Any Advice Available?

[Distressed Orthodox]

I was wondering if anyone can offer any advice. For the last 13 or 14 years, I've contemplated living the monastic life. In fact, for a couple years I did, and I was very happy there but I left. I then spent a couple months at St. Anthony's in Arizona before spending three months on Athos. I was advised, at the time, to go back into the world and wait a few years to see if the desire for the monastic life remained. Well, it has. I would like to go back, but I am at a loss on where to go. I am considering going back to Athos, but do not know which monasteries I should consider, besides visiting every one of them, but I don't know if there are monasteries I should avoid (due to ecumenism or because of the confusion surrounding Elder Ephraim). Another issue I have is I am an only child and while my mother fully supports me and my dad is indifferent (he doesn't like it, but he would never stand in my way), I still think about the fact that I am all my parents have. It will be very hard on my mother to not see me again (though she still fully supports me going into a monastery), but also there is no one to take care of my parents when they get older. A part of me would like to at least be in a monastery where she could still visit me once a year or so.

I ask for any advice.

[Pravoslavnik]

No disrespect intended, but my advice is to consult with a trusted Orthodox spiritual father. Do you have one? If not, perhaps one of our fathers here could direct you to someone.

[ANGELA]

Hi,

Welcome to the forum.

I am not sure, but I think that Vaitopethi Monastery in Mt Athos allow parents to visit their sons in Thessaloniki. Here is their email address:

I.M. Moni Vatopaidiou, Agion Oros monastery@vatopedi.gr

http://vatopaidi.wordpress.com/2009/07/ ... -eternity/ or this one

Perhaps you can email and get some advice from them. My husband visited this monastery and loved it! We have a friend and his brother is a monk in this monastery.

As for your parents, well if I was your mother, I would be so blessed to have our son wanting to be a monk. Also trust God, that He will take care of them.

If it is your calling, I wish you all the best and may our Holy Mother protect and guide you.

Please remember us in your prayers

With Love in Christ
Angela

[jgress]

Dear DO,

You appear to have two questions. First, do you have a vocation to the monastic life? Second, if you have a vocation, which monasteries should you avoid on dogmatic and ecclesiological grounds?

I cannot answer the first question, nor do I think any one else here can answer it. That is something you must resolve for yourself, in consultation with your spiritual confessor.

The second I am in a position to answer, but because this forum represents many jurisdictions that all claim the title True Orthodox, you may find others providing other answers. All I can say is, the position of my jurisdiction is that, on Mount Athos, only Esphigmenou monastery, and the sketes and hermitages of the Zealot Fathers who do not commemorate the Ecumenical Patriarch, because of his confession of the ecumenist heresy and his prayers with the Pope of Rome, are dogmatically Orthodox and members of the True Orthodox Church. This means that Vatopaidiou monastery, and other monasteries and sketes where the Patriarch is commemorated, are dogmatically heterodox and outside the True Church.

In Christ,

Jonathan Gress

[ANGELA]

Hi again,

Their is a great site called Monachos and they have some great information that I think could help you.

http://www.monachos.net/forum/forum.php Look under monasteries

Hope this helps