St. Nilus Island Skete
Living in solitude, ST. NILUS OF SORA |
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It is my conviction
that if it is by God’s will
that we are gathered together,
then we should be faithful to the traditions
of the saints
and the Holy Fathers and to our Lord’s
commandments, instead of seeking to exempt
ourselves
by saying that nowadays it is impossible
to live
according to the Scriptures and the precepts
of the Fathers.
We are weak indeed, but we must
nonetheless follow,
according to the measure of our
strength,
the example of the blessed and
memorable Fathers,
even though we are unable to
become their equals.
ST. NILUS OF SORA
Nestled between Kodiak Island and St. Herman’s Spruce Island, amidst cold Alaskan waters, lies an emerald islet, forested by towering spruce trees, buffeted by powerful winds. A myriad of birds—eagles, swallows, warblers, seagulls—find refuge here, and colorful tufted puffins nest each summer in its craggy black cliffs. A large Orthodox cross stands above the main shore as one approaches the island by boat. Behind the trees is a wooden church modeled after the fifteenth-century Russian church of St. Nilus of Sora. On this tiny island live women who have dedicated their lives to God and seek to have a living communion with Him apart from distractions. Nearby is Monk’s Lagoon on Spruce Island where St. Herman of Alaska lived at the beginning of the nineteenth century. This beloved saint brought Holy Orthodox Christianity and monasticism to America in 1794 from Valaam Monastery in Northern Russia. Surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation and often cut off completely from the world by violent winter storms, conditions here are ideal for solitude. One is able to free oneself from the distractions of modern life and to cast the heart’s gaze inward, striving to seek God alone and to love Him above all.
The Monastic Way of Life
With St. Nilus as guide and patron, the nuns seek to emulate the monastic ideals of poverty, asceticism and interior prayer. Known for his extreme simplicity and voluntary poverty, St. Nilus emphasized the inner life of the monastic—the inward self-trial and practice of the Jesus Prayer. St. Nilus’ rule of life consists of two to twelve monastics living in cells clustered around the church—the skete form of monastic life. Called the royal path, it avoids both the trials of the large coenobitic monastery and the dangers inherent in the solitary life of the hermit. Each nun engages in her own intense inner warfare. The most necessary weapon is the unceasing repetition of the Jesus Prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” She is striving, through prayer and spiritual reading, to imprint upon her soul an image of paradisal beauty and attain purity of heart. Monastic common life is based on the Lord’s commandments and the monastic principles of obedience, humility, love, and the cutting off of one’s own will, striving always to respond with “forgive me” and “bless.”
Rhythm of Life on St. Nilus Island
Life at St. Nilus Skete is ordered around
the church services, the feasts and fasts,
and a life of prayer. The sisters arise in the
middle of the night for their solitatry prayer vigil and
then gather in church for Matins, with the Divine Liturgy celebrated every other day. Mornings
are usually occupied with quiet activity, such
as handwork. According to ancient monastic
practice, the nuns strive to support
themselves by the labor of their own
hands—primarily through making prayer
ropes. At noon, the main meal is served,
followed by common obediences. After the
service of Ninth Hour, Vespers and
Compline, the nuns silently retire to their
cells for spiritual reading, prayer and rest.
A rhythm of life has emerged in
accordance with the seasons of the year, as well as with the physical demands of living in a remote wilderness.
During Great Lent, the sisters devote
themselves to prayer and fasting with few
distractions. The welcome return of many
forest songbirds heralds spring. Garden
preparations begin, and in May carefully
tended seedlings are transplanted. At the end
of spring red salmon begin returning to their
spawning grounds, and the fishing net is set.
All are busy cleaning, filleting, smoking and
canning the yearly supply of fish.
The sisters pick salmonberries, blueberries
and currants in the summer months and
gather edible wild mushrooms for drying. In
late summer, the big silver salmon return and
the attention is once again on fishing. This is also the time to be sure that the wood shed is full of a winter supply of wood.
Pilgrims come throughout the warmer
months—when the seas are calmer and
daylight hours are longer—to venerate St.
Herman, praying at his grave and drinking
from his holy spring on Spruce Island.
Hospitality is offered by the sisters, and St.
Sergius guesthouse, a large one-room cabin, is
available for women pilgrims desiring to stay
longer and who are undaunted by the rustic conditions.
Travel by sea becomes more difficult as
early as September due to stormy weather.
The focus turns inward as outdoor activity
becomes more limited. Winter brings the
opportunity for quiet, indoor obediences and
treasured time for prayer, study and
contemplation.
We welcome all visitors and ask that you please read our Pilgrims' Guide.
St. Nilus Skete is under the jurisdiction of His
Grace Bishop Maxim of the Western American
Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
St. Nilus Skete
P.O. Box 18, Ouzinkie, AK 99644
