Difference between revisions of "St. John the Baptist Skete (Kentlyn, New South Wales)"

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'''Origins'''
 
'''Origins'''
 +
 
In 1956 the then head of the Sydney, Australia and New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), Archbishop Sava, commissioned Hieromonk Dimitry (Obuhoff) to establish a monastery at Kentlyn (near Campbelltown, SW Sydney) on land donated by Protodeacon Peter Grishaev. The Archbishop recruited three candidates to test their vocation to the monastic life with Father Dimitry, and on the 16th of September 1956 the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated.
 
In 1956 the then head of the Sydney, Australia and New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), Archbishop Sava, commissioned Hieromonk Dimitry (Obuhoff) to establish a monastery at Kentlyn (near Campbelltown, SW Sydney) on land donated by Protodeacon Peter Grishaev. The Archbishop recruited three candidates to test their vocation to the monastic life with Father Dimitry, and on the 16th of September 1956 the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated.
 
Sadly, by March 1959 Father Dimitry had been transferred to care for the Russian parish at Geelong, Victoria; two of the novices returned to secular life, and the third, Michael Sorokhin, was left in charge of the Diocesan workshop and candle factory in an adjoining rugged and densely timbered sandstone property that later became Saint John the Baptist Skete.
 
Sadly, by March 1959 Father Dimitry had been transferred to care for the Russian parish at Geelong, Victoria; two of the novices returned to secular life, and the third, Michael Sorokhin, was left in charge of the Diocesan workshop and candle factory in an adjoining rugged and densely timbered sandstone property that later became Saint John the Baptist Skete.
  
 
'''Monk Guri'''
 
'''Monk Guri'''
 +
 
On the 5th of October 1960 Monk Guri (Demidov), recently arrived as a refugee from the Russian community in Harbin, China, came to Kentlyn and took up residence at Saint John the Baptist Skete. Living in a small one room tin hut surrounded by thick bush he became its first, and sadly, only monastic inhabitant.
 
On the 5th of October 1960 Monk Guri (Demidov), recently arrived as a refugee from the Russian community in Harbin, China, came to Kentlyn and took up residence at Saint John the Baptist Skete. Living in a small one room tin hut surrounded by thick bush he became its first, and sadly, only monastic inhabitant.
 
Father Guri was devoted to prayer, and craved a life of solitude, which he found in the 18 hectare grounds of the Skete, often attending daily services at the nearby Convent of Our Lady of Kazan.
 
Father Guri was devoted to prayer, and craved a life of solitude, which he found in the 18 hectare grounds of the Skete, often attending daily services at the nearby Convent of Our Lady of Kazan.
  
 
'''Father Guri’s Cave'''
 
'''Father Guri’s Cave'''
 +
 
In his search for silence, and in imitation of the monastic hermits of the Egyptian and Judean deserts, the Holy Mount Athos and the vast forests of Russia, Father Guri cleared out a natural cleft in a nearby sandstone rock face, making a small, cramped cave in which he would spend many hours reading prayers and using his prayer rope. This was his favourite retreat after communing at the Divine Liturgy. Only God and the holy Angels were witnesses to his prayerful vigils and struggles.
 
In his search for silence, and in imitation of the monastic hermits of the Egyptian and Judean deserts, the Holy Mount Athos and the vast forests of Russia, Father Guri cleared out a natural cleft in a nearby sandstone rock face, making a small, cramped cave in which he would spend many hours reading prayers and using his prayer rope. This was his favourite retreat after communing at the Divine Liturgy. Only God and the holy Angels were witnesses to his prayerful vigils and struggles.
  
 
'''His Love of the Holy Fathers'''
 
'''His Love of the Holy Fathers'''
 +
 
Father Guri was reputed to have had an extensive library on the ascetic life and hesychastic prayer (the use of the Jesus Prayer - also called the Prayer of the Heart - ’Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner’ - the foundation of Orthodox Christian ascetic prayer).
 
Father Guri was reputed to have had an extensive library on the ascetic life and hesychastic prayer (the use of the Jesus Prayer - also called the Prayer of the Heart - ’Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner’ - the foundation of Orthodox Christian ascetic prayer).
 
He would often laboriously copy excerpts from the writings of the Holy Fathers on the ascetic and spiritual life in small school exercise books. These anthologies, the fruit of his prayerful reading and spiritual struggles, he would give away as a blessing to those whom he felt would benefit from the wisdom of the Holy Fathers.
 
He would often laboriously copy excerpts from the writings of the Holy Fathers on the ascetic and spiritual life in small school exercise books. These anthologies, the fruit of his prayerful reading and spiritual struggles, he would give away as a blessing to those whom he felt would benefit from the wisdom of the Holy Fathers.
  
 
'''Father Guri’s Solitary Labours and Repose'''
 
'''Father Guri’s Solitary Labours and Repose'''
 +
 
Over the succeeding years Father Guri laboured with Michael Sorokhin, together with volunteers from the Russian Orthodox community in Sydney, to erect a small brick building containing six monastic cells surrounding a large central room that was intended to be part of a large monastic church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. It was not to be completed. He waited alone, praying that others would join him.
 
Over the succeeding years Father Guri laboured with Michael Sorokhin, together with volunteers from the Russian Orthodox community in Sydney, to erect a small brick building containing six monastic cells surrounding a large central room that was intended to be part of a large monastic church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. It was not to be completed. He waited alone, praying that others would join him.
 
Old age eventually forced Father Guri to move from his beloved isolation at the Skete to a small hut in the Convent grounds, and finally to the Saint Sergius Nursing Home, Cabramatta. He died in deep old age at 98 years on the 23rd of August 1992. This faithful monk is buried in Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney.
 
Old age eventually forced Father Guri to move from his beloved isolation at the Skete to a small hut in the Convent grounds, and finally to the Saint Sergius Nursing Home, Cabramatta. He died in deep old age at 98 years on the 23rd of August 1992. This faithful monk is buried in Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney.
Line 39: Line 44:
  
 
'''A New Beginning'''
 
'''A New Beginning'''
 +
 
In 1999 Hieromonk Joachim received a canonical release from the Serbian Orthodox Church to the ROCOR. He was invited by the current diocesan bishop, Archbishop Hilarion, to rebuild the Kentlyn Skete and restore coenobitic monastic life, as well as providing a base for missionary work amongst English speaking Australians.  
 
In 1999 Hieromonk Joachim received a canonical release from the Serbian Orthodox Church to the ROCOR. He was invited by the current diocesan bishop, Archbishop Hilarion, to rebuild the Kentlyn Skete and restore coenobitic monastic life, as well as providing a base for missionary work amongst English speaking Australians.  
 
With the help of a very small group of faithful volunteers, the past four and a half years have seen the neglected grounds cleared of decades of rubbish and undergrowth, the Skete building secured and made temporarily habitable and weatherproof. There is now modest accommodation, an office, dining room and, most importantly, a prayer room or chapel where the monastic labour of the Hours of prayer according to the typicon of the Orthodox Church are said daily.
 
With the help of a very small group of faithful volunteers, the past four and a half years have seen the neglected grounds cleared of decades of rubbish and undergrowth, the Skete building secured and made temporarily habitable and weatherproof. There is now modest accommodation, an office, dining room and, most importantly, a prayer room or chapel where the monastic labour of the Hours of prayer according to the typicon of the Orthodox Church are said daily.
  
 
'''Worshipping in English'''
 
'''Worshipping in English'''
 +
 
With the blessing of Abbess Evpraxia, Father Joachim has been permitted the use of the old monastery Church of All Saints in the neighbouring Our Lady of Kazan Monastery. A small congregation from various national backgrounds - Russian, Cypriot, Greek, Palestinian, Serbian, Lebanese, and Australian converts - attend the Divine Liturgy served in English every Sunday and on major feast days.
 
With the blessing of Abbess Evpraxia, Father Joachim has been permitted the use of the old monastery Church of All Saints in the neighbouring Our Lady of Kazan Monastery. A small congregation from various national backgrounds - Russian, Cypriot, Greek, Palestinian, Serbian, Lebanese, and Australian converts - attend the Divine Liturgy served in English every Sunday and on major feast days.
  
 
'''Father Guri’s Cave Renewed'''
 
'''Father Guri’s Cave Renewed'''
 +
 
Father Guri’s small cave, scene of his many hidden vigils and spiritual struggles, has been cleaned of the dirt and rubbish accumulated since his departure. A floor has been laid, overhanging rock walls strengthened, and icons and a burning lampada installed. Sanctified by Father Guri’s prayers and tears, this sandstone cleft, the Skete’s first ’church’, has become a place of pilgrimage and quiet prayer for growing numbers of visitors  to the Skete.
 
Father Guri’s small cave, scene of his many hidden vigils and spiritual struggles, has been cleaned of the dirt and rubbish accumulated since his departure. A floor has been laid, overhanging rock walls strengthened, and icons and a burning lampada installed. Sanctified by Father Guri’s prayers and tears, this sandstone cleft, the Skete’s first ’church’, has become a place of pilgrimage and quiet prayer for growing numbers of visitors  to the Skete.
  
 
'''Following Father Guri’s Example'''
 
'''Following Father Guri’s Example'''
 +
 
Where Father Guri would record by hand in exercise books the results of his prayerful reading, the Skete now publishes an English language monthly journal - ‘The Voice’ - using the benefits of contemporary computer technology and desktop publishing. Following Father Guri's example, it is a modest attempt to make the treasures of the Orthodox faith available in English to Australian Orthodox Christians and enquirers.
 
Where Father Guri would record by hand in exercise books the results of his prayerful reading, the Skete now publishes an English language monthly journal - ‘The Voice’ - using the benefits of contemporary computer technology and desktop publishing. Following Father Guri's example, it is a modest attempt to make the treasures of the Orthodox faith available in English to Australian Orthodox Christians and enquirers.
  
 
'''Our Goal - Rebuilding the Skete'''
 
'''Our Goal - Rebuilding the Skete'''
 +
 
The first priority when Father Joachim arrived at Kentlyn was to make the Skete habitable, remove tons of accumulated rubbish and clearing the surrounding bush to reduce the  threat of bushfires. While cautious and economical expense has been used to make the old building liveable - the main endeavour has always been to raise funds to rebuild.
 
The first priority when Father Joachim arrived at Kentlyn was to make the Skete habitable, remove tons of accumulated rubbish and clearing the surrounding bush to reduce the  threat of bushfires. While cautious and economical expense has been used to make the old building liveable - the main endeavour has always been to raise funds to rebuild.
 
Mr Nicholas Proskurin of Leda Building Plans P/L has kindly prepared the architectural plans for the rebuilding of the Skete. Development approval has been given by Campbelltown City Council.
 
Mr Nicholas Proskurin of Leda Building Plans P/L has kindly prepared the architectural plans for the rebuilding of the Skete. Development approval has been given by Campbelltown City Council.
Line 60: Line 70:
  
 
'''An Invitation to Help'''
 
'''An Invitation to Help'''
 +
 
Orthodox Christians who value traditional Orthodox monastic life and the vital importance in plays in the life of the church are invited to help Hieromonk Joachim rebuild the Skete, and complete what Father Guri began 46 years ago.
 
Orthodox Christians who value traditional Orthodox monastic life and the vital importance in plays in the life of the church are invited to help Hieromonk Joachim rebuild the Skete, and complete what Father Guri began 46 years ago.
 
If Orthodox monasticism is to grow and flourish in Australia then there must be Orthodox monasteries.
 
If Orthodox monasticism is to grow and flourish in Australia then there must be Orthodox monasteries.
Line 66: Line 77:
  
 
St John the Baptist Skete
 
St John the Baptist Skete
 +
 
PO Box 321X
 
PO Box 321X
 +
 
Leumeah NSW 2560
 
Leumeah NSW 2560
 +
  
 
Tel: (02) 46263945
 
Tel: (02) 46263945
email: fr.joachim@rocor.org.au  
+
 
 +
email: fr.joachim@rocor.org.au
 +
  
 
The Divine Liturgy is celebrated in English each Sunday and most wednesdays at 8.30 am in the old monastery church of All Saints, Smith Street, Kentlyn (near Campbelltown, South West Sydney) - Molieben and Akathist to the Theotokos is served every Tuesday evening in All Saints Church at 6.30 pm. Panikhida (Memorial service for the departed) served each Satruday at 8.30am. Prayer requests welcome.
 
The Divine Liturgy is celebrated in English each Sunday and most wednesdays at 8.30 am in the old monastery church of All Saints, Smith Street, Kentlyn (near Campbelltown, South West Sydney) - Molieben and Akathist to the Theotokos is served every Tuesday evening in All Saints Church at 6.30 pm. Panikhida (Memorial service for the departed) served each Satruday at 8.30am. Prayer requests welcome.

Revision as of 11:13, April 29, 2006

Skete of St John the Baptist
Jurisdiction Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
Type Male Skete
Founded unknown
Superior Hieromonk Joachim
Approx. size 1 monk
Location Kentlyn, New South Wales, Australia
Liturgical language(s) English
Music used Russian Chant
Calendar Julian
Feastdays celebrated Jan 7/20
Official website none advertised


The Skete of St John the Baptist is a skete for men under the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, in the Diocese of Australia and New Zealand. The skete is located in Kentlyn, New South Wales, and is currently headed by Hieromonk Joachim. Currently, the skete has 1 priestmonk in residence.


Origins

In 1956 the then head of the Sydney, Australia and New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), Archbishop Sava, commissioned Hieromonk Dimitry (Obuhoff) to establish a monastery at Kentlyn (near Campbelltown, SW Sydney) on land donated by Protodeacon Peter Grishaev. The Archbishop recruited three candidates to test their vocation to the monastic life with Father Dimitry, and on the 16th of September 1956 the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated. Sadly, by March 1959 Father Dimitry had been transferred to care for the Russian parish at Geelong, Victoria; two of the novices returned to secular life, and the third, Michael Sorokhin, was left in charge of the Diocesan workshop and candle factory in an adjoining rugged and densely timbered sandstone property that later became Saint John the Baptist Skete.

Monk Guri

On the 5th of October 1960 Monk Guri (Demidov), recently arrived as a refugee from the Russian community in Harbin, China, came to Kentlyn and took up residence at Saint John the Baptist Skete. Living in a small one room tin hut surrounded by thick bush he became its first, and sadly, only monastic inhabitant. Father Guri was devoted to prayer, and craved a life of solitude, which he found in the 18 hectare grounds of the Skete, often attending daily services at the nearby Convent of Our Lady of Kazan.

Father Guri’s Cave

In his search for silence, and in imitation of the monastic hermits of the Egyptian and Judean deserts, the Holy Mount Athos and the vast forests of Russia, Father Guri cleared out a natural cleft in a nearby sandstone rock face, making a small, cramped cave in which he would spend many hours reading prayers and using his prayer rope. This was his favourite retreat after communing at the Divine Liturgy. Only God and the holy Angels were witnesses to his prayerful vigils and struggles.

His Love of the Holy Fathers

Father Guri was reputed to have had an extensive library on the ascetic life and hesychastic prayer (the use of the Jesus Prayer - also called the Prayer of the Heart - ’Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner’ - the foundation of Orthodox Christian ascetic prayer). He would often laboriously copy excerpts from the writings of the Holy Fathers on the ascetic and spiritual life in small school exercise books. These anthologies, the fruit of his prayerful reading and spiritual struggles, he would give away as a blessing to those whom he felt would benefit from the wisdom of the Holy Fathers.

Father Guri’s Solitary Labours and Repose

Over the succeeding years Father Guri laboured with Michael Sorokhin, together with volunteers from the Russian Orthodox community in Sydney, to erect a small brick building containing six monastic cells surrounding a large central room that was intended to be part of a large monastic church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. It was not to be completed. He waited alone, praying that others would join him. Old age eventually forced Father Guri to move from his beloved isolation at the Skete to a small hut in the Convent grounds, and finally to the Saint Sergius Nursing Home, Cabramatta. He died in deep old age at 98 years on the 23rd of August 1992. This faithful monk is buried in Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney. While the nearby Diocesan workshop and the candle factory continued to function, the unfinished Skete building was used for a time as a printing facility, finally being abandoned . Uninhabited for over a decade the building fell derelict, a nesting place for birds, a home for possums and vermin, damaged by vandals and in a serious state of disrepair.

A New Beginning

In 1999 Hieromonk Joachim received a canonical release from the Serbian Orthodox Church to the ROCOR. He was invited by the current diocesan bishop, Archbishop Hilarion, to rebuild the Kentlyn Skete and restore coenobitic monastic life, as well as providing a base for missionary work amongst English speaking Australians. With the help of a very small group of faithful volunteers, the past four and a half years have seen the neglected grounds cleared of decades of rubbish and undergrowth, the Skete building secured and made temporarily habitable and weatherproof. There is now modest accommodation, an office, dining room and, most importantly, a prayer room or chapel where the monastic labour of the Hours of prayer according to the typicon of the Orthodox Church are said daily.

Worshipping in English

With the blessing of Abbess Evpraxia, Father Joachim has been permitted the use of the old monastery Church of All Saints in the neighbouring Our Lady of Kazan Monastery. A small congregation from various national backgrounds - Russian, Cypriot, Greek, Palestinian, Serbian, Lebanese, and Australian converts - attend the Divine Liturgy served in English every Sunday and on major feast days.

Father Guri’s Cave Renewed

Father Guri’s small cave, scene of his many hidden vigils and spiritual struggles, has been cleaned of the dirt and rubbish accumulated since his departure. A floor has been laid, overhanging rock walls strengthened, and icons and a burning lampada installed. Sanctified by Father Guri’s prayers and tears, this sandstone cleft, the Skete’s first ’church’, has become a place of pilgrimage and quiet prayer for growing numbers of visitors to the Skete.

Following Father Guri’s Example

Where Father Guri would record by hand in exercise books the results of his prayerful reading, the Skete now publishes an English language monthly journal - ‘The Voice’ - using the benefits of contemporary computer technology and desktop publishing. Following Father Guri's example, it is a modest attempt to make the treasures of the Orthodox faith available in English to Australian Orthodox Christians and enquirers.

Our Goal - Rebuilding the Skete

The first priority when Father Joachim arrived at Kentlyn was to make the Skete habitable, remove tons of accumulated rubbish and clearing the surrounding bush to reduce the threat of bushfires. While cautious and economical expense has been used to make the old building liveable - the main endeavour has always been to raise funds to rebuild. Mr Nicholas Proskurin of Leda Building Plans P/L has kindly prepared the architectural plans for the rebuilding of the Skete. Development approval has been given by Campbelltown City Council. The proposed scheme incorporates the original structure from Father Guri’s time. Keeping faithful to the spirit of the original plans, the large central room will become the nave of the monastery church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, with the eastern wall removed to build on an altar area. The walls will be raised to allow a new roof with cupola and a wooden floor will be installed. Attached to the church and monastic cells will be a new extension comprising an office/library cum reception area, a trapeza (monastic dining room), kitchen, storeroom, laundry and ablution area. The design is modest, practical and economical. With the exception of the Church, the whole area, including the existing small monastic cells, is comparable to a normal suburban house. Even so, building costs make an immediate start impossible - our savings and the funds raised by a small group of supporters over the past four years has not yet amounted to even 10% of the total needed.

An Invitation to Help

Orthodox Christians who value traditional Orthodox monastic life and the vital importance in plays in the life of the church are invited to help Hieromonk Joachim rebuild the Skete, and complete what Father Guri began 46 years ago. If Orthodox monasticism is to grow and flourish in Australia then there must be Orthodox monasteries. In helping to rebuild Saint John the Baptist Skete, you will also be participating its missionary endeavours. His Grace Archbishop Hilarion is convinced of the necessity for Orthodox Christian evangelism in Australia. With his blessing Saint John the Baptist Skete hopes to provide a place of silence, worship, prayer, pilgrimage, retreat, hospitality, and counsel. There are plans to expand the Skete’s publishing activities. Orthodox Christians of good will are asked to generously contribute and support our efforts.

St John the Baptist Skete

PO Box 321X

Leumeah NSW 2560


Tel: (02) 46263945

email: fr.joachim@rocor.org.au


The Divine Liturgy is celebrated in English each Sunday and most wednesdays at 8.30 am in the old monastery church of All Saints, Smith Street, Kentlyn (near Campbelltown, South West Sydney) - Molieben and Akathist to the Theotokos is served every Tuesday evening in All Saints Church at 6.30 pm. Panikhida (Memorial service for the departed) served each Satruday at 8.30am. Prayer requests welcome.

Visitors to the Skete and Father Guri’s cave are always welcome. Please phone ahead of your arrival.

Subscribe to ‘The Voice’ - the Skete’s monthly Orthodox journal - $18.00 per annum. Send your details to the above address.

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Orthodoxy in
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Orthodoxy in Australia: Monasteries
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia
Male: Pantanassa | St George | St John
Female: Gorgoepikoos | Holy Cross
Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
Male: Holy Transfiguration | Archangel Michael
Proph. Elias | St John the Baptist | Holy Trinity
Female: Our Lady of Kazan | Presentation
Other Jurisdictions
Male: New Kalenic (Serbian) | St Sava (Serbian)
Female: St Anna (Antiochian) | Nativity Skete (Serbian)