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In 1984, the widowed professor Natalia Sergeevna Markov was invited by [[Archbishop]] [[Laurus (Škurla) of New York|Laurus (Škurla) of Syracuse and Holy Trinity]] to teach Russian language and history at [[Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary (Jordanville, New York)|Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary]] in Jordanville, New York. After many talks with her father-in-law, [[Protopresbyter]] [[Michael Pomazansky]], she decided to enter the monastic life. Abp. Laurus gave for her disposal a small house down the road from the monastery, and invited a young woman by the name of Maria Czwikla to join her. On the eve of the [[Feast]] of St. [[Nicholas of Myra]], 1984, both women were made [[novice|novices]].
Two years later, Abp. Laurus tonsured them [[Monastic Ranks|rassaphore]] nuns gave them a larger house next door to use as a dormitory. Nun Natalia decided to name the community after the [[New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia|Russian New Martyr]] Grand Duchess Elizabeth, and the sisters' spiritual father, [[Archimandrite]] [[Luke (Murianka)]], painted an icon of her for them. A chapel was built on the second floor for daily prayer services, and blessed by Abp. Laurus to have the [[Divine Liturgy]] served occasionally. On the eve of the Feast of the [[Kursk Root Icon]] in 1993, Nun Natalia was tonsured into the [[Monastic Ranks|Little Schema]] and given the name Ioanna in memory of the resposed Abp. [[John (Maximovitch) the Wonderworker|John of San Fransisco]].
The first Divine Liturgy was served in the chapel on the Feast of St. Elizabeth in 1993. In April of 2010, the community was finally granted the status of [[skete]] by the Synod of Bishops. Mother Ioanna fell asleep in the Lord on the Feast of [[Theophany]] in 2011, after [[Matins]] for the [[Synaxis of the Baptist]]. The twenty-fifth anniversary of the skete was celebrated with a Divine Liturgy officiated by Archbishop [[Gabriel (Chemodakov) of Montreal]] on the Feast of St. Elizabeth, during which Nun Elisabeth was elevated to abbess.
