The Morning Offering

The Planting of a Monastery (chapter 13)

 The Land

From the very first meeting, James Bryant proved to be the perfect architect for us. Willing to put his own ego aside, he helped me realize my long standing dream to design a monastery that would look like a small Norwegian village. The church, which we would dedicate to the Protection of the Holy Virgin, was to be patterned after the historic stave churches of Norway. The central courtyard, with the temple on the east side, the trapeza on the west side, library on the south side, and bookstore and offices on the north, were to surround a central fountain. Seven monastic cells would fan out from the central buildings, forming what would one day be a village of monks. My desire to incorporate Norwegian architecture was partly a desire to express my Norwegian heritage, and partly as a missionary tool in a part of the country with a huge Nordic population.

Vashon Island is about the size of Manhattan, New York, so the fact that the donated land was within site of the farmhouse we'd been renting since 1988, seemed downright miraculous. With the blessing of our bishop, we accepted the five acres, hired a contractor to build a one thousand foot road into the property, and began working with the architect on a design that would one day be our monastery.

With little money to work with, we decided we'd begin the project with the construction of the eight foundations that would one day make up the monastery. We also constructed a tiny little chapel on the southeastern most part of the five acres, which we dedicated to Saint John the Wonderworker of Shanghai and San Francisco, our monastery's patron saint. Working with little money, and progressing as we were able, it was to take us eighteen years before we could finally have the county sign off on the building permit. With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Next Saturday: The Planting of a Monastery (chapter 14) The Assault

Sunday November 4, 2012 / October 22, 2012
22^nd Sunday after Pentecost. Tone five.
 

The Kazan Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, commemorating the deliverance from the Poles in 1612.
Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Abercius, bishop and wonderworker of Hierapolis (167).
7 Holy Youths ("7 Sleepers") of Ephesus: Maximilian, Jamblichus, Martinian, Dionysius, Antoninus, Constantine (Hexakustodianos), and John (250).
New Hieromartyrs Seraphim archbishop of Uglich and with him German archimandrite, Vladimir, Alexander, Basil, Alexander priests and Martyrs Herman and Menas (1937).
New Hieromartyrs Nicholas, Nicholas priests and Martyr Gregory (1937).
Martyrs Alexander the bishop, Heraclius, Anna, Elizabeth, Theodota and Glyceria, at Adrianopolis (2nd-3rd c.).
"Andronikos" and "Jacobshtad" (17th c.) Icons of the Mother of God.
Venerable Lot of Egypt (5th c.).
Venerables Theodore and Paul, abbots, of Rostov (1409).
Venerable James of Luga and Omutch, disciple of Theophilus of Omutch.
St. Mellon, bishop of Rouen.
Martyr Zachariah (Greek).
Venerable Rufus of the Paradise (Greek).

You can read the life of the saint in green, by click on the name.

For those who would like to be kept informed about the persecution that is taking place against Christians throughout the Middle East, I recommend you subscribe to: http://www.jihadwatch.org/

THANK YOU, to all of you who have been able to contribute towards the support of the monastery. These difficult times of economic hardship have impacted the monastery, and those of you who have been able to donate, have been our lifeline. May God bless you for your generosity, and kindness.

With love in Christ,  
Abbot Tryphon

Donations can be made directly to the monastery through PayPal, or you may send donations to:

All-Merciful Saviour Monastery
PO Box 2420
Vashon Island, WA 98070-2420 USA

Galatians 6:11-18

Glory Only in the Cross

¹¹ See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand! ¹² As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. ¹³ For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. ¹⁴ But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom^[a] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. ¹⁵ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.

Blessing and a Plea

¹⁶ And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
¹⁷ From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.
¹⁸ Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Luke 16:19-31

The Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹ “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. ²⁰ But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, ²¹ desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
²⁴ “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’
²⁷ “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, ²⁸ for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ ²⁹ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ ³⁰ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”