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Dear Parish Faithful,
Last weekend Rhett and Jenny Harkins picked up their son, Theo, from Antiochian Village. They then spent the weekend at the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Ellwood City, PA. They were able to meet Mother Paula (our former parishioner, Vicki Bellas) and spend some time with her. I asked Jenny if she would prepare an account of their meeting for the parish, and she has graciously agreed, and now presents this fine description of the monastery, Mother Paula, and the other mothers and sisters. I am sure that you will enjoy her account of their visit.
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This past weekend Rhett, Theo and I had the opportunity to make a short pilgrimage to the Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. We were looking forward to meeting Mother Paula, a former parishioner of our church, whom we had heard so much about! Formally known by many at CTSHS as Vicki Bellas, she served in this church family for a decade or so leading up to the realization of her monastic calling in 2010. She was instrumental in facilitating our parish’s involvement with the Hogar Orphanage in Guatemala City for many years. I understand several parishioners were able to attend her tonsure ceremony on December 13th, 2010 at the monastery under Hieromonk Alexander, con-celebrated by Fr. Hopko and our Fr. Steven. Since then, she has been living out her monastic calling at OMT with her fellow nuns under the guidance of Abbess Mother Christophora.
This past Friday, we drove out to pick Theo up from Antiochian Village Summer Camp and headed two hours northwest for our first pilgrimage to the monastery. The grounds were beautiful and quiet as we pulled up to the main church building. Mother Paula greeted us cheerfully and inquired about our travels, camp, how everyone at church is doing… we immediately felt like family catching-up. She gave us a quick “mini-tour” of the main building including the lovely church, brimming library, new chapel, hospitality room, refectory and nuns’ quarters. Engaging and efficient, she shared a brief history of the older and newer parts of the church and explained components of the reliquary and phases of the iconography to us. Having become familiar with the lay of the land, she led us to the newly-built guest house with abundant baskets full of dinner, assuring us (in Greek “yaya” fashion) that it looks like a lot more than it actually is.
The guesthouse was brand new and spacious, each room with its own accompanying bathroom, a large and cozy living room containing shelves of books to explore and a bright kitchen with all the amenities. Many guests can and do share this space. However, we were the only pilgrims this particular weekend. Mother Paula settled us in, showed us the schedule of services we could attend, and made sure we knew all of the grounds and church would be open for us. She shared how the monastery embraces a dual calling of contemplation and hospitality and their evolution over the years in balancing the two. It seemed to me the spiritual embodiment of Mary and Martha together, serving the Lord. I fell asleep that night enveloped in an armchair with a hopelessly ambitious stack of books joyfully plucked from the shelves, sprawling on my lap; pages of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, Metropolitan Anthony Bloom and Fr. George Florovsky patiently awaiting my next attempt at vigil asceticism. (Spoiler alert- they’re still waiting ;-)
Over the next couple days we were able to attend Vespers and Matins services, an akathist to St. John Maximovitch and Divine Liturgy. The graceful reverence of the nuns was inspiring to us in our own worship. I watched as Mother Paula and the sisters sang the same prayers they must have sung thousands of times with solemn conviction and attention, adoration for the Lord and regard for each other apparent in their posture. Throughout the weekend, each sister made a point to welcome us, introducing themselves with warm smiles, even a few hugs and genuine interest. Twice, Mother Magdalena asked Theo if he wanted to assist her in ringing the large church bells, and with a big grin, he tried to keep in time with her experienced rhythm. During the midday meal on Saturday, our family was eating at a small table next to the larger table for the nuns and Mother Paula asked us to share a little about ourselves and what we do in Cincinnati. Her kind inclusiveness initiated a delightful and dynamic conversation between all of the sisters and our family. We learned a little more about each of them and felt known and loved.
I was surprised at how hard it was to say goodbye after Divine Liturgy on Sunday. We were sorry to have missed meeting Abbess Mother Christophora as she was traveling to celebrate the 100th birthday of a (still serving!) priest in New Jersey. We did feel like we had a glimpse of her though, through the genuine love and thorough hospitality of her spiritual daughters. As beautiful as the monastery was with its rich history, captivating iconography and peaceful countryside, it is Mother Paula and her fellow nuns who struck a chord that resonated in worship for me throughout the weekend. Their vibrant example of the “crucified life” as it ebbed and flowed in worship from offices of prayer and liturgy, daily teamwork, intentional hospitality, silence and personal prayer… served as a catalyst of encouragement for my own spirit. These sisters in Christ who have truly chosen to surrender all as a love offering to The Beloved, humbled me with their disarming affection and patience. I’m so thankful to have finally met Mother Paula and look forward to someday worshipping alongside the sisters of The Holy Transfiguration Monastery again!
