Former Black Female Basketball Star Now Russian Orthodox Nun

[Natasha]

Well, of course I can't say that all of the OCA has an unfavorable opinion regarding ROCOR, however, it says a lot when someone so
affiliated with St. Vlad's seminary
(http://www.svots.edu/Faculty/Paul-Meyendorff/index.html)
makes that kind of a statement.

[Bethany]

You guys forget, she isn't a nun yet. She is just a novice. That basically means nothing. I mean, she has to get blessings to do things, but she has taken no formal oath to be celibate or to live in a convent. I know, and have heard many stories, of people who were novices who are now married. I have a personal friend who was a novice for 10 years, even in the Holy Land and now she is married with one or two kids. I know of another novice who was in the bell tower at Jordanville one day, looked down, saw a female novice, fell in love, and is now a priest married to that former novice. Anything can happen. Like the article said, it could take up to 5 years for her to become an actual nun. Those 5 years will test her devotion, her stability and her desire to give up the world. Until then, she is free to do as she wishes. I am happy for her and glad to see that there are people out there who are still searching for the truth and giving up promising "worldly lives" to devote themselves to something much more profitable.

[Julianna]

I think it is bizzarre that this girl, not even baptised, was so sure that she was going to be a nun, that she neglected the advice of Fr. Dosietheos, one of the top-notch archimandrites in the USA, and picked a jurisdiction to join that would let her do what SHE wanted (no sense of obedience here!), and moved without giving her sister a forwarding address!!! That is just wacky.

If she had moved close to the monastery in TX, waited six months to a year, and when she became a nun, given her sister a forwarding address, that would have been good.

Don't get me wrong, I am glad she's a nun, but sheesh way to "do it my way."

Sometime converts'll even decide how Orthodoxy is to receive them and they'll pick a jurisdiction based on that! What's with all of the modern Burger King Orthodoxy?

[Nektarios14]

I think something that is being forgotten here is that many saints have run off to the monastery without leaving a fowarding address. Sometimes family ties are what holds a person back in the spiritual life. If that's so then look what Matthew Chapter ten says on the matter. As for allowing her to become a novice so what? I know of many former novices that come back to Saint Anthony's (with their families!) all the time to visit. Abotts/Abessess are very good about sending a novice home that isn't suited for monasticism. If she were being tonsured right away that'd be a different story. Meyendork's remarks she the true anti-monastic spirit. A prime example of someone who just doesn't get monasticism. How is it running away when monastics are more fiercly attacked by the demonic then the majority of people could ever imagine?

[Justin Kissel]

For those interested, Bishop Auxentios recently made some comments concerning the words of Paul Meyendorff.

[Justin Kissel]

Indeed, cutting family ties happened often. Our newest member, Arsenius, could probably tell you quite a bit about this practice (from the stories about him in the Sayings of the Desert Fathers, it is obvious that Arsenius cut off all ties with his former life). There is a standard way of doing things, and then there are exceptions. Viewed against the totality of how people become monastics, the exceptions are very rare (maybe 1% of the total). Taken as part of the life of the Church, though, that 1% is very important. Some of the most important saints in the Church were people who were "running from the world": they were running from the priesthood (some had already been ordained!), running from familial responsibilities and/or marriage, and so forth. The 99% must follow the standard course--which does indeed involve much testing and discernment--but that 1% must be allowed for: for if the lives of saints are indeed "applied dogmatics" then we must beware of setting formulas and strict rules regarding monasticism: the life of the Church just doesn't allow for that. Admittedly, though (and I think it's a good practice), most monasteries won't even consider you until you've been Orthodox at least a few years, and even then you better have a good recommendation from your spiritual father/confessor.

anastasios

I think it is bizzarre that this girl, not even baptised, was so sure that she was going to be a nun,

Sort of like Nektarios, Patriarch of Constantinople (successor of Gregory the Theologian), or Ambrose of Milan... both of whom were taken straight from unbaptized church-going layman to Bishop within weeks. Again, the 1% must be allowed for... we have to trust--we have to pray and hope--that those at the monastery saw something in this girl that Fr. Dositheos missed.

...and picked a jurisdiction to join that would let her do what SHE wanted (no sense of obedience here!),

Sort of like the Evangelical Orthodox? who, after finding the Patriarch of Constantinople's position not to their liking, sought out another Church: one that would take them in. Were the Evan.Orth part of that 1% I speak of? Some of them, perhaps, yes (if I am thinking correctly that Fr. John Mack was a part of that group, then certainly, yes). On the other hand, we know that many weren't ready for the move.

and moved without giving her sister a forwarding address!!!

So they could chase her and hound her and pester her to no end? Like some parents are doing with their son, spreading rumors and falsehoods about a certain elder and his monasteries?

[Logos]

I agree with Bethany and Nektarios's comments. She is a novice, not a tonsured nun yet so I don't see a big deal. I am disheatened by Meyendorf's comments, in fact I am apauled that he would say such a thing since he is from an Orthodox seminary.