090. His relics rest in the Caves of St Anthony, and part of them were transferred to Toropets by the igumen of the Kudin monastery in the year 1711. The Life of the Blessed Isaac was recorded by St Nestor in the Chronicles (under the year 1074). The account in the Kiev Caves Paterikon differs somewhat from that of St Nestor. In the Great Reading Menaion under April 27 is the “Account of St Isaac and his Deception by the Devil.” “
http://oca.org/saints/lives/2013/02/14/100520-venerable-isaac-the-recluse-of-the-kiev-near-caves
See further: Natalie Challis and Horace W. Dewey “Divine Folly in Old Kievan Literature: The Tale of Isaac the Cave Dweller” “The Slavic and East European Journal” Vol. 22, No. 3 (Autumn, 1978), pp. 255-264

Doing Good in Silence

“During the First World War, on 1 December 1916, Senussi raided the Saharan hermitage of the Roman Catholic hermit-priest Charles de Foucauld. He refused to renounce Christ, kneel and confess the Shahada, the creed that is recited on conversion to Islam. A teenager shot him in the head.

A French army officer, playboy and North African explorer, de Foucauld (1858–1916) had become a solitary for Jesus. ‘As soon as I believed that there was a God, I understood that I could do nothing else than live for Him exclusively.’
His life’s desire was that others would come to live the Christian solitary way, ‘doing good in silence’. He was possibly the first Western solitary hermit monk of the twentieth century (hermit, eremitism from eremos, desert and monachos, alone).
Inspired by his writings, the Little Sisters of Jesus and then the Little Brothers of Jesus were born, followed by another seventeen communities and associations. Catholic hermit priests, then religious and lay solitary hermits, spread slowly up until the mid-twentieth century; then, the resurgence of the solitary vocation gathered speed. On 13 November 2005, the hermit martyr Charles de Foucauld was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI.
The way of life of Charles de Foucauld emulated that pioneered by St Antony the Great of Egypt (c. 250–356).

The Antonian eremitic tradition, based on the gospel imperative of love through ‘doing good in silence’, has survived for 1,700 years as a persistent vocational presence in the Oriental, Eastern and Western Christian ecclesial communions…
It is said that hermit monks and nuns were always present in the Oriental and Eastern communions from the fourth century on, but in the West they nearly disappeared. As the Benedictine scholar Jeremy Hall observes, ‘In the Catholic Church the hermit has been in a kind of limbo since about the sixteenth century …. Monastic communities … held the hermit life in suspicion.’
Like St Antony the Great, people called to a life of Antonian tradition eremitism incarnate the gospel command to go, sell, give, come and follow (Luke 18: 18–23). It becomes imperative for these people as a way of living into the great commands of Jesus to love God, self and other—and, most importantly, to love and pray for their enemies (Matthew 5: 43–48).
It is a source of wonder how the Antonian themes are repeated through the centuries. Antonian tradition eremitism has been modified in different times and places—by culture, language, and ecclesial and organizational practices. Comprehending how to live it today has become a challenge for many scholars and hermits. They need to identify the original imperatives that lead to the different forms of the eremitic life.
As in past centuries, there remain people around the world who live solitary lives of prayer, prayerful work and its fruits of peace. They watch and pray, learning to persevere in God and ‘to live at the point of intersection where the Love of God and the tensions and suffering we inflict on one another meet, and are held to God’s transforming
Love’.

Do these hermits contribute to the peace of the world, given that, as Thomas Merton asserted, the Christian life demands there be hermits? In the body of Christ and the body of humanity it is important that there are doctors and health workers, teachers in schools, long-distance lorry drivers, farmers on tractors, mothers walking fractious babies in the night, activists who welcome refugees and asylum seekers.
But those living the revived Antonian traditions, in their pointing to the Kingdom, their love of all of creation and their seeking of peace with enemies within and without, local and global, believe they are laying down their lives (de Foucauld’s ‘doing good through silence’), for the grave concerns of today’s world.”

From: Carol McDonough “Christian and Solitaries: Tracing the Antonian Hermit Traditions” “The Way Spirituality Journal” January 2015
Full text available on-line at: http://www.theway.org.uk/back/541McDonough.pdf

Carol McDonough is a rural solitary, who has read reflectively about hermits for decades.
She is undertaking scholarly research at the University of Divinity, Australia.

Anasthasia Logacheva, The Cave-Dweller

February 12 is the commemoration of the Cave-Dweller Anasthasia Logacheva (1875).

Blessed by St. Seraphim of Sarov (1759–1833), to become a hermit, Anasthasia had to wait seventeen years looking after her parents before following her vocation; at length her fame as an ascetic and spiritual mother led to her appointment as Abbess of a monastery in the newly evangelised Altai region.
See the earlier posting: https://citydesert.wordpress.com/2014/02/10/athanasia-anastasia-logacheva-the-cave-dweller/

Igumen the Armenian Hermit Iconographer

“Call me Charlie.”

Those were the first words spoken to me by Igumen, the legendary, and rather mysterious, iconographer active in the metro New York area in the 1980’s. How I came to meet him, and to find his small studio filled with his labors and tools, captures what ecumenism was once like.

I forget exactly why now, I think it was because I had struck up a friendship with some of the Armenian and Syrian Orthodox students with whom I attended seminary, but one sunny, winter morning I found myself with them sharing an audience before Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, in his private dining and reception room at St. Vartan’s Cathedral on 34th Street.

There was certainly something regal about Manoogian, who was addressed in conversation as “Eminence”. He was, without question, the revered driving force behind the resurgence in the Armenian faith in the United States, had raised the spirits and funds necessary to build the first Armenian cathedral in the country, and was as sharp a theologian and parish priest as he was an ecclesial politician. In his presence I had a sensation of what the earliest church was like, as it was in Armenia, and not Rome or Canterbury, where Christianity made its first historical inroads.

Manoogian held us in thrall as he spoke of the small pockets of devotion located around the cathedral, most of them highlighted with some vivid iconography, of the history of Armenian Christianity and, especially, of the Armenian Genocide of the early 20th century. As he spoke of this, one of my Armenian friends began to mutter profanities concerning the Turks, which seemed a little impolite given our company. The Archbishop, however, seemed used to such a reaction and pretended not to notice.

There were three moments that remain on the needle hooks of my memory about that morning. The first two related to the sheer spiritual power of Manoogian as behind him at all times was an older monk or cleric, I was never sure which, who was there simply to attend to him. At one point, Manoogian shifted slightly in his large, ornate chair. His attendant, thinking the Archbishop desired to stand, leapt forward with considerable vigor, ready to assist Manoogian should he wish to slide the chair back from the equally ornate table at which we were seated. The second was when, in the middle of a conversation about King Tiridates’s regard for the theology of transubstantiation, the Archbishop suddenly clapped his hands and said “luncheon”. Bursting through the door to the adjacent kitchen came a collection of Armenian mothers [well, that’s what they looked like] bearing various platters of chechil, topik, and byoreks.

The third was the one that lead me to Fr. Igumen. I mentioned to His Eminence how interesting I found it that, in the midst of the all of the very traditional artwork in the cathedral, including some of the most beautiful icons I’ve ever seen in the United States, there was one work that was contemporary and rather startling due to its juxtaposition. He was delighted that I’d noticed and, after a quick burst of Armenian to his attendant, fetched same to the bureau to bring me a business card. It said, simply, “Igumen the Iconographer” with an address but no phone number. “He’s always working,” said the Archbishop. Then, leaning forward and furrowing his brow, added, “He is devoted to the Lord”.

I had an open afternoon one Saturday and thought I might test Igumen’s devotion by dropping in on his studio. Unannounced, of course, since the absence of a phone number made an appointment impossible. The address was on the border of Chelsea and Greenwich Village in a building that had once been a warehouse now converted into small apartments and simple shops. Four floors up some bowed stairs between a bike shop and a witchcraft supply store I was to discover a large [by NYC standards; tiny by normal regard] flat that served as Igumen/Charlie’s apartment, studio, and library. He was a small, sallow-complexioned man somewhere between the ages of 40 and 60 with dark hair, thick eyebrows, a prominent nose and even more prominent beard. About him were icons of various sizes and in various states of progress either propped up or leaning against every available space; paints, finishes, brushes, glues, and oils were in handmade racks attached to the shelving that held his impressive theological library. On a metal pole suspended between two cabinets hung the vestments, artist smock, and simple black suit of his wardrobe.

He seemed casual and not at all nonplussed by my dropping in, “People do so all of the time”, he said. Charlie steeped some strong, fruit-infused Armenian tea, poured us both some cups, and lounged on a piece of furniture that looked like it had once been a sofa or loveseat, but now resembled something that had been left on the curb and perhaps run over by a large truck once or twice. Despite its ébouriffé appearance, like its owner, it was clean and comfortable.

I explained to Charlie that I had received his card from His Eminence, he bowed at the mention of his name, and that he had urged me to drop in. He understood completely.

“I was informed by the Archbishop that you are devoted to the Lord. I took that to mean that you work around the clock,” I noted.

“He often says that to people. His Eminence understands that I spend my days in constant prayer. I am a hermit, you see. The icons are my prayers; I work on them all of my waking hours.”

For the remainder of the afternoon, Charlie took me through the theology and history of iconography and showed me the very deliberate technique that results in a proper icon.

“They are not simply art, you see? They are windows to God. What one does is look into the eyes of the sainted person. With prayer and Godly intention, you can see beyond merely your own soul. An icon is always a religious subject, but not every religious subject is an icon. There must be intention, you see? I do not simply paint a figure. Every icon is a result of the three legs of the stool of faith: Prayer, Fasting, and Study. Always, always study. Remove one and you fall on your dupa.”

“This one, you see? This one is about the Trinity; it is for teaching a doctrine. This one,” he pulled a length of wood from under a canvas that was under another piece of wood that was under another canvas, “This one is to feel the sorrow of the Holy Theotokas. Do you see her face; her eyes? Do you not feel her sorrow? Does it not carry into your prayers?”

As our conversation progressed into appropriate subjects for icons, I mentioned that I had some experience as a rather poor carpenter, as it had once been the family business. He brightened and said, “Good. Now you can pay for the tea you drank.”

The rest of the afternoon I prepped planks of wood for Charlie, cutting them to length with a hand saw and finishing them with a block plane. He would lightly sand them, sweeping the fine particulates away with a brush that he told me was made from his own beard hair, and place them in the sunlight, where the freshly exposed wood would cure.

When it was obvious that my audience was coming to an end, he beckoned me to an easel that was prominently centered in the studio. “This is what I am making for the end of the month. We are remembering our Holocaust, you see? Do you know of it? We call it ‘The Great Crime’. Two million Armenians slaughtered by the Turks. Such loss. Such horror. In the midst of prayer this came to me. I don’t know if it’s a true icon or not. It is the result of prayer, of course, so perhaps….”

Charlie removed the canvas to reveal an icon of about two and one-half feet by four, divided into a triptych with two hinged panels of half the size of the center. The border was of the blackest black I’ve ever seen. Even given the constraints of the medium, the figures were twisted in agonized attitudes. If an etching of Hieronymus Bosch’s could be rendered as an Orthodox icon, this would be it. On the left panel was a row of crucified bodies; naked and still. Just to view it was painful, not because the art was poor but because it was so sublime that the rawness of the emotion was palpable.

On the right panel was a collection of children, all clearly Armenian, and, while not smiling, looking at the viewer with deep power and devotion. In the center was The Christ surrounded by the apostles and the Holy Theotokos and joined with a collection of what I took to be Armenian saints, including Tiridates himself. They shared both looks of horror and those of hope.

“I was thinking of something His Eminence said recently. Of our Holocaust he said, ‘We are here. And we were not supposed to be.’ That’s rather good, you see? We have come through our Exodus; our wilderness. That is what this is; the Armenian people in the midst of death and horror, able to see the God who will make us whole again. Whole and safe.”

Charlie indicated a figure, small and distant in the background of the right panel. A scholar, from outward appearances, and senior to all of the other of the panel’s figures.

“My grandfather. He was a professor of history. He was killed by the Turks. All of us, we have all lost grandparents, so we take their inheritance for us and become scholars and artists; people of faith. These young people will save all Armenians by being people of faith and knowers of history. We are still here, you see?”

I assured Charlie that, given the effect that his work had on this American Episcopalian, that regardless of whether or not it fit the narrow definition of an icon, as far as I was concerned, it was. “It makes me want to pray, Charlie; and to give thanks for what we have. It’s an icon.”

We bid farewell. Charlie did not let me leave without taking a piece of Armenian bread and an icon of the Last Supper, a work that I still cherish. The triptych was well-received at the gathering of the Armenian survivors and their posterity, but was apparently purchased by a private collector in exchange for a remarkable contribution to an Armenian Genocide memorial. I have not seen it since.

Fr. Igumen left to study with the most accomplished Orthodox iconographers in Romania a few years later and now resides in Jerusalem, creating his works of devotion for others who experience the pain and tragedy of intolerance and terror, yet still find hope and accomplishment through their faith…

Traditionally, a hermit is not a person who simply lives alone, like Thoreau at Walden Pond, but is one within a religious community, whether a monastery or convent, who lives distinct from the other members of the religious order in order to pursue specific acts of contemplation. Thomas Merton, for example, while a member of a Cistercian or Trappist order of monks, was a hermit who lived not in community with the other monks but in a small cabin, or hermitage, on the monastery’s grounds where he concentrated on prayer and writing the books and articles for which he’s famous.

Orthodox and Anglican traditions have a broader definition for hermits, also known as “solitaries”, as the hermit doesn’t have to be a member of a particular religious order. Instead, a man or woman may choose to live a deliberate life of prayer and devotion under the authority of his or her bishop. I once had an organist who was also a hermit who was very much in the world but also devoted, through vocation and avocation, to prayer in all things, especially those musical. True hermits, even the worldly ones, strive to maintain the traditional vows.

In Igumen’s case, his hermitage was the studio and his work of devotion was, clearly, his art.”
http://thecoracle.blogspot.com.au/

Traditions of Christian Spirituality

The Orbis Traditions of Christian Spirituality Series
Edited by Philip Sheldrake, this series, published in cooperation with DLT, London, makes the riches of some of some of the world’s greatest spiritual traditions available to a contemporary public. Each title introduces key themes and values of one of Christianity’s major traditions, and draws out their relevance for the modern reader and seeker.
With the widespread hunger for spirituality in all its forms Traditions of Christian Spirituality helps people become aware of the great spiritual riches available over two millennia of Christian history, both East and West.
The following are some of the volumes in the series:

Wilfrid McGreal “At the Fountain of Elijah: The Carmelite Tradition” (Traditions of Christian Spirituality) [Orbis Books, 1999]
This popular introduction emphasizes the creative tension between solitude and contemplation and the call to be open to contemporary circumstances. McGreal shows how the figures of Elijah and Mary represent the symbolic poles in Carmelite spirituality, reflected in the witness of its best-known representatives, including Teresa of Avila, Therese of Lisieux, Edith Stein (St Benedicta of the Cross).

Steven Chase “Contemplation and Compassion: The Victorine Tradition” (Traditions of Christian Spirituality) [Orbis Books, 2003]
Victorine spirituality, which emerged from the Abbey of St. Victor in Paris, was one of the most creative, exciting, and productive traditions of the Middle Ages. With emphasis on contemplative prayer, the presence of God in all things, and loving compassion toward one’s neighbors, the Victorine tradition has many parallels with present-day spirituality and holds promise for enriching and energizing contemporary spiritual formation.

Thomas O’Loughlin “Journeys on the Edges: The Celtic Tradition” (Traditions of Christian Spirituality) [Orbis Books, 2000]
This fresh and original introduction to Celtic spirituality begins by questioning the very notion of a distinctively “Celtic” tradition. Brilliantly re-examining the original sources, O’Loughlin argues that there is one over-arching theme that gives the Celtic approaches unity–the idea of being “on the edge,” both culturally and geographically.

Columba Stewart, O.S.B. “Prayer and Community: The Benedictine Tradition” (Traditions of Christian Spirituality) [Orbis Books, 1998]
This exploration of Benedictine spirituality provides the perfect introduction to St Benedict and his Rule. The book places Benedict and his Rule within the extraordinary world of early Christian monasticism and explores his key insights about awareness of the presence of God and meeting Christ in other people.

L. William Countryman “The Poetic Imagination: An Anglican Spiritual Tradition” (Traditions of Christian Spirituality) [Orbis Books, 2000]
Anglicanism, as Countryman argues, is unusual among forms of Western Christianity in being defined primarily in terms of community rather than by authoritative theological principles. In the end, Anglicanism may be characterized by a poetic imagination well reflected in the work of many of the great lyric poets of the English language.

Joan M Nuth “God’s Lovers in An Age of Anxiety. The Medieval English Mystics” (Traditions Of Christian Spirituality Series) [Orbis Books, 2001]
This book examines the extraordinary flowering of the English spirituality in the fourteenth and early fifteen centuries, and shows its continuing power to nourish contemporary life and prayer. Though each the writers discussed in this book each has a unique voice they share a common experience of living in an age of fear, violence and disintegration, and their work has a strange resonance for us.

Saskia Murk-jansen “Brides in the Desert. The Spirituality of the Beguines” (Traditions Of Christian Spirituality Series) [Orbis Books, 2004]
The voices of the Beguines, women who sought to make sense of their experience of God in a world where suffering was commonplace, can be difficult to hear. By placing them in their historical, literary and theological context this book introduces the reader to some of the most challenging religious texts of the middle ages. The four women discussed in this book between them span the thirteenth century, a period which was the time of greatest flowering of Beguine mystic literature. Introduces four women Hadewych, Mechtild of Magdeburg, Marguerite Porete and Beatrijs of Nazareth who between them span the thirteenth century.

“Standing in God’s Holy Fire: The Byzantine Tradition” (Traditions of Christian Spirituality) [Orbis Books, 2001]
The orthodox Byzantine tradition is still often undervalued and misunderstood in the Western churches. This books gives a vivid introduction to the leading figures, key themes and values of this living and ancient form of Christian spirituality. At the centre of the Byzantine experience are ideas which western Christians share, and from which they still have much to learn: beauty, endurance, and hopefulness.

John Chryssavgis “Light Through Darkness: The Orthodox Tradition” (Traditions of Christian Spirituality) [Orbis Books, 2004]
Orthodoxy is often identified with beautiful icons, elaborate liturgy, perfection as deification, and the vision of God as light. But there is a deeper side in which martyrdom is embraced. The spirituality of the Christian East is often identified with beautiful icons, elaborate liturgy, a way of perfection as deification, and the vision of God as light. But martyrdom is part and parcel of the Orthodox way, and its spirituality is profoundly marked by the reality of pain and division. This fascinating study finds a deeper insight at the heart of the Orthodox tradition: the idea of brokenness and darkness as the only way to healing and light, the idea of imperfection as the only way to salvation.

William J. Short “Poverty and Joy: The Franciscan Tradition” (Traditions of Christian Spirituality) [Orbis Books, 1999]
The Franciscan tradition is as appealing a way of life today as it has been for centuries. William Short focuses first on the importance of the order’s founders, Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi, offering an historical introduction. He then reflects on key themes: the Incarnation, poverty as a way to God, suffering and healing, and creation–humanity and nature in harmony. He introduces as well key figures in the Order: Bonaventure Angela of Foligno, and John Duns Scotus, who have helped shape the Franciscan vision and brought it to life through the ages.

Giovanni Maria de Agostini, Travelling Hermit

David G. Thomas “Giovanni Maria de Agostini, Wonder of the Century: The Astonishing World Traveler Who Was A Hermit” (Mesilla Valley History Series Book 2) [Doc 45 Publishing, 2014]

“This book is about a remarkable man, Giovanni Maria de Agostini, born in Italy in 1801, who combined two seemingly contradictory aspirations: a fervent desire to devote his whole life to “perfect solitude” and an astonishing urge to travel incessantly.

As his decisions and actions emerge from the lightless silence – the time-covered past – a unifying purpose becomes evident.

Following extensive travel in Europe, Agostini takes vows revocable only by formal dispensation from the Pope. He immediately leaves forever his “beloved Italy” for South America. Twenty-one years he spends traversing that, at the time, greatly unexplored continent, visiting Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile – and so doing multiple times. During this spectacular solo Odyssey, he survives a trip down the Amazon River by canoe, crosses the Alps by foot several times, walks vast distances, and endures living alone in scalding deserts and subzero mountains. In spite of oppressive and infuriating obstacles, including death threats, unjust arrest, deportation, jail, and forced confinement in a mental asylum, Agostini persists undeterred in the solemn goal he set for himself when he left Europe.

Seeking change and another continent, Agostini leaves South America for Mexico, passing through Panama and Guatemala, and then Mexico for North America, passing through Cuba. In Cuba, he is hailed as an extraordinary adventurer, his photograph is taken, and he is proclaimed “The Wonder of Our Century.” After arrival in New York, he walks to Canada, where he spends almost a year, then “goes west,” eventually reaching, in the midst of the American Civil War, the Territory of New Mexico, where he meets his merciless fate.

Agostini is remembered in many places — in South America as Monge João Maria, in North America as Ermitaño Don Juan Agostini; however his life story is encrusted with myth and false fact. As the veritable events of his life are unveiled, a man of fascinating originality, prodigious endurance, intelligence, self-discipline, and self-sufficiency, infused with an indomitable spirit of adventure, emerges.

Today in Argentina, as many as 15,000 people participate in a yearly festival initiated by Agostini at Cerro Monje, “Monk’s Hill.” In Brazil, at Cerro Campestre, “Campestre Hill,” and Santo Cerro do Botucaraí, “Holy Hill of Botucaraí,” over 10,000 people celebrate annual events founded by Agostini. In Lapa, Brazil, a national park protects the pilgrimage route to Gruta do Monge, “Monk’s Grotto.” At Araçoiaba Hill, near Sorocaba, Brazil, the Trilha da Pedra Santa, “Trail of the Holy Rock,” is climbed annually by thousands of people desiring to pay respect to the memory of the Monge do Ipanema, the “Monk of Ipanema.”

These are just a few examples of Agostini’s cultural legacy, 145 years after his death.”

“Perhaps the mostly widely recognized landmark in the Las Vegas area, Hermit’s Peak looms over the surrounding plains at 10,263 feet. You may remember it from a scene in the movie “Red Dawn”, which was filmed nearby (the 1984 version, not the remake). It’s worth noting that “Red Dawn” stars the late Patrick Swayze who later returned and bought a ranch just a few miles from the mountain.

Over the years Hermit’s Peak and it’s sole resident, Juan Maria d’Agostini, have become an important part of the local culture. The mountain was known to the early Spanish settlers as “El Cerro del Tecolote”, or the Hill of the Owl. That changed when an unusual figure came to the area in the 1860s. He was described as a short and thin man with a brown eyes and a gaunt face. He wore a long dark cape and leaned on a walking staff. The local residents had never seen anyone so striking and mysterious. They called him “El Ermitano”, the Hermit.
Born in northern Italy in 1801, Giovanni Maria de Agostini came from a wealthy family. He studied Latin, French, and theology before taking the vow of Saint Anthony the Abbot. He then dedicated himself to a Monastic life of poverty, austerity and virtue. After traveling around in Europe he set out for South America, landing in Caracas, Venezuela in 1839. In South and Central America he traveled from Venezuela to Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Panama, Guatemala, and Mexico. In 1861 he journeyed to North America and arrived in New York City. Except for voyages which required boats, his only mode of transportation was by foot. From New York he walked up to Canada, and then down to Kansas.

Agostini found his way to Las Vegas, New Mexico accompanying a wagon train from Council Grove, Kansas along the Santa Fe Trail in 1863. When offered a ride on one of the wagons he said that he preferred to walk, and asked only for some cornmeal mush to nourish himself. By this time he went by the name Juan Maria d’Agostini. But to the religious settlers of early Las Vegas he was simply “the Hermit”. Due to his appearance and wise demeanor he was perceived of as a holy man, a healer and a miracle worker. He claimed to be none of these things. Nonetheless, throngs of locals collected wherever he resided, seeking counsel, healing and miracles.

Eventually d’Agostini set his sights on the 10,263 foot mountain, where he finally found the solitude he longed for in a cave near the summit.”
http://blog.westernlifecamp.com/hermits-peak-and-the-story-of-juan-maria-dagostini/
See also: http://grupogaaiablog.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/morro-botucarai-verdadeira-historia-do.html

Anglican Single Consecrated Life

Single Consecrated Life – A New Expression of Religious Life in the Anglican Church

“The vocation to live the single consecrated life is a person’s response to a call from God to live out their Christian life under the vow of consecrated celibacy. From Apostolic times, God has called people to consecrated celibacy.
Today we need to respond positively to those who are being called and to make the church aware of this gift and way of life.
We need to support and encourage those who seek to live out this consecration in the world, in response to God’s invitation to follow the way of Christ.”
http://www.singleconsecratedlife-anglican.org.uk/index.php

This website explore and provides resources for Anglicans seeking to live a Single Consecrated Life. It includes the stories of a number of people who have done so.

“Edwin Phillips, an Anglican Priest and a ‘Franciscan Contemplative’ of the Third Order of Saint Francis was called by God to erect a Hermitage to further explore a life of contemplative prayer and solitude.

He approached the Director of Nicholaston House, Derrick Hancock, to ask of the possibility of siting the Hermitage in the garden of the House. The present site was offered to Edwin, as friends of Nicholaston House had been praying that this area of ground would one day be set aside as a place of prayer.

Inspired by the writings of the late Brother Ramon, Edwin spends as much time as possible in the Hermitage and finds there that peace and solitude which helps him in his life of contemplative prayer.”
http://www.singleconsecratedlife-anglican.org.uk/edwin.php

“A vocation to the single consecrated life should be tested over a period of time before temporary vows are made.
The candidate should have a spiritual director who is familiar with this form of consecration.
A proper enquiry should be made of the candidate – and the attached questionnaire indicates the areas of enquiry.
The vocation is rooted in God – it is about ‘being’ rather than ‘doing’ – but the vocation also needs to be rooted in the Church by association with a parish, chaplaincy or Religious community.
After a period of probation, annual temporary vows may be received, and renewed, using a form of service that recognises the maturity, perseverance and significance of the consecration being made and renewed.
The length of time in temporary vows will depend on each particular candidate, but life vows should only be made with the support of those who have been involved in the discernment process. Temporary vows may be renewed and thirty should be regarded as the minimum age for making a life vow.
Candidates should be single, widowed or divorced. Someone who is still bound to marriage vows may not take a vow of celibacy.
A ring and/or a cross may be appropriate symbols of the covenant relationship being undertaken.

A personal vow should be received by a bishop who will keep a record of it and also inform the Advisory Council and the diocesan bishop if another bishop has received the vow. The bishop of the diocese in which a vowed person lives shall also have authority to grant release from the vow, at which point the Advisory Council should again be notified.
If a vowed person moves to another diocese, the bishop should commend the person to the bishop of the diocese to which the person is moving.
An annual meeting with the bishop (either personally or through a delegate) is advised. He should also ensure that a vowed person has an adequate network of spiritual support and the means to maintain a lifestyle suitable to his/her vocation.
A candidate may take an additional vow(s) in addition to consecrated celibacy to indicate a lifestyle (for example, simplicity, hospitality, commitment to the poor) or a particular devotion (for example, to the Blessed Sacrament, intercession etc). Although candidates will be expected to live within the spirit of the evangelical counsels, it is not appropriate to take vows of poverty and obedience as the candidate retains control of personal finances and has no Religious superior.

It will help if aspirants and single consecrated people can be put in touch with others who have taken a similar vow either within the Church of England or with a member of the Order of Consecrated Virgins (OCV) within the Roman Catholic Church.
In due course, we trust that there will be an increasing number who will form a network to support one another. Key ingredients in this support will be encouragement in the distinctiveness and variety of the call on each person’s life and the recognition that this will continue to grow and change over time.
Personal encouragement and formal recognition by a bishop can be an important factor in developing individual vocations. At this point in time bishops have a particular opportunity to promote this step as both an ancient and contemporary expression of the consecrated life offering enrichment to the Church today.”
From Appendix VIII of “The Religious Life Directory” of The Religious Communities’ Advisory Council

The website also includes “The Rite of Consecrated Celibacy for those making profession in the Single Consecrated Life” – http://www.singleconsecratedlife-anglican.org.uk/profession.php – which includes:

“Candidate: Father, receive my resolution to follow Christ in a life of consecrated celibacy, which I here profess (for x years/life) before you and God’s people, and pray that I may be given grace to persevere in love and faithfulness.
The Bishop then says the prayer of Consecration
Loving Father, you have loved and redeemed us through your Son Jesus Christ. He is your Word, through whom all things were made. Look with favour on this your servant N. who has resolved to follow you in the holy state of celibacy. You have inspired him/her to make this vow and s/he now gives you his/her heart.
Lord, protect N as s/he desires to be strengthened by your blessing and consecration.
Here the bishop may anoint the candidate
Through the gift of your Holy Spirit, give him/her chastity with right judgement, kindness with true wisdom, gentleness with strength of character, freedom with purity of heart. Give him/her the gift of love to love you above all others. May his/her life deserve our praise, without seeking to be praised. May s/he give you glory by holiness of life. Be yourself his/her glory, joy and whole desire. Be his/her comfort in sorrow, his/her wisdom in perplexity, his/her protection in the midst of in justice, his/her patience in adversity, his/her riches in poverty, his/her food in fasting, his/her remedy in sickness. S/he has chosen you above all things, may s/he find all things in possessing you.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. All: Amen.”

The Optina Elders

“The Startsi of Optina Monastery are holy fathers Moses, Antony, Leonid(Lev), Macarius, Hilarion, Ambrose, Anatolius I, Isaac I, Joseph, Barsanuphius, Anatolius the Younger, Nectarius, Nikon the Confessor, and Hieromartyr Isaac the Younger. Hieromartyr Isaac was shot by the Bolsheviks on December 26 1937.

The holy Fathers made the Optina Hermitage (Pustyn) a focus for the powerful renewal movement that spread through the Church in Russia beginning early in the nineteenth century, and continuing up to (and even into) the atheist persecutions of the twentieth century. Saint Paisius Velichkovsky (November 15) was powerfully influential in bringing the almost-lost hesychastic tradition of Orthodox spirituality to Russia in the eighteenth century, and his labors found in Optina Monastery a ‘headquarters’ from which they spread throughout the Russian land.

The monastery itself had been in existence since at least the sixteenth century, but had fallen into decay through the anti-monastic policies of Catherine II and other modernizing rulers. Around 1790, Metropolitan Platon of Moscow undertook a mission to restore and revive the monastery in the tradition set forth by St Paisius. By the early 1800s the monastery (located about 80 miles from Moscow) had become a beacon of Orthodox spirituality, partly through their publication of Orthodox spiritual texts, but more importantly through the lineage of divinely-enlightened spiritual fathers (startsi, plural of starets) who served as guides to those, noble and peasant, who flocked to the monastery for their holy counsel.

The fathers aroused some controversy in their own day; a few critics (some of them from other monasteries) disapproved of their allowing the Jesus Prayer to become widely-known among the people, fearing that it would give rise to spiritual delusion (prelest). For a wonderful depiction of the deep influence of the Jesus Prayer on Russian life during this period, read the anonymously-written Way of a Pilgrim.”
http://www.pravmir.com/article_159.html

“The Optina Pustyn (Russian: Оптина пустынь, literally Opta’s hermitage) is an Eastern Orthodox monastery for men near Kozelsk in Russia. In the 19th century, the Optina was the most important spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church and served as the model for several other monasteries, including the nearby Shamordino Convent. It was particularly renowned as the centre of Russian staretsdom. It is not clear when the monastery was established. Its name is derived from the Russian word for “living together”, possibly because nuns were allowed into the cloister prior to 1504.

Most of the monastery buildings were erected at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, when the monastery was being renovated as a centre of Russian staretsdom. In 1821, a hermitage for startsy was established 400 metres (1,300 ft) away from the monastery. The startsy attracted crowds of devout Christians to Kozelsk….

The cloister boasted a rich library, collected with help from the Slavophile Kireyevsky brothers, both buried within the monastery walls. The philosopher Konstantin Leontyev lived at the monastery for four years and took the tonsure here. The local starets Saint Amvrosy is said to have been a prototype of Father Zosima in Dostoyevsky’s novel “The Brothers Karamazov”.

After the Russian Revolution, the last of the startsy were forcibly deported from the monastery, which was declared a gulag. The last hegumen was executed in Tula in 1938. Later, some of the structures were demolished, while the cathedral was designated a literary museum.

In 1987 with the beginning of Perestroika, Optina Pustyn was one of the first abbeys to be returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. In the 1990s its most notable startsy were glorified as saints. They are commemorated together on October 10 (October 23 on the Gregorian Calendar)…

The holy Fathers made the Optina Hermitage (or Poustinia) a focus for the powerful renewal movement that spread through the Church in Russia beginning early in the nineteenth century, and continuing up to (and even into) the atheist persecutions of the twentieth century. Saint Paisius Velichkovsky (November 15) was powerfully influential in bringing the almost-lost hesychastic tradition of Orthodox spirituality to Russia in the eighteenth century, and his labors found in Optina Monastery a ‘headquarters’ from which they spread throughout the Russian land. The Optina Elders were spiritual masters who became renowned throughout the Orthodox world for their holiness and spiritual gifts. Among them the most known are: Schema-Archimandrite Moses, Schema-Hegumen Anthony, Hieroschemamonk Leonid, Hieroschemamonk Macarius, Hieroschemamonk Hilarion, Hieroschemamonk Ambrose, Hieroschemamonk Anatole (Zertsalov) and Hieroschemamonk Barsanuphius.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optina_Monastery

The Startsi of Optina Monastery are:

Elder Leonid (1768—1841)

Elder Moses (1782-1862)

Elder Macarius (1788-1860)

Elder Antony (1795-1865)

Elder Hilarion (1805-1873)

Elder Isaac I (1810-1894)

Elder Ambrose (1812—1891)

Elder Anatoly the Elder (1824-1894)

Elder Joseph (1837-1911)

Elder Barsanuphius (1845-1913)

Elder Nektarius (1853-1928)

Elder Anatoly the Younger (1855-1922)

Elder Isaac II (1865-1937)

Elder Nikon (1888-1931)

“Concerning his visit to Optina Monastery, Nikolai Gogol wrote to Count A.P. Tolstoy in June, 1850, saying:
‘While travelling I stopped off in Optina [Monastery] and carried away a remembrance that I shall never forget. I think that on Mt. Athos itself there is nothing better. Grace is visibly present there. One can even sense it clearly in the external serving (in church)… I have never seen such monks anywhere… every one of them, it appeared to me, conversed with everything heavenly. I did not ask them how they live, because their faces speak for themselves. The simplest brothers struck me with their bright angelic kindness, their simplicity of manners, their radiance. Even the workers in the monastery, the peasants and the inhabitants of the neighborhood, struck me in the same way. Several miles prior to reaching the monastery, one senses this spiritual fragrance: everything becomes friendlier, the boughs of the trees are lower, and the attention to a human being much deeper.’
Ivan Kontzevitch, in attempting to describe his time at Optina, notes that “to transmit this impression to one who has not experienced it is impossible!” Yet, offering a “glimpse” he writes:
‘It is an early summer morning. You are walking to church. There is a fresh breeze. Around you is a murmur of the deep forest, whose fragrance hovers all over and in front of you, against the forest, is the grandeur of the white citadel. There is Optina. At the same time, you are experiencing a genuine sense of God’s presence, and from this comes fear for each thought, each action, each feeling, together with an intangible peace in your soul, and joy, which so wondrously harmonizes with the external surroundings.’
Just as all paths leading to a mountain top converge on it, so too in Optina – the spiritual summit – there converged both the higher spiritual podvig of inward activity, which is crowned with an abundance of the gifts of grace through the acquisition of the Holy Spirit, the service to the world, satisfying both its spiritual and everyday needs. Many came to see the Elders of Optina in search of consolation, healing, advice, guidance or instructions. The Optina Elders were visited by those who became entangled in the circumstances of their lives or philosophical quests. Like “deer searching for springs of water,” men in their thirst for truth yearned to go to Optina. They all quenched their thirst at this source of “living water.” The outstanding thinkers of the time, philosophers and writers visited Optina: Gogol, the Kireyevsky brothers, Leo and Aleksei Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Solviev, Leontiev… and countless others.”

john rila

For the Optina Elders, see:
http://stpaisiusmonastery.org/about-the-monastery/life-of-st-paisius/optina-elders/ (which includes brief biographies of each of the Elders as does http://christthesavior.net/?p=880 )
http://www.pravmir.com/article_159.html
http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/65171.htm

john rila

See: https://www.archangelsbooks.com/products.asp?cat=Optina+Elders+Series
Vol. 1: Fr. Clement Sederholm “Elder Leonid of Optina” [St Herman of Alaska Press, 1990]

“Possessing penetrating spiritual discernment, Elder Leonid (1768 1841) was at the same time loving and fatherly. He could mystically see into the hearts of his spiritual children, knowing when to rebuke, when to exhort, and when to console. He especially cared for those whom no one else seemed to have time for, and thousands came away from him healed both in soul and body.
No one ever saw Elder Leonid disturbed by passionate anger or irritation. During the most difficult times of his life no one ever heard a sound of impatience or grumbling from him no one saw him downcast. It was hard not to marvel at his joyfulness and inward peace. Preserving a holy simplicity, free of hypocrisy, he spoke with everyone in a direct and straightforward way.
Elder Leonid was very significant for Optina Monastery and for all of Russia. He introduced and firmly established in Optina the ancient tradition of eldership transmitted through St. Paisius Velichkovsky a tradition founded on the Holy Scriptures and the teachings of the Holy Fathers. Also included in this volume is the Life of Elder Leonid s preceptor, Elder Theodore of Svir.”

Vol. 2: Fr. Clement Sederholm “Elder Anthony of Optina” [St Herman of Alaska Press, 1996]

“Elder Anthony, born Alexander Ivanovich Putilov in 1795, came from a pious family of the Yaroslav Province, raised in the fear of God. Of Alexander and his four brothers, three became righteous abbots of renowned monasteries. From early youth Alexander dedicated himself with great zeal to the labors of desert dwelling.
The difficulties of the narrow and sorrowful path of the monastic life became joyful to Alexander through the rewards of spiritual consolations full of grace. To the 20-year-old Alexander, who had striven so long and so zealously toward monastic life, the short, dyed robe, covered with stains and patches, seemed, as he himself later expressed it, “more precious than royal purple.”
“Elder Anthony of Optina”, the prima vita of 1869, is compiled not only from the information of his own personal notes, journals, and letters, but also from memoirs of his spiritual children, particularly the disciple of St. Herman of Alaska–the saintly Sergius Yanovsky–who became a disciple of Elder Anthony after returning from America.”

Vol. 3 Fr. Leonid Kavelin “Elder Macarius of Optina” [St Herman of Alaska Press, 1996]

“During the 19th century Optina Monastery became a herald of the spiritual revival in Russia through the publication of spiritual literature by the Elders.
Elder Macarius was instrumental in proposing the independent publication of patristic literature–an enterprise of historical significance, possible primarily through the patronage of Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow and a host of contributing participants, and which was centered in Optina Monastery.
Outstanding philosophers and writers of the time, such as Dostoyevsky and Gogol, began visiting Optina in their search for truth. Among them was Ivan V. Kireyevsky, who would become the most devoted spiritual son of Elder Macarius and his chief collaborator in editing patristic literature. The brief biographies of Kireyevsky and other disciples of Elder Macarius contained in this volume show the amazing influence of this humble elder throughout Russia.
“Elder Macarius of Optina” is a translation of the prima vita written by one of his closest disciples Archimandrite Leonid Kavelin–a man of a great literary talent. The third volume of The Optina Elders Series contains rare memoirs discovered years later shedding light on the mystical aspect of this spiritual director of uncommon caliber–a modern Church Father who has left a legacy of deeply inspiring letters.”

Vol 4: Fr. Sergius Chetverikov “Elder Ambrose of Optina” [St Herman of Alaska Press, 1997]

“The Elders of Optina Monastery have had a tremendous impact on Russian society. During the course of a century, their prophecy and God-illumined counsel attracted spiritual seekers from far and wide.
Elder Ambrose is considered the pinnacle of Eldership in Optina. He embodied the virtues of all the elders in the highest degree–divine humility, purity of mind and heart, overflowing love, and total self-sacrifice for the salvation of his fellow man. Because he had attained the depths of humility, the Lord blessed him with spiritual gifts by which to heal suffering souls. He read human hearts, was granted to know the past, present and future of people, and spoke to them the direct, revealed word of God. So great were his gifts that hundreds of people flocked daily to his humble cabin in central Russia. Among these were the writers Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Leontiev and Solovyev. Dostoyevsky was so moved by his pilgrimage to Optina and Elder Ambrose that he wrote his last and greatest novel, The Brothers Karamazov, with the specific intention of depicting the spiritual image of Optina Monastery and the Elder. The well-known character of Elder Zosima in his book was modeled after Elder Ambrose, whose words of counsel Dostoyevsky put directly into the mouth of his unforgettable character.
This edition of Elder Ambrose’s life is a faithful English translation of the original Optina edition, printed in Russia in 1912. Through its pages we enter the world of a heavenly man, an angel in the flesh who beheld the mysteries of the future age: the perfect love and silent oneness of immortal spirits.”

Vol 5: I. M. Kontzevitch “Elder Nektary of Optina” [St Herman of Alaska Press, 1999]

“Elder Nektary (1853-1928) was the last elder to function as such at Optina. He was in Optina when it was forcibly closed by the communists in 1923, and spent his remaining years in exile from his spiritual home. He lived through a time of persecution worse than any other in the thousand-year history of the Russian Orthodox Church. At this time of immeasurable sorrow for Christian believers, God gave Elder Nektary to Russia as both a consoler of souls and a voice of prophecy.
Marked by simplicity, childlikeness, spontaneity and creativity, Elder Nektary radiated joy to the thousands of suffering souls who came to him. Having reached the summit of spiritual life, deification, he was beheld in Uncreated Light by his disciple, Fr. Adrian (Archbishop Andrew) Rymarenko. He passed on his Optina inheritance to many worthy disciples, who later transmitted it to America. Among these were Fr. Adrian, Bishop Nektary Kontzevitch, and the author I. M. Kontzevitch–all of who were the preceptors of the American editors and publishers of this volume.
Through the eyewitness accounts of Elder Nektary’s life contained in these pages, this “spiritual grandfather” of Orthodoxy in America can help to ground Orthodox converts in sober spirituality, rooted in unfeigned humility and repentance, which marks all true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Vol 6: Tatiana Torstensen “Elder Sebastian of Optina” [St Herman of Alaska Press, 1999]

“The spiritual image of Elder Sebastian (1884 1966) is that of a longsuffering, quiet bearer of the vision of the Optina monastic tradition destined to preserve Optina eldership through decades of communist persecution of the Church. After the closure of Optina Monastery in 1923, Fr. Sebastian a disciple of both Elder Joseph and Elder Nektary matured rapidly into a truly compassionate pastor. He suffered arrest and imprisonment by the communists in 1933, and was sentenced to ten years in the Karaganda concentration camps of Kazakhstan.
Elder Sebastian had a constant concern for instilling deep peace in people s souls, and a constant sense of service through his labor and love to those surrounding him. He was exacting in everything, but first of all toward himself. He had the gift of great and profound discernment, and exercised moderation in everything.
“Elder Sebastian of Optina” has been translated from the recently published Russian biography, as well as from original manuscripts and various materials from Elder Sebastian s spiritual children. Also included is an Akathist to the Saint.”

Vol 7: Victor Afanasiev “Elder Barsanuphius of Optina” [St Herman of Alaska Press, 2000]

“Elder Barsanuphius (1845 1913), a disciple of Elder Anatole (Zertsalov) and Elder Nektary, was a highly cultured man and a successful colonel before entering the monastic life at a relatively late age. Due to his purity of heart and spiritual sobriety, he was transformed by God into a grace-filled Elder virtually overnight. The period before the first World War and the Russian Revolution was a complex one. The world was seething in unprecedented passions, and one could clearly sense the approach of darkness. With a sympathetic soul Elder Barsanuphius attended to the world, and the Lord parted a curtain before him, showing him the horrors of the future.
People from the world, thirsting for consolation in their sorrows, streamed to Optina. Elder Barsanuphius, in frail health but strengthened by the power of the Lord, received them, conversed with them, confessed them, and directed them to the only true path. He was a man of extraordinary spiritual vision, and could see clearly into the hearts of those who came to him.
Presented here, for the first time in English, is a complete biography of this great Elder, including his talks on a variety of subjects, excerpts from the journal of his cell-attendant (the future Elder Nikon, himself a great Optina Elder and a subsequent victim of the communist terror), and selections from his spiritual poetry.”

The Little Russian Philokalia

“Philokalia means “love of the good” or “love of the beautiful.” It was the name given to a celebrated Eighteenth-century collection of Greek patristic writings on Christian spiritual life, teaching the path to inner sobriety and the fullness of union with God.
This Little Russian Philokalia is a new collection of ascetic writings drawn from Russian sources, chiefly of the Eighteenth through the Twentieth centuries.

“For the last two centuries there have been many people of God-pleasing life in Holy Russia. These people have taught not only by the example of their life but also by wise counsel. Their wise words of instruction in righteous living are already available in part for whoever thirsts to know the right way of life. The writings [of the more renowned] have been published in volumes of complete works, and also in biographies or collections of letters to spiritual children. But many instructions of others were published either in old magazines or books which have become rarities and are not available now to the general public…” St. Nikodim, Bishop of Belgorod, 20th Century

Since the counsels of the Russian Fathers in the Little Russian Philokalia series come from recent centuries, they are of particular value in offering direction suited to the spiritual conditions of the modern age. The Little Russian Philokalia series can serve as an intermediary between the earlier Fathers of the Greek Philokalia and the spiritual strugglers of our own times.

The humble advice offered by holy men in the Little Russian Philokalia series renders an inestimable service to a true seeker of salvation–a follower of Christ’s narrow path of humility and unceasing spiritual labor. The Series contains much teaching on prayer, inward silence and vigilance, and the acquisition of virtue through following the commandments of the Lord.”
http://www.svspress.com/little-russian-philokalia-vol-v/

Vol. 1: St. Seraphim of Sarov: Spiritual Instructions
Vol. 2: Abbott Nazarius of Valaam: Counsels
Vol. 3: St. Herman of Alaska: Treasury of Spirituality
Vol. 4: St. Paisius Velichkovsky: Field Flowers
Vol. 5: Elder Theodore of Sanaxor: Sayings
Vol. 6: Elder Zosima of Siberia: Special Wisdom

1. Seraphim Rose (Editor, Translator) “Little Russian Philokalia: St. Seraphim of Sarov” [St. Herman Press; 5th edition (April 25, 2008)

“One of the most beloved Orthodox saints of recent times–St. Seraphim of Sarov (1759-1833)–was a priest, hermit and spiritual guide who, in early 19th century Russia, led many souls along the path of Apostolic Christianity.
The first volume of the Little Russian Philokalia series contains the Life of St. Seraphim, his “Spiritual Instructions to Laymen and Monks,” his soul-saving conversation with Nicholas Motovilov “On the Acquisition of the Holy Spirit” (St. Seraphim’s patristic teaching–equal to the ancient Church Fathers)–and his “Diveyevo Mystery”–which, until now, has never been revealed in the English language since its disclosure in 1902.”

2. Seraphim Rose (Translator) “The Little Russian Philokalia: Abbot Nazarius of Valaam” [St. Herman Press, 1997)

“The second volume of the Little Russian Philokalia Series is dedicated to the “Grandfather” of an entire century of great ascetics of Valaam Monastery, Blessed Elder Nazarius (1735-1809). He was the spiritual father to St. Herman of Alaska and was responsible for sending the first Orthodox mission to America in 1794.
Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers were the daily food of his soul. His soul became so penetrated by the thought of divine things that the only subject of his conversations was what might profit the soul.
Like St. Anthony the Great, Abbot Nazarius possessed experience and knowledge of the spiritual life in practice, and spoke of how to practice Christianity in order to attain genuine sobriety of soul. He allowed no leeway for idle meditating or fantasizing.
Elder Nazarius burned with an unquenchable love of truth. His watchful eye was keen; his words carried great power. Severe and seemingly inaccessible in appearance, by his words alone he could soften hearts into love and obedience.
The Little Russian Philokalia Series Volume II also contains a short spiritual ladder by Abbot Nazarius’ disciple, Hilarion of Valaam and Sarov Monasteries, and contains several hymns composed by Fr. Seraphim Rose in honor of Blessed Nazarius.”

3. “The Little Russian Philokalia: Treasury of St. Herman’s Spirituality” [St. Herman Press, 1989)

4. Fr. Seraphim Rose “Little Russian Philokalia: St. Paisius Velichkovsky” [Saint Herman Press, 1994]

“The fourth volume of the Little Russian Philokalia series is comprised of the only independent spiritual works, outside of his letters, of St. Paisius Velichkovsky: “The Scroll” and “The Field Flowers”. “The Scroll” was written in response to an attack on the main work of true monastic life–the cleansing of heart and mind through the mental activity of the Jesus Prayer, while “The Field Flowers” is a collection of 44 ascetic homilies by Elder Paisius representing a continuation of the deepest ascetic tradition of Christianity–unseen warfare.
The Little Russian Philokalia series, Volume IV conveys the teachings of a humble, yet vitally important, servant of Christ–one singularly responsible for the contemporary revival of Orthodox Christian spirituality.”

5. S. Miloskovsky “Little Russian Philokalia: St. Theodore of Sanaxar” [Saint Herman Press, 2000]

6. “Little Russian Philokalia: Elder Zosima of Siberia: Special Wisdom” [Saint Herman Press, ?]

The Russian Orthodox Ascetic Tradition

“The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit in Russia” Series is an invaluable collection of works on the Russian Orthodox Ascetic Tradition as exemplified in the lives of five Hermits and Monks:
Vol 1: “The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit in Ancient Russia”
Vol 2: “Salt of the Earth” (Hieromonk Isidore)
Vol 3: “One of the Ancients” (Elder Gabriel)
Vol 4: “Elder Melchizedek: Hermit of the Roslavl Forest”
Vol 5: “Father Gerasim of New Valaam”
Vol 6: “Elder Zosima: Hesychast of Siberia”

I.M. Kontzevitch “The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit in Ancient Russia: Orthodox Ascetic Theology” (The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit in Russia Series, Vol. 1) [Saint Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1996]

“One of this century’s greatest students of Orthodox sanctity, Professor Kontzevitch combined careful honest scholarship with a first-hand knowledge of saints with whom he had been in contact while in Russia including the holy Elders of Optina Monastery. His magnum opus, this book is a priceless sourcebook of all that he felt important to say about spiritual prayer, communion with God, asceticism, and eldership.”

St. Paul Florensky “Salt of the Earth” (The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit in Russia Series, Vol. 2) [St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 2nd revised edition, 1999]

“Salt of the Earth” is the heartwarming biography of Hieromonk Isidore (1814 1908), the great Elder of Gethsemane Hermitage in Russia.
Radiant with Christ-like love and childlike simplicity, Elder Isidore lived in another world, yet kept both feet firmly planted on the ground. He was one of those whom Christ called the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13) a repository of the rare otherworldly savor of ancient Christianity. In “Salt of the Earth”, both the life and personality of Elder Isidore have been captured with remarkable clarity by the Elder’s spiritual son, New Martyr Paul (Pavel) Florensky (1882-1937). He takes the reader directly into Fr. Isidore’s world, so that by the time the book is finished, the Elder is already a dear friend.
This revised second edition contains additional material on the Elder by Metropolitan Benjamin.”
“Elder Isidore (1814–1908) was a Russian Orthodox monastic of Gethsemane Hermitage in Russia. Elder Isidore was born with the name John in Lyskov in an unknown year (estimated to be 1814). While still in the womb, his mother was told to have visited St. Seraphim of Sarov, who called her from a crowd and bowed before her, prophesying that her son would a great Ascetic. In his youth he entered Gethsame Skete in Sarov and became a call attendant to Archimandrite Anthony. In 1860 he took his vows and began a life of asceticism at Gethsame. Of his spiritual children, one of the most notable was Pavel Florensky, who wrote a narrative of his life after his repose called “Salt of the Earth”. Elder Isidore died of natural causes in 1908.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elder_Isidore

Simeon Kholmogorov “One of the Ancients: The Life and Struggles of a Russian Man of Prayer: Elder Gabriel of Pskov and Kazan” (The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit in Ancient Russia Series, Vol 3) [Saint Herman Press, 1988]

“ “One of the Ancients” offers glimpses into the mystical life, telling of Elder Gabriel’s unceasing and burning prayer, spiritual experiences, wondrous visions, and acts of clairvoyance and healing. The Elder was a normal, down-to-earth human being who endured all of the common temptations. It was his deep longing for the other world, inborn in every person, that gave him courage to stand and fight as a free individual before God, and, without expecting anyone to do it for him, to take the kingdom of heaven by force (Matt 11:12). His victory over adversity and his own raging passions gives hope to those still in the arena of unseen warfare, striving for union with God as did he.
Through the holy Life of Elder Gabriel “One of the Ancients” portrays an undivided awareness of God, the vision of otherworldliness, perception of the future and even a partial penetration into the mysteries of death–to the life beyond.”

“Gavriil Fyodorovitch Zyryanov was born on March 14, 1844, in the Province of Perm, in the village of Frolovo, Irbitsk District.
The future Elder was given a religious education, but his parents had a hard time releasing him to go into a monastery. Upon arriving in Optina on August 13, 1864, Ganya was moved to tears. The Abbot said, “You see, you have broken into tears…. Never forget the day you entered, and remain as you are today. If you live like that, you will be saved.”
Gavriil carried out obediences in the bell tower, the bread bakery, the prosphora bakery, and managed the Abbot’s kitchen. He was spiritually nurtured by Ven. Amvrossy and Ven. Hilarion of Optina.
Gavriil was under obedience in Optina Hermitage for 10 years, but his tonsure was delayed, of course causing the young postulant to sorrow, for tonsure was not an award, but a form of repentance. Gavriil moved to the Vysokopetrovsky Monastery in Moscow. One year later, in 1875, he was tonsured and given the name Tikhon, in honor of Holy Hierarch St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, and was ordained a hierodeacon.
In 1881, Fr. Tikhon escaped the hubbub of life in the capital by going off to the Raitha Hermitage near Kazan. On January 24, 1883, Fr. Tikhon was ordained a hieromonk, and was appointed to be spiritual director for the brethren.
Soon Hieromonk Tikhon was transferred to the Sedmiyezernoye [Seven-lakes] Hermitage. It was there, 10 km from Kazan, that the future schema-elder spent 25 years of his life, and it was there that his gift of eldership fully manifested itself.
In 1892, Tikhon was tonsured into the Great Schema, with the name Gavriil, after the Archangel Gabriel. In 1902, he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite.
The fact that he enjoyed considerable spiritual authority, as well as his active participation in management, caused dissatisfaction among some of the monks and in certain lay circles. Among the complaints frequently lodged with the Synod was a denunciation to the effect that he had caused the ruin of the monastery and that he belonged to the Social-Democrat party. After being relieved of his responsibilities, “batiushka almost died of shock.” Later he was cleared of the charges.
At the end of June 1908, Schema-archimandrite Gavriil came to the St. Eleazar Monastery in Pskov. Archimandrite Gavriil combined an intense prayer life (repetition of the Jesus Prayer 12,000 times per day, the Midnight Office, kathismas, hours, vespers, and cell rule) with the service of eldership, and active correspondence with clergy and laity alike. In 1912, the elder grew noticeably weaker. In July 1914, the War began, and the elder was forced to move to Kazan. It was there that he reposed in the Lord on September 24, 1915. He was interred at the church in the Sedmiyezernoye Monastery.
After the Sedmiyezernoye Hermitage was dissolved in 1929, Ven. Gavriil’s relics as well as the Sedmiyezersk Smolensk Icon were in the keeping of Hieroschemamonk Seraphim Kashurin. Elder Gavriil was canonized on December 25, 1996.
Since the year 2000, his relics have been in the restored Sedmiyezersk Hermitage.”
http://www.stjohndc.org/Russian/saints/SaintsE/e_1108_gavriil.htm

Serge N. Bolshakoff “Elder Melchizedek: Hermit of the Roslavl Forest” (The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit in Ancient Russia Series, Vol 4) [Saint Herman Press, 1988]

“The Life of the pious man in “Elder Melchizedek” was very unusual, even unique–it was an extremely long life, lasting for 125 years, from 1715 to 1840. At 95 years of age, Elder Melchizedek left his monastery for the life of a solitary in the great White Forest. At this age, he had the vigor of a man in his fifties, mentally alert and courageous.

Elder Melchizedek was part of the whole phenomenon of the desert dwellers of Roslavl, which led to the formation of the Optina Skete. Similar to many others who pursued monastic love for the wilderness, he was a contemporary of outstanding men of prayer to whom mystical realities were opened.”

Monk Gerasim Eliel “Father Gerasim of New Valaam” (The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit in Russia Series, Vol. 5) [Saint Herman Press, 1986]

“In the 1800’s, on Alaska’s remote and forested Spruce Island, there lived a holy Russian monk and missionary named Herman, who was to become America’s first canonized Orthodox Saint. St. Herman prophesied that “a monk like me, fleeing the glory of men, will come and live on Spruce Island.” This prophecy was fulfilled 100 years later in the person of Archimandrite Gerasim (+1969), who lived a hermitic way of life on the island for 30 years, guarding the Saint’s relics and praying alone for the world. His solid spiritual formation in monasteries in Russia enabled him to withstand incredible obstacles, including concerted attempts to drive him off the island. His heroic witness is a beacon of ascetic Christianity in the 20th century. “Father Gerasim of New Valaam” includes a preliminary Life of this righteous confessor, together with selections from his letters and three of his articles, all of which are largely autobiographical. From his words there emerges a warm, loving and endearing man, close to God’s creation. At the same time, we see him as a mystic of the holy Optina tradition; a knower of God to who contact with the other world was a common reality. We can only marvel at how he was able to preserve the simplicity of his blessed childhood, with its fresh, guileless reactions to the joys and sorrows of life, and how he managed to preserve, on a wild island so far from his native land, a microcosm of Holy Russia.”
“Originally a monk of the Opntia tradition of St Tikhon of Kaluga Monastery, the young Fr Gerasim, after a trip to Mt Athos, wanted to go to Valaam But a missionary duty to go to America prevented him He was forced to remain in America due to the raging Russian Revolution, and eventually settled in New Valaam on Spruce Island in Alaska, where the basic monastic input had been made by Valaam monk St Herman a hundred years earlier St Herman had prophesied the arrival of Fr Gerasim, saying that “a monk like himself” would come and live in his hermitage The love for traditional monasticism had been passed on to him through his Elder Ioasaph, who laid his own monastic beginning on Valaam This made Fr
Gerasim the right man to install the fullness of Valaam mo-nasticism in the New World, but difficulties with church politics hindered him greatly Nevertheless he has an important place in the Valaam Patencon, especially because there are sufficient grounds for his canonization He possessed unquestionable literary talent, as is evident from the hundreds of pages of his correspondence with contemporary writers.”
http://korolev.msk.ru/books/dc/PATERIK28558.txt

Abbess V. Verkhovsky “Elder Zosima: Hesychast of Siberia” (The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit in Russia Series, Vol. 6) [Saint Herman Press, 2nd edition, 1990]

“Elder Zosima (1767-1833) was one of the many holy hermits and desert dwellers that lived in the vast and wild forests of the Russian North. His biography reveals how the grace of God works in one who is devoted to the labor of unceasing noetic activity–unseen warfare and interior silence. Hesychasm is the mental activity of the Jesus Prayer, in the depths of the human heart. Through it the whole man is enlightened and sanctified.

Written by the Elder’s niece and spiritual daughter, “Elder Zosima: Hesychast of Siberia” touchingly and expressively recounts the life of this holy contemporary of St. Seraphim of Sarov and St. Herman of Alaska, as well as his loving spiritual relationship with his elder and co-mystic, Elder Basilisk, a great doer of the Jesus Prayer.”