After the departure of the sisterhood of [[Our Lady of Kazan Skete (Santa Rosa, California)|Our Lady of Kazan Skete]] from St. Eugene's Hermitage to their present location, Bishop [[Tikhon (Fitzgerald) of San Francisco and Los Angeles|Tikhon (Fitzgerald)]] blessed the formation of a male monastic community in October 1996 with Abbot [[Jonah (Paffhausen) of Washington|Jonah(Paffhausen)]] and one novice. Twelve years and the election of the founding abbot to Metropolitan later, the brotherhood has two priestmonks - including Abbot Meletios - along with six [[stavrophore]] monks, one rassaphore monk and eight [[novice]]s (including one priest-novice), living at a new property in Manton, California.

In 1951, a property was donated to the [[Orthodox Church in America|Metropolia]], and was called ''St. Eugene's Hermitage''. [[Hieromonk|Hmk]] hieromonk [[Dimitry (Egoroff)|Dimitry]] began to live on the property, living a monastic life and attempting to build a monastic community. This was unsuccessful, and in 1968 Hieromonk Dimitry was removed from the hermitage and assigned to parish ministry.

After this, many other attempts were made at a new monastic community, none of which came to fruition. In 1980, work began on a new [[chapel]] at the hermitage, and in 1983 the ''Community of the Holy Cross'', led by Mother [[Barbara (Johnson)|Barbara]], began to reside at St. Eugene's Hermitage. The chapel was finished in 1988, was consecrated in the same year, and placed under the patronage of St. [[Sergius of Radonezh]].