Saints Mary and Martha, Orthodox Monastery, Wagener, SC

The poem/dialogue above is published with the agreement that we plug Alex Slepukohf’s forum, which is: http://forums.delphiforums.com/OrthodoxWay/start.

Abe, the African gray goose,

kept going down hill and had to be put down. He was somewhere between fifteen and eighteen years old, which is old for a goose (average lifespan is around twelve). Since the ducks have very short-term memories, they simply continue living their lives. Señero and Mackey, our drakes, have taken up their patriarchal role of protecting the flock, especially the older hens. At one point we had forty-four ducklings, six died and eight have already gone to a home in Tennessee that has a pond. Within the next month, we hope to have places for the other yearlings to go.

Backing up to April -- Except for Presanctified Liturgies and the Liturgy of Holy Thursday, we observed the other Lenten services in our small chapel. Having our own Plashchnitza (a cloth icon of Christ lying in the tomb) gives us the ability to observe the burial vespers within our monastic community and adds great depth to the Lamentation Matins that follows. Since we alternate between Holy Apostles Orthodox Church in West Columbia and Holy Resurrection Orthodox Mission in Aiken, we attended Divine Liturgy of Great and Holy Saturday at Holy Apostles and Pascha at Holy Resurrection.

Throughout the year we work to keep things in good order and to make improvements as we can. This was the year we decided to bury the remainder of the above ground, electric line on Candle Shop Lane. Being told by the electrical company that it would take two weeks from receipt of payment before the work crew could get to us, we paid them the week before Holy Week, thinking that they would come during Bright Week. Well, they were early. On Monday of Holy Week, two workmen showed up to go over the site and finalize plans with us. During Matins of Holy Wednesday we heard the sound of trucks on Candle Shop Lane. Knowing that they knew what needed to be done, we kept praying. After their work was done, we were amazed at how much quieter Candle Shop Lane became and knew that the trees and other foliage would no longer be cut back, chopped up, or poisoned.

With Pilgrimage being the second Saturday after Pascha (May 2nd this year), once again we sought help from friends of the monastery to put the grounds into good order. Valerie Shelby worked with us to trim and weed the perennial garden so it would look good. Bret Barnard painted the ramp to the Barne Shoppes and sealed the cedar shingles on the gazebo. Fr. Robert Royer helped us to put up the tents.

It is difficult for us to realize that this was our tenth annual pilgrimage,

and that we have been on this property for a little over thirteen years. Sixty-one people attended this year’s pilgrimage. The picture to the right is of worshipers gathered to pray the Akathist to Saints Mary and Martha of Bethany; the one below is of the choir. We were blessed to have Fr. Peter Smith from Saint Mary of Egypt Orthodox Church in Atlanta, Georgia, Fr. Thomas Moore from Holy Apostles Orthodox Church in West Columbia, South Carolina, and Fr. Robert Royer from Holy Resurrection Orthodox Mission in Aiken, South Carolina.

After praying the Akathist, we sang the Paschal canon while processing to the grave sites. Having reached the first grave we began praying The Panikhida which ended with the singing of “Christ is Risen from the dead trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!” as the priests blessed each grave while praying for those departed (pictured below).

Between services, people gathered for repast and Christian Fellowship.

All too often we only get together when there is a work project at the monastery! This day provides opportunity to get to know one another and form lasting friendships. Over the years, we have found that it is better to make our pilgrimage unpretentious and simply allow it to be full of prayer and Christian fellowship.

Since the left side of Candle Shop Lane was dug up to bury the electrical line, it only seemed reasonable to have the right side dug up as well.

It is a good thing that Candle Shop Lane is a dirt road. After waiting almost a year for a workman that we trust to trench and lay 1600-plus feet of water pipe and add six spigots, we now have greater access to water for the candle shop, the hermitage, and irrigation needs. Yea!!!

We were blessed with a visit from Fr. John Maxwell of Saints George and Alexandra Orthodox Mission in Fort Smith, Arkansas. His doctor strongly recommended that he lift weights every day. Well, there was the moving of fourteen, eighty-pound bags of concrete, the breaking up of some old wooden steps, and the moving of the baptismal font and the platform upon which it set. Then there was preparing and framing a 5½' x 8' area around the hand-pump well to pour a slab.

With all four of us working on this project, it took the better part of a day to hand mix and pour twenty-seven bags of concrete. The day was really hot, but included several water breaks and a lunch break. By the time we were on our knees with trowels in hand, we found that all that work was rewarded with a good looking slap that added great stability to the well. For someone who had never worked with concrete and was receiving advice from his wife and us nuns, Fr. John did an excellent job. Maybe this fall, we will rock over the slab with apple orchard stone. It’s only been lying near the site for four years.

The week of May 31st through June 6th was a rare week for us. Fr. John Maxwell served Divine Liturgy at the monastery on Sunday. Fr. Robert Royer served Divine Liturgy here on June 4th, our matronal feastday. Fr. Thomas Moore served Divine Liturgy on First Saturday, June 6th. In one week, we had three Liturgies served here – what a blessing.

The first two weeks of June find us preparing for the two youth retreats that we host during the third and fourth weeks. While there were fewer teenagers this year, the camaraderie and willingness to learn more about their Orthodox Christian Faith was apparent. As in years past, we have children from South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and Tennessee arrive Wednesday afternoon, have supper, get to know each other, and have their first session with the priests.

However, this year, the second group consisted of fifteen-year-olds only. Since all of the teenagers knew each other from years past, the priests had to acquaint themselves with this group. The younger teens (pictured above), Saints Moses and Miriam Youth Retreat, learned about and discussed “God and His Creation” with Father Peter Smith and Father Stephen Freeman. Father John Parker and Father David Arnold led Saints Niketas and Elani Youth Retreat teens (pictured below).

They learned much about the Bible and spent time reading and discussing The Epistle of Saint Paul to the Romans. As you can see, they enjoyed lining up from tallest to shortest with the taller ones at the lower end of the ramp.

Part of Thursday was spent canoeing with guides from Adventures Carolina on the Congaree River near Columbia, South Carolina. For an hour on Friday morning, they helped us weed, plant and mulch a new section of our garden on the left side of Candle Shop Lane in front of the fence (pictured left). Both groups were smaller this year than last, nevertheless, all of us had a good time and learned much.

Gardening is enjoying working with God’s creation and delighting in the many surprises that abound in the seemingly endless variations of plant life and life in general.

We are continually swapping plants, seeds, and garden advice with our garden friends. Recently, we were given a large set of chimes which have deep, resonating tones when the wind blows. We’ve hung it as high as we can for now; however, before year’s end, we will be setting up a taller post so that the central clapper can catch additional wind and move more readily, thus making their lovely, rich sound heard more often.

As always, we receive visitors who come from many places. Some to spend time in the hermitage or our guest room, others to choose a burial site or leave items for the flea market. Many enjoy a tour of our monastery grounds. By God’s design, our paths cross, and we enrich each other.

Though we are not yet able to start the physical building that will be our permanent monastery, we continue to gather items that will be used to furnish it. Recently, a friend of the monastery remembered us when they had a large cherry tree removed from their yard. Working quickly to learn as much as we could about drying wood, we retrieved the wood in our 1987 Ford pick-up and had the main trunk milled which yielded twelve one-inch boards.

The large limbs were cut into shorter lengths to be transformed into carved pillars. There is more than shown in this picture. God willing, the wood will dry well, and there will be enough cherry wood to build an altar and a matching Proskomidi Table.

In this fashion, we continue to walk forward in our monastic lives, trusting that God will send what we need to build this monastery.