Our History—Introduction

“Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as they were delivered to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses… it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you…” (Luke 1: 1-3).

We don’t mean to indulge in hubris by quoting the beginning of the Gospel at the beginning of our humble history. But insofar as a monastery is a work of God, its history can be of some relative value (the Gospel’s value is absolute) to those who wish to see the hand of God at work in the vicissitudes of the human struggle to know and do the divine will, in the longing and striving to serve the Lord faithfully and with joy.

Unfortunately, records were not well kept in the early years (most of our energy had to be put into basic survival!), and much of what remains has been recovered from old scraps of paper, reminiscences of our founder, and experiences of our current abbot. So the presentation of our history will be relatively brief, but we think it will be adequate to give you some feel for our past and how it prepared our present and will influence our future. Many other persons we have known could have been mentioned, but the Lord knows them all and will bless them in his own way. We give thanks to all who have supported and interceded for us, and we pray that the Lord will forgive those who have attempted to hurt or malign us.

Our history might be summed up in a couple of Scripture passages: “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all things shall be yours as well” (Matthew 6: 33), and “Many are the trials of the just man, but from them all the Lord will deliver him” (Psalm 33/34: 20). Or perhaps most concisely: “The Lord knows those who are his” (2Timothy 2: 19).

History of Our Monastery
Interview with Archimandrite Boniface
Eulogy for Archimandrite Boniface
Vocation History of Abbot Joseph