In 1995 six monks arrived in the southern Arizona desert to
establish St. Anthony’s Monastery.
What they built... is so beautiful... peaceful... hard to describe. Personally, I think they had some big bucks
to get this started, as all the plants are well established older plants that
just don't grown in the desert.
Regardless, it's is a work of love and quiet dedication.
The next two paragraphs I got from their website...
The monastery is dedicated to St. Anthony the Great, the father
of monasticism, the renowned 3rd century anchorite. There are chapels dedicated
to Saints Seraphim of Sarov, Demetrios of Thessalonica, John the Baptist,
George the Great Martyr, Nicholas the Wonderworker, and Panteleimon the Healer.
The main church is dedicated to Saints Anthony and Nectarios the Wonderworker.
The
monastery follows the coenobitic rule of monastic life: abrotherhood of monks and novices
holding all things in common follow a daily schedule of prayer and work under
obedience to the abbot, their spiritual father. The monks’ daily program begins at midnight with
personal prayer time and spiritual reading, followed by the cycle of morning
prayers and the Divine Liturgy. After a light breakfast and a rest period, the
monks begin their work day, attending to prayer and their tasks till evening.
Tasks include, among others, construction, grounds keeping, vinedressing,
gardening, woodworking, publishing, food preparation, and offering hospitality.
The day ends with evening Vespers followed by dinner and Compline.
Being able to see all this... with me wrapped up like a mummy as
women are required to do... was a real treat...
