High there

[Father Herman]

When you say the Kellion of St. Makarios, is that attached to the mission near Chicago?

No. I don’t have a formal connection to any parish or monastery at this time. If you went to the mission's website, you might have seen the video of Fr Roman Braga. I knew him when I was in Ohio.

My path to Orthodox monasticism:

Thanks to a neighbor who was a schoolteacher, I began to read philosophy. Western philosophy is severely limited—but it does get you thinking.

After passing through my atheist period and my Buddhist period I realized that I needed to be a monk. Why? Just for the love of God. So I began attending Church services. I was Roman Catholic at the time. I was immediately attracted to eremitic life, and ended up at the Camaldolese hermitage in Big Sur.

In conversations with Protestants I would often refer to the Christian tradition, and gradually it dawned on me that I needed a better understanding of that tradition. The obvious place to begin is of, course, at the beginning. So I began to read the holy Fathers and the early history of the Church. That’s what led me to the Orthodox Church.

>>How does one become a monastic?

One should have some experience in a parish first—at least a year or two. Monasticism is central to Orthodox Christian life, so during that time one will naturally begin to learn where the monasteries are.

So then you start making visits wherever you can, for two or three days at a time. The ideal, for one who can afford it, is to spend a year in Greece, Romania or some other country where Orthodoxy has been long established. Eventually, you'll find that your heart draws you to some particular monastery.

More importantly, one should try to find an elder who will be your guide. You may have encountered the Russian word stáretz. The Greek word is géronta.

I "do the dance of the liar" -- well, that's interesting! Perhaps you'll be kind enough to explain what you're thinking. It sounds like another "Poe Principle!"

H

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For those interested, the video is about atheist anti-humanism in Romania. It can be found at the bottom of the page here:

http://saintmakarios.org/links.html

H