Saints Mary and Martha, Orthodox Monastery, Wagener, SC

ONE THING NEEDFUL
JANUARY 2010

MONASTERY NEWS

We begin this newsletter with some house-keeping items. With Pascha (Easter) being so early this year, our Annual Pilgrimage will be Saturday, April 17th. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us that day. Secondly, we have sent out the required IRS donation letters; however, if you did not receive one and need one from us, please let us know. Lastly, the US Post Office has consolidated their Bulk Mailing Sites; therefore, our bulk mail will be going out of Lexington, South Carolina and not Wagener.

Over the last three months, we have had three burials here – Jacquelin Randolph Floyd (72), Anastasia Noel Kaseman (4 days), and Gerald George Norman (61). May their memory be eternal.

At the end of October, Maria Floyd and Mother Thecla (pictured at left with rubber gloves and aprons, holding items that they had dyed with Guatemalan indigo) took dyeing classes at Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair. There were a number of “prayers for the dyeing” remarks tossed Mother Thecla’s way. The day before all the dyeing took place, Mother Thecla spent six hours in class learning about “Twists” from master spinner, Rita Buchanan. While this course was over Mother Thecla’s head, it did inspire her to spin for fifteen minutes a day for a month. We now have a fair amount of under spun fiber for the birds to use.

In early November, Nick, the son of Zora Milasnovich of blessed memory, contacted us and asked if we could use her china cabinet and buffet, to which we responded, “Yes.” Those of you who know how little space we have for anything, know that we worked hard to make space for these two items. First, items from the little refrigerator had to fit into the large refrigerator in the kitchen. The little refrigerator was priced and put with the flea market items. Then a desk had to be relocated to the Barne Shoppes and a two-drawer file cabinet moved to where the desk was. However, in the moving of this file cabinet, it came apart, ball-bearings rolled out, and, in the end a used five-drawer file cabinet was purchased. Yes, we filled it!

After that, we moved furniture in the Barne Shoppes, which included setting one desk on top of another to make room for two book cases and all the books and other items that went with them. On the appointed day, at the appointed hour, the three of us arrived at the Milasnovich’s home with our 1987 Ford pick-up, dollies and packing materials. Not only were we able to load the china cabinet (which was in two pieces – top and bottom) and the buffet, but a matching oval table with leaves and four chairs. Nick was so impressed that we were able to pack all this furniture in one load that he took the picture above as well as two pictures of the pick-up as it was leaving the driveway to share with his sisters.

Because we had been given so much for the flea market, we decided that we needed to spend a third Saturday, November 14th, at the Barnyard Flea Market in West Columbia. We were able to raise $220.25 more for our building fund.

On the following afternoon, Mother Thecla and Mother Helena began their fourteen-hour drive to Dormition of the Mother of God Monastery in Rives Junction, Michigan, to attend the Monastic Conference that had been called by Metropolitan Jonah. We enjoyed the warm hospitality of Abbess Gabriela and the sisterhood and seeing their monastery for the first time.

Added to this joy was that of being with other monastics, some of whom we knew and others we came to know. The group picture above is impressive to those of us who know that, for various reasons, three other monasteries of the Orthodox Church in America were not represented and remember when there weren’t that many Orthodox Christian monastics on the whole North American continent. Thanks be to God, we are growing.

Thanksgiving Day was rather quiet with only one guest. However, we had sixteen guests the day after – people visiting the graves of the loved ones, others to purchase candles and additional items from our monastery store, three to thin out the squirrel population, and a handyman to survey the general repairs that need to be done on the doublewide.

This was Holy Apostle Orthodox Church’s fourth year to invite us to have a booth at their Saint Nicholas Festival which is on the first Saturday of December. This was their best year ever. As in the past we brought religious items, jewelry and other items to sell.

Many of you may remember that some years ago, a friend of the monastery came with vintage, costume jewelry and said, “I will teach you how to price this jewelry and it will help you raise money for your building fund.” She was so right. Over the years, she and many other women have sent us costume jewelry for this very purpose. Although we sell year round, we were able to raise $791.65 in jewelry sales at the festival.

In December we had the gutters on all four buildings repaired, cleaned out, and pine-needle gutter guard installed throughout. Our handyman repaired the central ceiling “beam” that connects the two halves of the double wide. It was sagging from the weight of the ceiling fan and simply coming apart in general. Just when you think you have a handle on household repairs, you open the freezer section of the refrigerator, pull out some limp tortillas, and realize that the freezer isn’t freezing. We are blessed to have a good appliance repairman who came and fixed it the same day.

We were given three more trunks of cherry trees which we had milled and are now curing in the Barne Shoppes. If all goes well, the wood will be ready to use in about a year.

Although it was colder than usual, good use was made of the Hermitage during the last half of December and the first week of January.

Except for the additional church services, Christmas was as quiet as Thanksgiving with only one guest. Unlike Thanksgiving, we didn’t have a goodly number of people visit on the following day.

The Sunday after Christmas, we joined the parishioners of Holy Resurrection Orthodox Mission in Aiken in celebrating Tanya Gregory’s 90th birthday. Many Years!

For a few days before New Year till a few days after, we were blessed with a guest from Australia. We learned that there is a fledging Orthodox monastery for women beginning in Melbourne, Australia. Over the years, we have had many guests from far and near which serve as a reminder to us that the Gospel of Christ continues to spread throughout the world and grows in the hearts, minds, and souls of all who hear His word and follow Him.

From January 15-17, we hosted our fourth Young Adult Retreat. Once again, Fr. John Parker graciously agreed to lead this retreat. His topic was “When You Pray, When You Fast, When You Give Alms: How to Live as an Intentional Christian.” Nine young adults attended. The picture above only shows five of them. By the time we remembered that we needed to take a group picture, Fr. John and four of the others had begun their journey home.

We continue to be ever grateful for the Divine Liturgies that are served here. Glory to Jesus Christ.

HIS PEACE WILL ABIDE

Great Lent is almost upon us! How quickly time passes and we wonder have we, like Mary of Bethany chosen the better part – the one thing needful.

There is a temptation to think of imitating Mary by sitting peacefully and listening to Jesus (letting the Marthas do the physical work). If we look closely at the Gospel story, the admonition is about worrying not working! So how are we in our individual lives to choose the better part – the listening and not fretting?

The voice of the Lord is in each of our moments. He is ever present in the current activity whatever it may be: keeping a home, caring for self and others, worshipping, the job, or resting. Every relationship allows us to encounter our good God; therefore, if we look to Him instead of worrying about what if . . ., His peace will abide.

We need to keep our focus on Jesus Christ who reveals Himself, the Triune God, and give our cares to Him. He always has the best plan or solution for each situation and is very willing to share with us. May we learn, like Saints Mary and Martha, to listen well to Him and respond. It is His gift to us, and Great Lent provides many opportunities for us to be at His feet in services and to serve Him in our every moment.

JOANNICIUS THE GREAT

November 4^th

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to my Father.” (John 14:12 NKJ)

Saint Joannicius the Great was a man who truly believed in Christ and followed Him. Both in this life and the next, he was and is a light guiding those who strive to center their life in Christ and follow Him with all their heart as well as those seeking Christ. He performed and performs countless miracles and continues to pray for us all.

In 741 Joannicius was born in Bithynia (Asia Minor) to Myritrices and Anastasia who were pious peasants. When he was old enough, he was given the task of shepherding. It became his practice to make the sign of the cross over the animals and withdraw to a solitary place to pray. Even though he prayed at great length, the animals did not stray and were always safe. Although he was never taught to read and write, he heard the Word of God and strove to keep His commandments.

Joannicius grew into a strong, handsome young man, and at nineteen was conscripted into the Byzantine army to serve in the regiment that guarded the palace of Leo IV and Constantine VI. He continued to keep God’s commandments and to pray and fast without notice. As a soldier, he excelled and was well liked by his companions. In his early years in the army, he was persuaded to side with the emperor and became an iconoclast (one who opposes icons).

Returning from a military campaign, he and his fellow soldiers were walking by Mount Olympus when a clairvoyant monk who was led by the Holy Spirit came out and spoke to Joannicius, calling him by name and telling him that all his labors to live a virtuous life were in vain since he did not follow the Orthodox Faith by his disdaining to venerate the icon of Christ. From that time on, Joannicius repented of his error, venerated the icons of Christ and the saints. For the next six years, he spent more time in prayer, fasted more, and slept on the floor even though he was quartered in the palace.

Then, the Bulgarians invaded Thrace. The emperor rode out with his forces, Joannicius among them, to engage the Bulgarians in battle and drive them back. During this battle Joannicius was bestowed with God-given valor, fought bravely, delivered his company of soldiers from being cut off by the Bulgarians, and freed a captured Greek nobleman. All this and more were observed by the emperor himself who, at the end of the war, wanted to decorate Joannicius with military honors and rich gifts.

Returning home from this war, Joannicius once again passed Mount Olympus, remembered what had been said to him six years earlier, and resolved to forsake all and follow Christ in the monastic life. Returning to the palace, he obtained permission to retire from his military duties and graciously refused the honors of the emperor. After twenty-five years as a soldier for an earthly emperor, he put on “the armor of Christ”, sought a monastery where he could pray and fast, and fought interior battles against self and exterior ones against the evil one.

He started at the monastery at Avgaron, went to Outotla, and on to Antidion, learning the monastic life and how to read and write, as well as memorizing the Psalms. However, he was drawn by the Holy Spirit to the ever greater solitude of an anchorite and withdrew into the depths of a forested mountain which he named Trikhalix. During his sojourn on this mountain, two prophesying monks gave him a cassock made from hair, instructed him as to how to live the anchoritic life, and prophesied that at the end of his fifty years as a monastic, he would be beset upon by temptations and maltreatment from envious men. Be that as it may, he would not suffer, because the evil that these envious men sought to bring upon him would return upon their own heads. This, indeed, happened.

Word came to the Abbot Gregory of Avgaron that Joannicius was living without shelter on this mountain. Whereupon he had a hut built for him. As time passed, many came to seek spiritual advice from him, thus, giving him no peace. Once again Joannicius left in search of a place of silent stillness where he could devote his time to prayer and fasting without interruption. Each time he found a place, he was sought out and had to find another until he found a mountain near the Hellespont (the Dardanelles). There he hiked into the deep forest of the mountain and dug a pit for himself. Joannicius asked a local shepherd to bring him some bread once a month, and in return, he would pray for his soul. There he abode in solitude for many years.

One day he decided that he would travel to Ephesus and pray at the Church of Saint John the Theologian.

On his journey he ran into one of his old army buddies who recognized him and embraced him with great camaraderie. Following a general conversation, his friend left to bring other soldiers to meet him and reminisce their valorous deeds in battle. While he was gone, Joannicius slipped away. Continuing toward the Kountouria mountains, he entered a small roadside chapel where a man and his wife were praying. Startled at his wild-like appearance, he calmed their fears and asked where the road he was on led. They informed him that it led to a river swollen with winter’s runoff. Joannicius followed the road to the river, slept till midnight, prayed, and walked over the river to the other side. When he arrived at the Church of Saint John the Theologian, the doors opened for him of their own accord. Whereupon he entered, prayed and venerated the relics and icon of Saint John. The doors closed upon his departure.

Journeying homeward, he came upon two nuns, a mother and daughter. He overheard the mother encouraging her daughter to remain steadfast and not to allow herself to be overcome with the carnal passion that assailed her. Spying the holy man, the mother implored him to pray over her daughter, and to help her if he could. Joannicius instructed the daughter to put her hand on his neck and then, with tears, fervently prayed God to release her from this burning passion and asked that it come upon him. The daughter was straightway release of her affliction and returned to the monastery with her mother. On the other hand, Joannicius suffered so greatly from the attacks of carnal passion that he sought out a viper to bite him so that he might die. The viper ran from him, but Joannicius continued to provoke it until it suddenly died. Upon the death of the viper, this passion left him.

After living twelve years in the wilderness, the Holy Spirit instructed him to go to the Monastery of Eriste and ask the Abbot Stephen to tonsure him and cloth him as a monk. This the abbot did the morning after Joannicius’ arrival. After this, he continued his anchoritic life in different places of silent solitude and endured even greater struggles with the evil one. Eventually, Joannicius came to dwell on Mount Olympus.

While living there, it happened that a virtuous, young, beautiful girl of noble birth, Irene by name, was being escorted to Constantinople to become the bride of the emperor. As they were walking by Mount Olympus, Irene begged her bodyguards to allow her to receive a blessing from Joannicius, a holy man of whom she had heard much. As she approached, he recognized that this young girl was spiritually advanced and instructed her to rejoice and go to the Monastery of Chrysovalantou in the city for there she was needed to become a shepherdess of virgins. Irene fell to his feet in acknowledgement of his holiness. Joannicius gave her much needed spiritual advice to strengthen and guide her in the task that God had chosen for her. Arriving in Constantinople, she rejoiced upon hearing that another girl had been chosen to be the emperor-to-be Michael’s bride. The young woman became the greatly renowned Saint Irene Chrysovalantou.

The prayer, which is still used today, that Joannicius used and is most noted for is, “The Father is my hope; the Son is my refuge; the Holy Spirit is my protector. O Holy Trinity, glory to thee.”

Numerous are the miracles and other accounts of Saint Joannicius the Great. Twice he miraculously freed some of his countrymen from prison. Toward the end of his life, he was only visible to those whom the Holy Spirit chose to see him. Many were healed by his prayers. Demons were cast out. Some of these accounts can be read in the books listed below.

The Great Collection of the Lives of the Saints: Volume II: November, Chrysostom Press, House Springs, Missouri, 1997

The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church: November, Holy Apostles Convent, Buena Vista, Colorado, 2002

BUILDING FUND UPDATE

The Building Fund now stands at $274,671.21.