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Save Yourself in the Angelic Rank: Reflections on the Tonsure
After celebrating Great Vespers for the Meeting of the Lord, three of our Sisters were tonsured by His Grace, Bishop Serafim (Baltić). Sister Porphyria was tonsured a Rassophore Nun, followed by Mother Serafima (formerly Sister Glykeria) and Mother Ambrosia (formerly Sister Anysia) being tonsured into the Small Schema. The tonsure is not an award or
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Letter to My Soul: Remember Your Inheritance
Morning entry on Wednesday, January 7, 2026 Christ is born! Glorify Him! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all that He hath done for thee. What happened, my soul? It wasn’t the first temptation of the
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“None of This Would Have Happened if I Had Stayed Home”: A Reflection on Prayer for the World
A reflection from one of our sisters in Christ living abroad. I had a rough week struggling with self-indulgence, judgement, irritability, and the sins of the tongue overall. It culminated in an agitated night of weird, lustful and convoluted dreams in which I had no control whatsoever over myself. I woke up feeling disgusted and
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Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7)
Preface At this point in my journey, I knew I was being called to this vocation—monasticism. Through prayer, experience, and subtle but unmistakable encounters with the Theotokos, I could see there was a plan of repentance laid out before me along this path. But, being the realist I’d always been, I also knew there were some
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Mati Mardarija Enthroned as Abbess, Mother Silouana Tonsured into the Small Schema
On Saturday, July 19, 2025, the feast day of St. Sisoes the Great and the eve of the feast of St. Akakios of Sinai, our Mother Superior, Mati Mardarija, was elevated to Abbess. Immediately afterward, Sister Xenia was tonsured into the Small Schema and received the name Mother Silouana, after St. Silouan the Athonite. The
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The Key to Spiritual Life: Act Without Ulterior Motives
Our spiritual father has given us a teaching that, like many teachings of the Church, is simple but not easy to apply: the key to spiritual life is: a) to be honest and b) to speak and act without ulterior motives. When we do this, the subconscious* is eliminated and our spirit, soul, and body
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Faith, Love, and Sacrifice: Lessons from St. Tsar Lazar’s Martyrdom
Today we commemorate the holy, glorious, Great Martyr St. Tsar Lazar, who sacrificed his life for the love of Christ and the Serbian people on this day, June 28/15, 1389, in the Battle of Kosovo. The night before the battle, an angel appeared to him and offered him a choice between a heavenly kingdom and
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Create in Me a Clean Heart O God: the Battle Against Pride
O Lord, humble my heart, that I may be ever pleasing in Thy sight. My heart loved Thee, O Lord, and therefore I yearn for Thee, and seek Thee in tears. O Lord, by Thy Holy Spirit, enlighten Thy people that all may know Thy love. It was in this manner that Saint Silouan the
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Out of the Mouths of Babes: On Pain, Death, and Love for God
Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is Thy name in all the earth! For Thy magnificence is lifted high above the heavens. Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings hast Thou perfected praise, because of Thine enemies, to destroy the enemy and avenger. For I will behold the heavens, the works of Thy fingers, the
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The Devil’s Advertising Campaign
“You know full well a vow of celibacy is not the answer.” “Thou shalt not give up on dating and become a nun.” The devil is not hiding anymore. There is no need for him to hide when the world gives itself over to his control. Daily. We do his will with as much eagerness
