Justin,
Just curious, did you weigh the witness of Fr Seraphim on this site about his trip to Esphigmenou? He had a rather strange experience there and his opinion ended up being that the Fathers of Esphigmenou were not healthy zealots.
anastasios
ROCOR
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Anastasios
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Disclaimer: Many older posts were made before my baptism and thus may not reflect an Orthodox point of view.
Please do not message me with questions about the forum or moderation requests. Jonathan Gress (jgress) will be able to assist you.
Please note that I do not subscribe to "Old Calendar Ecumenism" and believe that only the Synod of Archbishop Kallinikos is the canonical GOC of Greece. I do believe, however, that we can break down barriers and misunderstandings through prayer and discussion on forums such as this one.
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尼古拉前执事
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Father Serafim's Experiences?
Anastasios, where was that at?
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Anastasios
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Disclaimer: Many older posts were made before my baptism and thus may not reflect an Orthodox point of view.
Please do not message me with questions about the forum or moderation requests. Jonathan Gress (jgress) will be able to assist you.
Please note that I do not subscribe to "Old Calendar Ecumenism" and believe that only the Synod of Archbishop Kallinikos is the canonical GOC of Greece. I do believe, however, that we can break down barriers and misunderstandings through prayer and discussion on forums such as this one.
Me
Justin Kissel wrote:And now that I've babbled on about myself, (only!) if you feel inclined, could you tell us a bit about yourself? At one point I thought you were a Catholic inquiring into Orthodoxy, but I've read some things that made me think you were neither but were considering both? I don't mean to put you onto the spot, I'm just curious.
My story is a long one, I will give you the quick version here, so not to make this thread all about me. If you have any questions, or would like to get to know me better, private message me, as I am sure I would like to know more about you, and your spiritual journey.
I was baptized in a Diciples of Christ church, not because I really wanted to, but more because I felt that it was the right thing to do, and it felt odd being 12 and not being baptized, when I had friends who has been baptized as small children, or even babies. So I got baptized thinking it was Christianity, meaning I wasn't worried about the true Church. I just wanted to get closer to God.
However, I went to Italy, and was graced by all the wonderful Catholic Cathedrals, from the Duomo in Florence to the Vatican in Rome. When I came back, I knew I had to convert to Catholicism. It was as if I had encountered true Christianity, a Christianity totally different than my protestant church back home.
My family wasn't too happy, but they didn't try to really stop me. So I took one on one classes with the religious director at my local Catholic Cathedral. And after about 4 or 5 weeks, was recieved into the Catholic Church by Confirmation at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Denver, Colorado.
After my Confirmation I went back to Italy, and was once again graced by the glorious Cathedrals of Italy, in paticular the AWESOME Duomo of Milan. This trip strengthed my faith and I felt safe that Catholicism was the truth.
I remained a NO (Novus Ordo) Catholic for a while. But after much research and prayer, I knew that the Novus Ordo Mass was truly a departure from Catholic tradition, I could no longer attend a NO church in good faith. It seemed as if the Catholic Faith was slowly being destroyed by the Post Vat II reforms.
So, I sincerely looked into traditional Catholicism, and after a short stay in SSPX, I found a spiritual home at Servants of the Holy Family (servi.org). This parish is about a 4 hour drive from my house, so I go as often as I can, but I wish I could be an active member, sometimes I wish I could just go there and stay forever and ever!
Now through all of this I knew about the Orthodox Church. I read "The Orthodox Church" by Bishop Ware and "The faith" & "The Truth" by Clark Carlton. I began to attend Orthodox parishes (all GOA) here and there, and fell in love with eastern spiriutality and litugical life.
This all spun me into a difficult struggle between east and west that lasts up to this day. I am still seeking, and still trying to find the truth, who knows I may have already found it.
Well thats the basics....don't wanna bable on and on... 
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Anastasios
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OrthodoxLearner,
Well you still haven't said anything by posting a picture. No one argues that ROCOR at that time wasn't good.
anastasios
Disclaimer: Many older posts were made before my baptism and thus may not reflect an Orthodox point of view.
Please do not message me with questions about the forum or moderation requests. Jonathan Gress (jgress) will be able to assist you.
Please note that I do not subscribe to "Old Calendar Ecumenism" and believe that only the Synod of Archbishop Kallinikos is the canonical GOC of Greece. I do believe, however, that we can break down barriers and misunderstandings through prayer and discussion on forums such as this one.
anastasios wrote:
A friend of mine who is a member or ROCIE and has very extreme views had visited Esphigmenou when they were under siege (having to sneak through barbed wire all sorts of obstacles to get there) and he even said that the zeal of some of the monks was a little unhealthy. For example, it seems to be a not so uncommon belief there that there is no salvation outside of the monastery. 