Monastery of St. John of Shanghai & San Francisco (Manton, California)

St. John of Shanghai Monastery is a monastic community for men in the Diocese of the West of the Orthodox Church in America, under Bishop Tikhon of San Francisco, Los Angeles and the West. Until June 2006, it was located in Point Reyes Station, California, and is named after St. John Maximovitch of Shanghai and San Francisco.

After the departure of the sisterhood of Our Lady of Kazan Skete from St. Eugene's Hermitage to their present location, Bishop Tikhon blessed the formation of a male monastic community in October 1996 with Abbot Jonah and one novice. They have continued to live in the hermitage since, although plans to move have been presented and funds asked for to this end.

The community consists of men living the monastic tradition of a Christ-centered prayer life for the monastic members. The community conducts retreats, lectures, maintains a small online store and publishes a journal entitled Divine Ascent. Currently the Monastery has one priestmonk, Abbot Jonah, as well as three stavrophore (small schema) monks, one riasaphore monk and four novices and one postulant.

In May 2006, the brotherhood was able to begin proceedings to purchase a property in Manton, California, that was perfectly suited to the brotherhood's needs and also allowing growth [1]; this was completed at the end of June, 2006.

History

In 1951, a property was donated to the Metropolia, and was called St. Eugene's Hermitage. Hmk Dimitry began to live on the property, living a monastic life and attempting to build a monastic community. This was unsuccessful, and in 1968 Hmk 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, 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.

In 1996, the Community of the Holy Cross moved to Santa Rosa and were renamed as the Skete of Our Lady of Kazan. In October of that year, the Monastery of St. John, led by Fr. Jonah, was established at St. Eugene's Hermitage, with two members of the brotherhood.

This brotherhood, like the sisterhood before it, also took hold and grew. In July 2004, Bishop Benjamin of Berkeley tonsures three members of the community to the small schema and one to the riasaphore. At this point, there are nine members of the community.

The brotherhood continued to slowly and steadily grow. By the middle of 2005, there were 12 members of the community, and the brotherhood decided that remaining at a hermitage - with an expected capacity of four - with a brotherhood of twelve was untenable, and began to look for a suitable property, hopefully in the Washington area.

However in May, 2006, the brotherhood entered into proceedings to purchase land in Manton, California; on June 26, the purchase was completed, and the brotherhood planned to move in by the end of July. The first Divine Liturgy on the site of the new property was celebrated on July 2, on the feastday of St. John Maximovitch. As the monks moved to Manton, the brotherhood decided that St. Eugene's Hermitage would remain as a skete of the monastery, with Frs Jonah and Silouan based there - the former to be more accessible, the latter in view of medical treatment.

St. John of Shanghai Monastery
Jurisdiction	OCA West
Type	Male Monastery
Founded	1996
Superior	Abbot Jonah
Approx. size	10 monks
Location	Point Reyes Station, California
Liturgical language(s)	English
Music used	Russian Chant; Valaam-style Znamenny
Calendar	Julian
Feastdays celebrated	19 June/2 July
Official website	Official website

Daily Life

Weekdays

• 6am - Matins.

On Tuesday and Thursday, a Divine Liturgy follows.

• 5pm - Molieben to St. John, Vespers.

Dinner

Compline

Weekends

• 8am - Matins and Divine Liturgy
• Saturday 5pm - Molieben and Vespers.
• Sunday 5pm - Vespers.

Lenten Schedule

• Monday: 7:30am - Morning Prayers

5:00pm: Vespers

• Tuesday: 6:00am - Matins and First Hour

Noon - Third Hour, Sixth Hour, Readings from The Ladder

5:00pm - Molieben and Vespers

After supper - Compline

• Wednesday: 6:00am - Matins and First Hour

Noon - Third Hour, Sixth Hour, Readings from The Ladder

5:00pm - Molieben and Vespers, followed by Presanctified Liturgy.

After supper - Compline

• Thursday: 6:00am - Matins and First Hour

Noon - Third Hour, Sixth Hour, Readings from The Ladder

5:00pm - Molieben and Vespers

After supper - Choir Practise

• Friday: 6:00am - Matins and First Hour

Noon - Third Hour, Sixth Hour, Readings from The Ladder

5:00pm - Molieben and Vespers, followed by Presanctified Liturgy.

After supper - Compline

• Saturday: 8:00am - Matins, First Hour and Divine Liturgy

5:00pm - Molieben and Great Vespers

After supper - Compline

• Sunday: 8:00am - Matins and Divine Liturgy of St Basil the Great.

5:00pm - Vespers

External links

• Website of Monastery
• Divine Ascent Press
• Listing of Monastery on OCA website (including a history)