Query: degrees of Eastern Orthodox monasticism

Relevant passages:
Abbot <=SEP=> Abbot, meaning father, is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery. The female equivalent is abbess.

Acoemetae <=SEP=> Acoemetae (or "Acoemeti") was an order of monks in the 5th century, who by turns, kept up a divine service day and night. The order was founded about the year 400, by one Alexander, a man of noble birth, who fled from the court of Byzantium to the desert, both from love of solitude and fear of episcopal honours.

Agios Neophytos Monastery <=SEP=> Saint Neophytos Monastery (Greek:Ιερά Μονή Αγίου Νεοφύτου) lies 15 km west of Paphos, is one of the best-known monasteries in Cyprus. It was founded by monk Neophytos in the 12th century.

Alexander Hotovitzky <=SEP=> Saint Alexander Hotovitzky (or Hotovitsky), hieromartyr of the Bolshevik yoke, Missionary of America, was a Ukrainian who came to the United States in the 1890s as a lay missionary and was ordained to the priesthood while there. He was active as a missionary among the emigrated Uniates in the northeastern United States before being ordered back to Europe 1914. He was to become vicar of the congregation of the Russian Embassy in Berlin.

Anchorite <=SEP=> Anchorite or anchoret (female: anchoress; adj. anchoritic; from Ancient Greek: ἀναχωρητής, anachōrētḗs, "one who has retired from the world", from the verb ἀναχωρέω, anachōréō, signifying "to withdraw", "to retire") denotes someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society so as to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, ascetic, and—circumstances permitting—Eucharist-focused life.

Anthony the Great <=SEP=> Saint Anthony or Antony (Greek: Ἀντώνιος, Antṓnios; Latin: Antonius; c. 251 – 356) was a Christian monk from Egypt, revered since his death as a saint. He is distinguished from other saints named Anthony by various epithets: Anthony the Great, Anthony of Egypt, Anthony the Abbot, Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Anchorite, and Anthony of Thebes. For his importance among the Desert Fathers and to all later monasticism, he is also known as the Father of All Monks.

April 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> Mar. 31 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - Apr. 2All fixed commemorations below celebrated on April 14 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For April 1, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on March 19.

April 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> Apr. 25 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - Apr. 27All fixed commemorations below are observed on May 9 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For April 26th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on April 13.

April 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> Apr. 27 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - Apr. 29All fixed commemorations below celebrated on May 11 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For April 28th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on April 15.

April 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> Apr. 3 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - Apr. 5All fixed commemorations below are observed on April 17 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For April 4th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on March 22.

April 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> Apr. 4 – Eastern Orthodox Church calendar – Apr. 6All fixed commemorations below are observed on April 18 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For April 4th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on March 23.

April 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> Apr. 5 — Eastern Orthodox Church calendar — Apr. 7All fixed commemorations below are observed on April 19 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For April 6th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on March 24.

April 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> Apr. 6 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - Apr. 8All fixed commemorations below are observed on April 20 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For April 7th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on March 25.

Archbishop of America <=SEP=> The Archdiocese of America, better known as the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, is a jurisdiction of the Eastern Orthodox Church under the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.  It was formally constituted in 1922 and has had seven incumbents.

Archimandrite <=SEP=> The title archimandrite (Greek: ἀρχιμανδρίτης archimandrites), primarily used in the Eastern Orthodox and the Eastern Catholic churches, originally referred to a superior abbot whom a bishop appointed to supervise several 'ordinary' abbots (each styled hegumenos) and monasteries, or to the abbot of some especially great and important monastery.

Athanasius of Alexandria <=SEP=> Saint Athanasius of Alexandria (/ˌæθəˈneɪʃəs/; Greek: Ἀθανάσιος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Athanásios Alexandrías; c. 296–298 – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, Athanasius the Confessor or, primarily in the Coptic Orthodox Church, Athanasius the Apostolic, was the twentieth bishop of Alexandria (as Athanasius I). His episcopate (because of the importance of the see, considered an archbishopric by Rome, the Coptic papacy, or an Orthodox patriarchate) lasted 45 years (c.

Athanasius the Athonite <=SEP=> Athanasius the Athonite (Greek: Αθανάσιος ο Αθωνίτης), also called Athanasios of Trebizond (c. 920 – c. 1003), was a Byzantine monk who founded the monastic community on Mount Athos, which has since evolved into the greatest centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism.Born in Trebizond and patronized by Michael Maleinos, he studied at Constantinople and became famous there as Abraham, a fervent preacher who held great authority with Michael's nephew, Nicephorus Phocas.

August 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> Aug. 12 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - Aug. 14 All fixed commemorations below are observed on August 26 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For August 13, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on July 31.

Basilian monks <=SEP=> Basilian monks are monks who follow the "Rule" of Saint Basil the Great, bishop of Caesarea (330-379). The monastic rules and institutes of St. Basil are important because their reconstruction of monastic life remains the basis for most Eastern Orthodox and some Greek Catholic monasticism. Saint Benedict of Nursia, who fulfilled much the same function in the West, took his Regula Benedicti from the writings of St. Basil and other earlier church fathers.

Cenobitic monasticism <=SEP=> Cenobitic (or coenobitic) monasticism is a monastic tradition that stresses community life. Often in the West, the community belongs to a religious order and the life of the cenobitic monk is regulated by a religious rule, a collection of precepts.

Christian monasticism <=SEP=> Christian monasticism is the devotional practice of individuals who live ascetic and typically cloistered lives that are dedicated to Christian worship. It began to develop early in the history of the Christian Church, modeled upon scriptural examples and ideals, including those in the Old Testament, but not mandated as an institution in the scriptures. It has come to be regulated by religious rules (e.g.

Chrysostomos II Kioussis <=SEP=> Chrysostomos II (Greek: Χρυσόστομος Β′; October 8, 1920 – September 19, 2010), born Athanassios Kioussis (Αθανάσιος Κιούσης), was the Archbishop of Athens and of all Greece of the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece from 1986 until his death.

Chrysostomos of Smyrna <=SEP=> Chrysostomos Kalafatis (1867–1922) (Greek: Χρυσόστομος Καλαφάτης), known as Saint Chrysostomos of Smyrna, Chrysostomos of Smyrna and Metropolitan Chrysostom, was the Greek Orthodox metropolitan bishop of Smyrna (Izmir) between 1910 and 1914, and again from 1919 to his death in 1922. He was born in  Triglia (today Zeytinbağı), Turkey in 1867, and was killed by a lynch mob during the sacking of Smyrna by Turkish troops at the end of the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922.

December 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> December 10 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - December 12All fixed commemorations below celebrated on December 24 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For December 11th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on November 28.

December 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> Dec. 16 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - Dec. 18All fixed commemorations below celebrated on December 30 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For December 17th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on December 4.

December 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> Dec 1 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - Dec 3All fixed commemorations below celebrated on December 15 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For December 2nd, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on November 19.

Degrees of Eastern Orthodox monasticism <=SEP=> The degrees of Eastern Orthodox monasticism are the stages an Eastern Orthodox monk or nun passes through in their religious vocation.In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the process of becoming a monk or nun (female ascetics in the East are called monks, nun is a Western tradition) is intentionally slow, as the monastic vows taken are considered to entail a lifelong commitment to God, and are not to be entered into lightly.

Desert Fathers <=SEP=> The Desert Fathers were early Christian hermits, ascetics, and monks who lived mainly in the Scetes desert of Egypt beginning around the third century AD. The Apophthegmata Patrum is a collection of the writings of some of the early desert monks and nuns, representing the Divine Wisdom they received, still in print as Sayings of the Desert Fathers. The most well known was Anthony the Great, who moved to the desert in 270–271 and became known as both the father and founder of desert monasticism.

Eastern Christian monasticism <=SEP=> Eastern Christian Monasticism is the life followed by monks and nuns of Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Church of the East and Eastern Catholicism. Some authors will use the term "Basilian" to describe Eastern monks; however, this is incorrect, since the Eastern Church does not have religious orders, as in the West, nor does Eastern monasticism have monastic Rules, as in the West.

Eastern Orthodox Church <=SEP=> The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, also referred to as the Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Orthodoxy, is the second largest Christian Church in the world, with an estimated 225–300 million adherents. It tends to be the Church identified most often with the single term "Orthodox", as it is the largest among the Christian groups that call themselves by this name.

Ephraim of Pereyaslavl <=SEP=> Saint Ephraim II of Pereyaslav, (Russian: Ефрем Переяславский) also Saint Ephraim of the Caves (Russian: Ефрем Печерский) or Saint Ephraim, Bishop of Pereslav - Eastern Orthodox saint, bishop of Pereyaslav (now Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine). Before his tonsure into monasticism, was treasurer and steward of household affairs (1054–1068) at the court of the Iziaslav Yaroslavich  the Grand Prince of Kiev.

February 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> Feb. 7 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - Feb. 9All fixed commemorations below are observed on February 21 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For February 8th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on January 26.

George (Karslidis) of Drama <=SEP=> Venerable Elder and New Confessor Saint George (Karslidis) of Drama (Greek: Ὁ Όσιος Γεώργιος Καρσλίδης ο Ομολογητής), 1901 – November 4, 1959, was a Greek Elder known for his gifts of spiritual discernment and clairvoyance.He is known to have been in Georgia, Armenia, and Russia before spending most of his life in the village of Taxiarches (Sipsa), in Drama, Northern Greece.

Greek Orthodox Church <=SEP=> The name Greek Orthodox Church (Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἑκκλησία, Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía, IPA: [elinorˈθoðoksi ekliˈsia]) is a term referring to the body of several Churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, whose liturgy is or was traditionally conducted in Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament, and whose history, traditions, and theology are rooted in the early Church Fathers and the Byzantine Empire.

Gregory Palamas <=SEP=> Gregory Palamas (Γρηγόριος Παλαμάς) (1296–1359) was a monk of Mount Athos in Greece and later the Archbishop of Thessaloniki known as a preeminent theologian of Hesychasm. The teachings embodied in his writings defending Hesychasm against the attack of Barlaam are sometimes referred to as Palamism, his followers as Palamites. Palamas is venerated as a Saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Hieromonk <=SEP=> Hieromonk (Greek: Ἱερομόναχος, Ieromonachos; Slavonic: Ieromonakh, Romanian: Ieromonah), also called a Priestmonk, is a monk who is also a priest in the Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholicism.A hieromonk can be either a monk who has been ordained to the priesthood or a priest who has received monastic tonsure.

Hilarion (Kapral) <=SEP=> Metropolitan Hilarion (born Igor Alexeyevich Kapral, Russian: Игорь Алексеевич Капрал; January 6, 1948, Spirit River, Alberta, Canada) — bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York, First-Hierarch of ROCOR (since 18 May 2008); he is the first in its history First-Hierarch of ROCOR, approved by the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate.

History of Eastern Orthodox Christian theology <=SEP=> The history of Eastern Orthodox Christian theology begins with the life of Jesus and the forming of the Christian Church.  Major events include the Chalcedonian schism with the Oriental Orthodox miaphysites, the Iconoclast controversy, the Photian schism, the Great Schism between East and West, and the Hesychast controversy.  The period after the Second World War saw a re-engagement with the Greek, and more recently Syriac, Fathers that included a rediscovery of the theological works of St.

History of the Orthodox Church <=SEP=> The Orthodox Church trace its history back to the Apostles and Jesus Christ. Apostolic succession established the seats of Patriarchy (for example see the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem). Orthodoxy reached its golden age during the apogee of the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire, when it spread to the Bulgarians, Serbs, and Russians.

Holy Resurrection Monastery <=SEP=> Holy Resurrection Monastery is an American monastic community of men. Under the canon law of the Eastern Catholic Churches the brotherhood is a self-governing (sui juris) monastery within the Romanian Catholic Eparchy of St George's in Canton, Ohio, and located in St. Nazianz, Wisconsin.

January 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> Jan. 19 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - Jan. 21All fixed commemorations below are observed on February 2 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For January 20th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on January 7.

January 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> Jan. 4 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - Jan. 6All fixed commemorations below are observed on January 18 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For January 5th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on December 23.

January 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> Jan. 8 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - Jan. 10All fixed commemorations below are observed on January 22 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For January 9th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on December 27.

Job of Pochayiv <=SEP=> Saint Job of Pochayiv (c. 1551 – 28 October 1651) was a Ukrainian Orthodox monk and Eastern Orthodox saint.

John Anthony McGuckin <=SEP=> John Anthony McGuckin (born 1952) is an Orthodox Christian scholar, priest and poet according to his curriculum vitae.McGuckin was raised Roman Catholic and at 19 became a member of the Passionist religious order. In 1989 he became Greek Orthodox and was ordained a priest for the Romanian Orthodox Church, serving at the St. Gregory the Theologian Orthodox Chaplaincy in Manhattan.  He wrote books on Cyril of Alexandria, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Origen, among others.

John Behr <=SEP=> John Behr (born October 16, 1966) is a American Eastern Orthodox priest and theologian, and Dean of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, where he teaches Patristics. He was ordained to the diaconate on September 8, 2001 (the feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos) and the priesthood on September 14, 2001 (the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross). He is the editor of the Popular Patristic Series released by St. Vladimir's Press.

Jonah Lwanga <=SEP=> Jonah (Lwanga) is the Metropolitan of Kampala and All Uganda, in Central Africa under the Eastern Orthodox Church of Alexandria. His see is Kampala, with jurisdiction over all Uganda.

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove <=SEP=> Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove is a Christian writer and preacher who has graduated both from Eastern University and Duke Divinity School. He associates himself with New Monasticism. Immediately prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, he and his wife, Leah, were members of a Christian peacemaking team that traveled to Iraq to communicate their message to Iraqis that not all American Christians were in favour of the coming Iraq War.

Juvenaly of Alaska <=SEP=> Juvenaly of Alaska (1761-1796), Protomartyr of America, was a hieromartyr and member of the first group of Orthodox missionaries who came from the monastery of Valaam to evangelize the native inhabitants of Alaska.  He was martyred while evangelizing among the Yupik Eskimos on the mainland of Alaska in 1796.  His feast day is celebrated on July 2, and he is also commemorated with all the saints of Alaska (September 24), and with the first martyrs of the American land (December 12).

Kalimavkion <=SEP=> A Kalimavkion (Greek: καλυμμαύχιον), or kalymmavchi (καλυμαύχι), or kamilavka (Russian: камилавка), is an item of clerical clothing worn by Orthodox Christian and Eastern Catholic monks (in which case it is black) or awarded to clergy (in which case it may be red or purple).The kalimavkion is a stiff cylindrical head covering, similar to a stovepipe hat but without a brim. The kalimavkion is worn during services; at other times, the softer skufia is worn in its place.

Klobuk <=SEP=> A klobuk is an item of clerical clothing worn by Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic monastics and bishops, especially in the Russian tradition.  It is composed of a kamilavka (stiffened black headcovering, round and flat on the top) with an epanokamelavkion (veil) which completely covers the kamilavka and hangs down over the shoulders and back.

Koukoulion <=SEP=> The Koukoulion (Slavonic: Kukol) is a traditional headdress worn by monks of the highest degree in the Eastern Orthodox Church. (See Degrees of Eastern Orthodox monasticism.)From the 17th century, following the reforms of Patriarch Nikon, the upper vesture worn by monks of the Great Schema (skhimonakh) is in the form of a pointed hood with two long lappets which cover the back and breast. It is black in color, and embroidered with crosses, six-winged seraphim, and the text of the Trisagion.

Kuksha of Odessa <=SEP=> Saint Kuksha of Odessa, born Kosma Velichko (25 January [O.S. January 12] 1875, selo Arbuzinka, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire – December 24, 1964, Odessa, USSR), is a modern saint canonized by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) in 1995.Saint Kuksha was in the family of Cyrill and Kharytyna who lived in Ukraine (then part of the Russian Empire) and had many children. In her youth, his mother dreamed of becoming a nun, but married from obedience to her parents.

Leoluca <=SEP=> Saint Leoluca, also Leone Luca, Leo Luke of Corleone, or Luke of Sicily (c. 815 – c. 915) was the Abbot and Wonderworker of the Monastery of Mount Mula in Calabria, and a founder of Italo-Greek monasticism in southern Italy. He is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.Born in the Sicilian town of Corleone, he died about a hundred years later, after eighty years of monastic life, in Monteleone Calabro, now Vibo Valentia in Calabria.

Machairas Monastery <=SEP=> Machairas Monastery (Greek: Μαχαιράς [locally [maʃeˈɾas]]) is a historic monastery dedicated to the Virgin Mary located about 40 km from the capital of Cyprus, Nicosia. It lies at an altitude of about 900 m and was founded at the end of the 12th century close to the current village of Lazanias.

March 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> Mar. 6 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - Mar. 8All fixed commemorations below are observed on March 20 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For March 7th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on February 22 (February 23 on leap years).

March 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> Mar. 7 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - Mar. 9All fixed commemorations below are observed on March 21 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For March 1st, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on February 23 (February 24 on leap years).

May 10 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> May 9 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - May 11All fixed commemorations below celebrated on May 23 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For May 10th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on April 27.

May 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> May 12 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - May 14All fixed commemorations below celebrated on May 26 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For May 13th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on April 30.

May 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> May 26 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - May 28All fixed commemorations below celebrated on June 9 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For May 27th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on May 14.

May 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> May 28 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - May 30All fixed commemorations below celebrated on June 11 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For May 29th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on May 16.

May 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> May 5 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - May 7All fixed commemorations below celebrated on May 19 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For May 6th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on April 23.

May 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> May 6 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - May 8All fixed commemorations below celebrated on May 20 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For May 7th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on April 24.

May 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> May 8 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - May 10All fixed commemorations below celebrated on May 22 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For May 9th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on April 26.

Monastery of Stoudios <=SEP=> The Monastery of Stoudios, more fully Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner "at Stoudios" (Greek Μονή του Αγίου Ιωάννη του Προδρόμου «εν τοις Στουδίου»Monē tou Hagiou Iōannē tou Prodromou "en tois Stoudiou"), often shortened to Stoudios, Studion, or Stoudion, (Latin: Studium), was historically the most important monastery of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), the capital of the Byzantine Empire. The residents of the monastery were referred to as Stoudites (or Studites).

Monasticism <=SEP=> Monasticism (from Greek μοναχός, monachos, derived from μόνος, monos, "alone") or monkhood is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially in the Catholic and Orthodox traditions. Similar forms of religious life also exist in other faiths, most notably in Buddhism, but also in Hinduism and Jainism, although the expressions differ considerably.

Monk <=SEP=> A monk  (from Greek: μοναχός,  monachos, "single, solitary" and Latin monachus) is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decided to dedicate his life to serving all other living beings, or to be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live his life in prayer and contemplation.

Mount Athos <=SEP=> Mount Athos (/ˈæθɒs/; Greek: Όρος Άθως, Οros Αthos [ˈoros ˈaθos]) is a mountain and peninsula in Northern Greece.

Nepsis <=SEP=> Nepsis (or nipsis; Greek: νῆψις) is an important idea in Orthodox Christian theology, considered the hallmark of sanctity.

New Skete <=SEP=> New Skete is the collective term for three Orthodox Christian monastic communities in Cambridge, New York (geographically in the neighboring town of White Creek):The Monks of New Skete, a men's monastery founded in 1966 by Laurence Mancuso, their first abbot,the Nuns of New Skete, a women's monastery founded in 1969, andthe Companions of New Skete, a community of married monastics founded in 1982.All three communities are under the omophorion of the Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church in America.

Novice <=SEP=> A novice is a person or creature who is new to a field or activity.

Novitiate <=SEP=> Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice (or prospective) monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious institute undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether she or he is called to vowed religious life.  It often includes times of intense study, prayer, living in community, studying the vowed life, deepening one's relationship with God, and deepening one's self-awareness. It is a time of creating a new way of being in the world.

October 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) <=SEP=> Oct. 27 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - Oct. 29All fixed commemorations below are observed on November 10 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.For October 28th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on October 15.

Order of Saint Benedict (Orthodox) <=SEP=> The Order of Saint Benedict is a loose affiliation of monastics of the Orthodox Church who strive to live according to the Rule of St Benedict.  While there is no actual incorporated body known as the "Order of Saint Benedict", Orthodox Benedictines enjoy good relations with each other, which frequently cross jurisdictional boundaries.

Pachomius the Great <=SEP=> Saint Pachomius (Greek: Παχώμιος, ca. 292–348), also known as Pachome and Pakhomius (/pəˈkoʊmiəs/), is generally recognized as the founder of Christian cenobitic monasticism. Coptic churches celebrate his feast day on 9 May, and Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches mark his feast on 15 May or 28 May. In the Lutheran Church, the saint is remembered as a renewer of the church, along with his contemporary (and fellow desert saint), Anthony of Egypt on January 17.

Peter of Mount Athos <=SEP=> Saint Peter of Mount Athos is reputed to have been the first hermit to settle upon the 'Holy Mountain' circa the 8th century.  Peter is known to history primarily through unattributable legend.It is recorded that Peter was once a soldier who, through the miraculous aid of St. Nicholas and St. Simeon the Righteous, was freed from a Muslim military prison.From prison St. Peter traveled to Rome to fulfill a promise to God that he would take the monastic habit.

Philokalia <=SEP=> The Philokalia (Ancient Greek: φιλοκαλία "love of the beautiful, the good", from  φιλία philia "love" and κάλλος kallos "beauty") is "a collection of texts written between the 4th and 15th centuries by spiritual masters" of the Eastern Orthodox hesychast tradition. They were originally written for the guidance and instruction of monks in "the practise of the contemplative life". The collection was compiled in the eighteenth-century by St. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain and St.

Prayer rope <=SEP=> A prayer rope (Greek: κομποσκοίνι, komboskini; Russian: чётки, chotki (most common term) or вервица, vervitsa (literal translation); Arabic: misbaha مسبحة; Romanian: metanii / metanier; Macedonian and Serbian: бројаница, broyanitsa; Bulgarian: броеница, broyenitsa) is a loop made up of complex knots, usually out of wool or silk.The prayer rope is part of the habit of Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic monks and nuns and is employed by monastics (and sometimes by others) to count the number of times one has prayed the Jesus Prayer or, occasionally, other prayers.

Raphael Morgan <=SEP=> Robert Josias "Raphael" Morgan was a Jamaican-American Orthodox priest of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, designated as the "Priest-Apostolic to America and the West Indies" (Greek: Ιεραποστολος), later the founder and superior of the Order of the Cross of Golgotha, and thought to be the first Black Orthodox cleric in America.He spoke broken Greek and, therefore, served mostly in English.

Religious vows <=SEP=> Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices, and views. In the Buddhist tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of religious vows are taken by the lay community as well as by the monastic community, as they progress along the path of practice. In the monastic tradition of all schools of Buddhism the Vinaya expounds the vows of the fully ordained Nuns and Monks.

Saint Paisios of Mount Athos <=SEP=> Saint Paisios of Mount Athos (Greek: Ὃσιος Παΐσιος ὁ Ἁγιορείτης), born Arsenios Eznepidis (1924–1994), was a well-known Eastern Orthodox ascetic from Mount Athos, who originated from Pharasa, Cappadocia.

Seraphim of Sarov <=SEP=> Saint Seraphim of Sarov (Russian: Серафим Саровский) (1 August [O.S. 19 July] 1754 (or 1759) – 14 January [O.S. 2 January] 1833), born Prokhor Moshnin (Прохор Мошнин), is one of the most renowned Russian monks and mystics in the Eastern Orthodox Church. He is generally considered the greatest of the 19th century startsy (elders).  Seraphim extended the monastic teachings of contemplation, theoria and self-denial to the layperson.

Skufia <=SEP=> A skufia (also skufiya or skoufos; Greek: σκούφια or σκούφος) is an item of clerical clothing worn by Orthodox Christian and Eastern Catholic monastics (in which case it is black) or awarded to clergy as a mark of honor (in which case it is usually red or purple).  It is a soft-sided brimless cap whose top may be pointed (Russian style) flat and pleated (Greek style), or flat with raised edges (Romanian style).

Solus Christi Brothers <=SEP=> Solus Christi Brothers is a monastic community in the state of Wisconsin. The community is part of the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America.Ukrainian Orthodox monasticism and monastic spirituality can be summarized as the process of going from Gospel to life and from life to Gospel. Monastic life is particularly important in the life of the Eastern Christian Churches insofar as, according to Church discipline, Bishops are elected exclusively from among the celibate monastic clergy.

Studite Brethren <=SEP=> Studite Brethren (MSU Latin: Monachi e Regula Studitarum, Ukrainian: Монахи Студитського Уставу, Monakhy Studytskoho Ustavu) are a religious society of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.The Studite rule was developed at the Stoudios monastery of Constantinople, from the 5th century onward, especially by Saint Theodore the Studite (760–826). The rule was brought to Kievan Rus in the 11th century by Saint Theodosius of Kiev.

Stylianos Harkianakis <=SEP=> Stylianos Harkianakis (Greek: Στυλιανός Χαρκιανάκης) is the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Australia and Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia. He serves as inaugural and permanent Chairman of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Churches in Australia and Dean of Saint Andrew's Greek Orthodox Theological College. He is a theologian, specialising in ecclesiology. He is also an award-winning poet.

Tabenna <=SEP=> Tabenna (Tabennae, Tabennisi) is considered the first cenobitic monastery.  It was a community founded by Pachomius on an island of the Nile in Upper Egypt.

The Ladder of Divine Ascent <=SEP=> The Ladder of Divine Ascent, or Ladder of Paradise (Κλίμαξ; Scala or Climax Paradisi), is an important ascetical treatise for monasticism in Eastern Christianity written by John Climacus in ca.

Theodore Balsamon <=SEP=> Theodore Balsamon (Greek: Θεόδωρος Βαλσαμῶν) was a canonist of the Eastern Orthodox Church and 12th-century Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch.Born in the second half of the 12th century at Constantinople; died there, after 1195 (Petit).

Theodore the Studite <=SEP=> Theodore the Studite (also known as Theodorus Studita, St. Theodore of Stoudios, and St. Theodore of Studium; 759–826) was a Byzantine Greek monk and abbot of the Stoudios Monastery in Constantinople. Theodore's letter, containing suggested monastery reform rules, is the first recorded stand against slavery. He played a major role in the revivals both of Byzantine monasticism and of classical literary genres in Byzantium.

Tonsure <=SEP=> Tonsure is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp, as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word tōnsūra (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice in  medieval Catholicism, abandoned by papal order in 1972. Current usage more generally refers to cutting or shaving for monks, devotees, or mystics of any religion as a symbol of their renunciation of worldly fashion and esteem.

Victor Sokolov <=SEP=> The Very Reverend Archpriest Victor Sokolov (Russian: Виктор Владимирович Соколов) (February 21, 1947 – March 12, 2006) was a Russian-American former dissident Soviet journalist and an Eastern Orthodox priest. He wrote articles critical of the Soviet government that were clandestinely distributed throughout the Soviet Union and abroad.