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Posted on July 29, 2010 in 2005 Pilgrimage to the Skete of St. Anna, Mount Athos - 0 COMMENTS
Departing the Skete
by Rev Fr Chris Flesoras
The Formal Dining Hall used by the fathers of the Skete on the Great Feast of Church and of their community is located off the main church. The iconography, as our pictures will attest, which ornates all the walls of the hall, took one year at the hands of ten monks who worked each and every day. There is a beautiful icon of Agia Anna with the Theotokos enthroned upon her lap, which would serve as a beautiful backdrop in our sanctuary, probably where the Holy Relic of our matron would be placed. The Resurrection icon was also striking, as was a most unique icon of the Archangel Michael defending the monks and the Holy Mount from the encroaching technology, depicted as a mechanical scorpion.
Back to the day…after this morning’s service in which Fr. Theophilos and I again chanted (today was a bit better for me then yesterday), we enjoyed our last cup of coffee and Greek loukomia (these were made with butter). After we brought our things down and prepared to depart, Petros surprised us with tuna and feta cheese omelets (surprisingly good [although I have yet to make one at home], with a little bread and olives. Fr. Theophilos noted that our hearty breakfast was to fill us with energy for our second walk down to the port!
Once we had concluded our meal, the dads, together with Costa and Dimitri, said their goodbyes to and received a final blessing from Father Cheroubim. Father Theophilos and I followed close behind with a most gracious mule that was loaded with our bags and goods from the Skete. I received my final blessing from Fr. Cheroubim and we would look forward to our next meeting via the Internet once I had returned to the States.
Awaiting the boat at the port were a number of other monks and pilgrims who had likewise been waiting for some time to depart the Skete. For whatever reason yesterday, I neglected to notice the huge stones that were tossed upon the dock by the stormy sea. Today, many a monk was busying himself by casting the rocks back into the sea.
Our boat arrived and…we departed! As we traveled to Daphne, I enjoyed my final conversation with Fr. Theophilos. Amongst other things we discussed his living with a saint, Fr. Anthimos, his life experiences, and his iconography. Hopefully, in the next several months I can commission Fr. Theophilos to prepare the twelve festal icons for our church (to think we could have a set of icons from the Skete of Saint Anna).
While we were chatting, all of a sudden we heard someone yelling toward the back of the boat. To our surprise, it was Jim who seemed to be the focal point of the yelling. From what Jim had gathered, when he opened his camera to take a picture, a young monk who had a small table of goods set up at the rear of the boat for sale, started yelling at him, accusing Jim of stealing his ideas for prayer ropes, crosses etc. This upset Fr. Theophilos who insisted upon learning from Jim which monk behaved in such a fashion. Once Jim finally identified the monk, Fr. Theophilos wasted no time correctly the monk, but also pointing out, with a chuckle, that this monk was but a novice, a new comer to the Holy Mountain, who evidently still had a great deal to learn about humility, how to interact with others, his trade, etc.
As our boat docked in Daphne, we said our goodbyes to Fr. Theophilos, thanking him for his hospitality and asking him to keep us in his prayers. Our next stop would be the Customs Office, a mandatory stop for all pilgrims who are departing the Holy Mount. Basically, one must present their passport and identify what items that he is carrying from Athos. Of course, the Customs officers can and did go through the belongings of any of the pilgrims to insure that the visitors are not removing any of the treasures of the Holy Mountain (I would imagine a holy relic of Saint Anna might fall into this category). Although we were instructed not to declare the Holy Relic that had been gifted to us so as to avoid any and all unnecessary discussion and the attention that would be brought to us, we did have a letter from the Skete that assured Customs that the Relic had been gifted to the Church of Saint Anna in Roseville, California. Thankfully, we processed through Customs and were given permission to board our final boat that would carry us back to Ouranopolis.
As we disembarked our craft in Ouranopolis, our pilgrimage to Mount Athos had come to a close. Yes, we still had to travel to Thessaloniki and Athens before departing for home, but our primary task of receiving the Holy Relic from the Skete was completed. Our discussions would now shift from what we would experience visiting Mount Athos, to what we would forever treasure from this experience thanks to a chance meeting, a few emails, the generosity of an Athonite father, the enthusiasm of my father and father-in-law, and…the blessings of Saint Anna. Now, off to the town of Agios Pavlos for the best souvlaki this side of Thessaloniki!
