Монастырь свт. Иоанна Шанхайского и Сан-Францисского (Мантон)

Christ is encountered in a myriad of ways in the ordinary life of the brotherhood: in the public prayers, the life of discipline and spiritual effort, the interactions between the brothers, and in the way they, in turn, relate with the outside world. Most particularly, Christ is encountered in the very many hours of private prayer which each monk undertakes each day, both in his cell rule and as he goes about his daily work.

To facilitate this encounter, the monastery has to be a safe place.

In general terms, this ‘safe place’ is created through the common life of the monks, based on the four vows of traditional Orthodox monasticism. These are the vows which the monks take when they become ‘stavrophores’ (literally, “cross bearers”) which is the grade of monasticism which most monks, eventually, reach. The community of a monastery consists of those who have already taken these vows, and those who are preparing to do so.

The four vows are: chastity, poverty, obedience and stability. Quite what these words signify is an important question, and one which each monk will face with some frequency during his life. Each vow has an obvious and straightforward meaning, and it is this straightforward meaning which governs the daily life of the community, its customs and traditions. However, in the observance of the four vows there is also a deeper, personal significance which each monk must ponder in terms of his own life and situation.

These four vows, then, create a safe space in which the monastic life is possible. To illustrate how this works, it may be helpful to think in terms of a four-dimensional space, with each vow providing one of those dimensions. Taking the imagery a little further, it is possible to say that the space which is thereby created by those four dimensions is one in which the love of God is made manifest. Each monk lives within this ‘matrix of love’ simultaneously taking from, and contributing to, the experience of the brotherhood as a whole. Living a life of total inter-dependence, where each person of the monastic family depends upon everyone else, the monk learns to surrender to the will of God at a yet more and more profound level. In return for surrendering all that he is, all that he has, and all that he might become, the monk receives all that he needs (although not necessarily all that he wants!) including a very subtle, yet essential, quality of trust in God. As this trust develops he feels more and more able to surrender his own ego, and live in a state of total surrender, yet total security. With the surrender of the ego, the monk can even reach a level of living in which the notion of his own “wants” ceases to exert any power over him.

Some men adapt to monastic life easily, others less so. There is a great need to spend some time in unhurried and un-pressured contemplation of whether or not monastic life in general, and monastic life at a certain monastery in particular, is suitable for any given candidate. Thus, there is built into the structure of monastic life the various stages at which the individual is confronted by his own decision to remain in the monastery. Orthodoxy speaks little of the individual’s “vocation” to become a monk, preferring to see the monastic life as the self-offering of an individual. That self-offering then has to be accepted by a particular monastic community in order for it to come to fruition.

The importance of the monastery is not, however, limited to the members of the brotherhood. The reality which the monks experience on a daily basis becomes available to friends, pilgrims and visitors who come to the monastery for longer or shorter periods of time. Even the experience of being around the monastic community for a few hours can effect great changes in people’s lives. Since a monastery is par excellence a place of healing, the life of the community spills over into the lives of the greater community, affording very many opportunities for repentance, healing and a deep and abiding sense of spiritual happiness.

The Monastery of St John in Manton, California came into being through the untiring efforts of the present head of the Orthodox Church in America, Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen). He founded the monastery and was responsible for making it work long before he was officially designated abbot, and his vision continues to inspire and motivate us. We are also extremely fortunate to have Bishop Benjamin of San Francisco and the West as our archpastor in the Diocese of the West.

Metropolitan Jonah has gone on to lead our Church, and he has asked me to stand in for him as superior of the monastery. In due course, the monks will choose a new abbot, and the monastic family will be complete once more. We ask your prayers as we move towards this important decision.

A monastery without guests is something less than ideal. Even the desert fathers were accustomed to receiving guests. So, although we are a little off the beaten track, we welcome visitors, once they have made arrangements with our guestmaster () to ensure that we have the ability to provide them with hospitality.

We look forward to organizing a series of spiritual retreats at the monastery, some with a fixed theme, others of a more general nature. Details of these retreats will be posted shortly.

If you have any suggestions as to how we might better serve our friends and guests, please let us know. All sorts of things are in the planning stage, and your input would be very useful for us. With every blessing, and love in Christ.

Contact us
Our mailing address is PO Box 439, Manton, CA 96059.
Our physical address is 21770 Ponderosa Way.
NOTE: GPS and all known online maps will certainly lead you astray. If you want to visit us, download our guest information for correct directions.

email us at
PHONE: 530-474-5964
FAX: 530-474-3564

Contact people: For visits, ask for Fr. Martin; for vocations, or spiritual direction, ask for Fr. Meletios; for candle information, ask for Br. Andrew.

Источник: www.monasteryofstjohn.org