Bluffton AB The Monastery of the Holy Protection 1935

Bluffton, Alberta, the Monastery and Cemetery of the Holy Protection, 1935

Skorodumov may be spelt Skorodumoff.

Introduction

The Monastery of the Holy Protection is the longest continuously functioning Orthodox Christian monastery in Canada. It was established near the hamlet of Bluffton, Alberta, Canada, in the County of Ponoka. It is situated about 106 km (66 mi) southwest of Edmonton, and about 75 km (47 mi) northwest of Red Deer.

This historic monastic skete (a skete is a small monastic community) and cemetery has served as a religious centre of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) in Western Canada for many decades. For several decades, it and the Holy Ascension Monastery in Sifton, Manitoba, were the only substantial monastic communities on the prairies.

Founding the monastery and cemetery ; Vladyka Joasaph (Skorodumov), 1935

The monastery was originally founded as a small men's community in 1935 by Archbishop Ioasaph (Skorodumoff), of blessed memory.

Archbishop Joasaph (Skorodumov)

However, the preparation for the official founding had begun earlier. He had made some adjustments to the original Temple and property soon after having moved to the west from Montréal, Québec.

Construction, 1932

The monastery Temple, which was completed in about 1930 or 1932, was built with logs from the monastery property (acquired between 1928 and 1930). These dates are previous to the arrival of Vladyka Joasaph (Skorodumov). Although he is correctly considered to be the founder of the present monastery, the earlier dates suggest strongly that Archbishop Arseny (Chahovtsov) had previously prepared the way. As the ruling bishop of Canada of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of North America, (the "Metropolia"), during his well-known frequent pastoral travels in Western Canada, he organised several monastic communities, and he encouraged the development of such monastic communities.

The Temple of the monastery was dedicated to the Protection of the Mother of God (Theotokos).

In addition to the presence of the monks, the monastic Temple also served the spiritual needs of Orthodox immigrant settlers who lived on farms in the area. Before long, the influence of the monastic life in Christ extended both to Edmonton and Calgary, and to other places as well.

Old photo of the monastery

Over the years, its function changed. The monastery was at first a male monastic community. This service ended in about 1949. There was a change in the brotherhood from 1950 to 1953.

Change to a women's community, 1953

At that time (1953), the monastery was given by the monks to the nuns who were arriving from Shanghai, China, after the Communist Revolution of 1949. The monastery now became a skete which was dependent upon the Women's Monastery of the Vladimir Icon of the Theotokos in San Francisco, California. Thus, it became a community for women (it has remained so up until the present). The first nuns to arrive were 7 women all over the age of 50. However, 2 novices (Valentina and Ioanna) arrived in the first year. In 1965, other novices arrived (Aliipia, Sinklitia, Augusta).

While the community was dependent upon the Vladimir Icon of the Theotokos Monastery in San Francisco, it received some financial assistance from there.

Besides the services provided by Archimandrite Seraphim (Filimonoff) towards the end of his days, the Hieromonks Makariy (Kochuvinskiy) and Leonid (Hess) served as spiritual fathers for the skete.

During the last years of his life, after 1960, Father Seraphim often made the long drive from his home near Wildwood to Bluffton in order to serve the Divine Liturgy for the nuns who were lacking a regular priest. The distance is about 120 km (75 mi) ; but in those days, the secondary highways were often gravelled roads, and lower speeds were required. He fell asleep in the Lord in 1988.

Archimandrite Seraphim

The community was for some reason abandoned in 1990.

Renewal of the community, 1993

Then, in 1993, the Abbess Amvrosia (Martens) and her biological mother, the Nun Theodora (Martens) were asked by Metropolitan Vitaly (Ustinov) to move to the monastery and to restore it. They had both previously received their monastic formation in Australia. Mother Amvrosia had previously been a former concert pianist and music instructor. They undertook the move willingly and obediently. In due course, Mother Theodora fell asleep in the Lord.

New monastic quarters after 1993

The monastery is situated by a small lake in a forested region of central Alberta. The monastery property consists of about 32.5 hectares (80 acres) of isolated forest-land, covered with pines and birches. Now, the main building is a single-storey house with annexes that contain the monastic cells. Immediately behind the skete is the Temple of the Holy Protection. A short distance away is the cemetery with its own chapel and bell-house.

Change of jurisdiction, 2009

Before 2009, certain events in the Orthodox Christian Church in other parts of the world produced some uncertainty amongst the sisters of this community. One of these events was the renewal of the Moscow Patriarchate after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Another was the combination of the negotiations towards reconciliation, and the signing of the Act of Reconciliation in Moscow on 17 May, 2007, by Metropolitan Laurus (Skurla) of the ROCOR and Patriarch Aleksey II (Ridiger) of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Move to the Greek Old Calendarists, 2009

The members of the sisterhood decided that they would feel more comfortable elsewhere than in the ROCOR Diocese of Montréal and Canada. Thus, they appealed to, and they were received by the "Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece", a moderate Old-calendarist entity, as represented in its semi-autonomous metropolis (diocese) of the "Genuine Greek Orthodox Church of America", which has its centre in New York City, New York. The Monastery of the Protection in Bluffton is a part of the Diocese of Etna and Portland within this metropolis. The diocesan headquarters and the Saint Photios Theological Seminary are located at the Saint Gregory Palamas Monastery near Etna, California, and the diocesan Cathedral of the Holy Nativity of the Theotokos is in Portland, Oregon. The bishop is Bishop Auxentius (Chapman).

Tonsures, 2009

Visit of Bishop Auxentios, 2009

On Sunday, 31 May, 2009, during the festal period of the Ascension of Christ, and during an archpastoral visit to the Monastery of the Protection, Bishop Auxentios (Chapman) of Photike tonsured one of the sisterhood’s novices to the rank of Rasophor-nun and 4 of the nuns to the Great and Angelic Schema.

Bishop Auxentios (Chapman), serving as a priest, celebrated the Divine Liturgy with the aid of the monastery’s serving-priest, the Protopresbyter Gabriel Lee (who helped him in the Altar). Archbishop Chrysostomos (Kabourides) was in prayerful attendance in the Altar, as well.

At one of the Canonical Hours before the Divine Liturgy, the novice Martha was tonsured to be a Rasophor-nun, with the name “Vasilissa”. During the Divine Liturgy, the nuns Varsanofia, Nektaria, Paisia, and Alexandra were each tonsured to the Great Schema. They all retained their former monastic names, except for the Nun Alexandra, who was given the name “Rafaela”.

Bishop Auxentios and the tonsured nuns

The sisterhood

Visit of Archbishop Chrysostomos, 2009

From the "Apodosis" (Leave-taking) of Pascha through the Friday after the Feast of the Ascension, Archbishop Chrysostomos of Etna, Bishop Auxentios of Photiki, and Archimandrite Akakios (Abbot of the Saint Gregory Palamas Monastery) were guests of the Protection of the Holy Virgin Mary Monastery in Bluffton. They were accompanied on their visit to the convent by Mother Elizabeth, the Abbess of the Women's Monastery of Saint Elizabeth the Grand Duchess, in Etna, California, and also by the Nun Kypriane.

A full cycle of services and the Divine Liturgy were celebrated daily by Father Akakios during the visit ; and on the Feast of the Ascension, the visiting bishops celebrated a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy. The able monastic choir sang the responses in Slavonic, English, and Greek, which lent a pan-Orthodox flavour to the feast-day.

Assignment of Protosinghel Dionisije, 2011

In 2011, at the beginning of Great Lent, the Protosindjel (Protosinghel) Dionisije (Dimitrijević), the son of the Archpriest Andreja Dimitrijević] of the exarchate's Serbian parish of the Holy Archangel Michael in Toronto, Ontario, was assigned by Bishop Auxentios to serve the sisterhood of 8 nuns at the Protection of the Holy Virgin Mary Monastery. A monk for 7 years of the Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Monastery in Jordanville, New York, Father Dionisije is a graduate of the Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Seminary. He also studied at Saint Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary.

Visit of Archbishop Chrysostomos, 2011

From 12 to 14 June, 2011 (Old Style) Archbishop Chrysostomos (Kabourides) of Etna and Bishop Auxentios of Photike visited the Women's Monastery of the Holy Protection of the Mother of God. Bishop Auxentios celebrated the Divine Liturgy on the Sunday of the Holy Fathers of Mount Athos together with Protosindjel Dionisije (Dimitrijević), the serving Priest for the sisterhood. Archbishop Chrysostomos was in prayerful attendance in the Altar. Bishop Auxentios served the Divine Liturgy again on the following Tuesday.

On 1 October, 2012 (Old Style), the 8 nuns of the Monastery of the Protection of the Mother of God celebrated their annual Altar Feast-day. They were joined by some 60 pilgrims as 3 priests concelebrated the Divine Liturgy : Protosindjel (Protosinghel) Dionisije, who is the serving priest at the monastery ; the Priest Yakov Ferens, who served the exarchate parish (Saint Seraphim of Sarov and Saint John of Kronstadt) in San Diego, California ; and the Archpriest Andrew Kencis, from the parish of Saint Vladimir's Russian Orthodox Church Abroad in Edmonton, Alberta.

The community was passing through a period of difficulty because of a costly legal dispute over the ownership of its property. The dispute was with the ROCOR Diocese of Montreal and Canada to which it had always belonged, but from which it had precipitously departed. In addition to this, Schema-Abbess Ambrosia (Martens) was seriously injured in an automobile accident earlier in the year. Although she slowly recovered from her injuries, she suffered greatly from pain and she was for a time conﬁned to bed for the greater part of the day.

Accompanied by Archbishop Chrysostomos, Bishop Auxentios made a pastoral visit to the Women's Monastery of the Holy Protection of the Mother of God, from 18 to 20 August, 2013 (Old Style). They made the journey there by land.

Visit of Bishop Auxentios, 2011

On Sunday, 19 August (Old Style), Bishop Auxentios and Father Dionisije (with Archbishop Chrysostomos in prayerful attendance) celebrated the Divine Liturgy, which was sung beautifully in the Slavonic and English languages by the nuns. A small group of visitors was present, since the community receives regular pilgrims throughout the short summer months, when the roads are more easily accessible.

During their visit, the 2 hierarchs heard confessions, and they spoke at length with the nuns about spiritual life in general ; about the importance of obedience to their spiritual Mother ; about the urgency of maintaining Holy Tradition in its fulness in North America ; about the high calling of monastic life ; about the danger of placing ethnic concerns and fantasies or anything else before the life in Christ ; about the dangers of the misuse of the Internet.

Altar Feast-day of the Monastery, 2012

On 1/14 October, 2012 (Old Style), the 8 of the Monastery of the Protection of the Mother of God (belonging now to the American Exarchate of the Holy Synod of Bishops in Resistance), celebrated its annual Altar-feast Day with special splendour. It was joined by some 60 pilgrims. Besides Father Andrew Kencis of Saint Vladimir's Church in Edmonton, 2 other priests served the Divine Liturgy together : Protosinghel Dionisije (serving priest at the monastery), and Father Yakov Ferens (of the Exarchate parish in San Diego, California),

The monastery had recently confronted great trials and difﬁculties. It was involved in a costly legal dispute over the ownership of its property, after decades of struggle in rebuilding the monastery. As well, its Abbess and spiritual guide, the indefatigable and beloved Schema-nun Mother Ambrosia, was seriously injured in an automobile accident earlier in the year. Although slowly recovering from her injuries, she suffered serious pain, and she was conﬁned to bed for the greater part of the day. The Feast, and the many visitors, were thus of special signiﬁcance to the community.

Blessing the monastery (left) ; Group photo of nuns, pilgrims, clergy (right)

Altar Feast-day of the Monastery, 2013

On 1/14 October, 2013 (Old Style), the Monastery of the Holy Protection of the Mother of God celebrated its annual Feast-day. With the blessing of its honourable Abbess, Mother Ambrosia (Martens), the sisterhood of 8 nuns and 2 novices was joined by the Archpriest Wsewolod Dutikow and his wife, Matushka Irene, from the Russian Orthodox Church in Exile, under Metropolitan Agafangel (Pashkovsky). Father Wsewolod presided at the festal services, and he was assisted by the monastery’s serving priest, Archpriest Protosinghel Dionisije. Pilgrims from surrounding communities attended the festivities, and they enjoyed the hospitality of the sisterhood during the several days of services and fellowship. On the Feast-day itself, the numerous visitors and pilgrims were treated to a festal meal by the sisterhood in the monastery’s refectory.

Group photo of nuns, pilgrims, clergy

Archpastoral visit, August, 2013

For three days, from August 18 through August 20, 2013 (Old Style), Bishop Auxentios made an archpastoral visit to the monastery. He was accompanied by Archbishop Chrysostomos.

The 8 nuns and 1 novice are guided in their ascetical spiritual life by their abbess, Schema-nun Ambrosia. The women's monastery is served by the Protosinghel Dionisije (Dimitrijević), who lives in the priest’s residence on the convent grounds (which are comprised of 80 acres of isolated forest land, covered with pines and birches). He serves the Divine Liturgy 3 times a week, and also on weekends and feast-days.

The abbess, Mother Ambrosia, is a person who had earlier benefitted from the counsels of such spiritual luminaries of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia as Bishop Nectary of Seattle, and Bishop Savva of Edmonton (who is buried at the Bluffton cemetery).

On Sunday, 19 August (Old Style), the Feast of the Martyr Andrew Stratelatěs and those with him, Bishop Auxentios and Father Dionisije, with Archbishop Chrysostomos in prayerful attendance, celebrated the Divine Liturgy, sung in Slavonic (the monastery follows the Jerusalem Typikon) and in English by the nuns, who sang in a beautiful and contrite style. A small group of visitors was present, since the convent receives regular pilgrims throughout the summer months. All present participated in the Agapě meal following the Divine Liturgy.

Bishops, nuns, pilgrims present at the visit

Archpastoral visit, tonsure of a nun, 2017

On the morning of 19 July (Old-Style), on the Feast-day of the Uncovering of the Holy Relics of Saint Seraphim of Sarov, Bishop Auxentios of Etna and Portland tonsured Novice Mary to be a Rasophor-nun. She was given the name “Seraphima”. Present at the tonsure was the priest who serves the monastery, Hieromonk Dionisije.

Mother Seraphima, Mother Ambrosia, Bishop Auxentios

The 8 nuns and a novice, ranging in age from a sister in her late teens to the 92-year-old Schema-nun Varsanofia (Fuhr), were guided in their truly ascetic spiritual life by their abbess, the Schema-abbess Ambrosia (Martens). The community is served by the Protosindjel Dionisije (Dimitrijević), who lives in the priest’s residence on the monastic territory. He serves the Divine Liturgy 3 times a week, as well as on weekends and feast-days. Mother Ambrosia is considered to be a gifted monastic guide.

Before her tonsure and her subsequent arrival at this monastery, Mother Ambrosia had been educated in music, and she had served as a choir director (as a layperson) at one of the Russian Orthodox parishes in Seattle, Washington. She, and her mother, also a tonsured nun, formed the nucleus of the revival of the monastery as a monastery of women.

Monastery cemetery

The monastery's territory has included a cemetery from the beginning. This cemetery includes the graves of Bishop Sava (Saračević) and of Archimandrite Seraphim (Filimonoff), besides those of the monks, nuns, and other faithful people.

Memorial of Bishop Sava

The cemetery in winter

Monastery particular information

The nuns provide for their own needs through farming, sewing, knitting, and the production of liturgical vestments. In an official statement, they affirm that they conduct daily church services for the Sisterhood and for visitors, and other special services as requested ; they maintain a cemetery for the burial of members of Orthodox Christian parishes ; they host visitors who come for services or for informal retreats ; they provide free family and spiritual counselling for those who request it ; they accept children, for visits of a week or so, in order to provide them with some counselling and a change of environment ; they maintain a hobby-farm for cheese and eggs, which they share with those who help the monastic community ; they provide visitors with tours of the monastery and the "hobby-farm" ; they maintain a bookstore ; they make candles. These latter provide the visitors with much-needed reading materials and devotional supplies.

The languages used in worship are English and Church Slavonic.

Throughout its history, the monastery has been a part of the Diocese of Montréal and Canada of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR). However, after the reconciliation between the ROCOR and the Moscow Patriarchate in 2007, the monastery left the ROCOR for the American Exarchate of the Holy Metropolis of Oropos and Phylē of the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece. In North America, it belongs to the semi-autonomous metropolis, "The Genuine Greek Orthodox Christians of America". The abbess is the Great-schema Abbess Amvrosia. The bishop is Metropolitan Demetrius (Kiriacou).

The monastery follows the Old (Julian) Calendar.

The monastery's Altar Feast-day is the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God, 1/14 October.

In 2024, the abbess is the Schema-nun Ambrosia (Martens), a spiritual daughter of the late Bishop Sava (Saračević) of Edmonton.

Address :

Monastery of the Holy Protection

RR #2

Bluffton, Alberta

T0C 0M0

Telephone : 403-843-6401

Directions :

From the north on Highway #2 :

From Edmonton, drive southwards on Highway #2 (Queen Elizabeth Highway). After having passed Wetaskiwin, take the exit for Highway #53 towards Ponoka/Rimbey. Turn right (west) onto Highway #53, and drive westwards until Highway #20. Turn right (north) onto Highway #20. Continue northwards until Range Road #30. Turn right (north) onto Range Road #30, and drive into Bluffton. Turn to the left at Main Street. Turn left on 3rd Avenue in Bluffton.

From the south on Highway #2 :

From Calgary, drive northwards on Highway #2 (Queen Elizabeth Highway). After having passed Red Deer and Lacombe, take the exit for Highway #53 towards Ponoka/Rimbey. Turn left (west) onto Highway #53, and drive westwards until Highway #20. Turn right (north) onto Highway #20. Continue northwards until Range Road #30. Turn right (north) onto Range Road #30, and drive into Bluffton. Turn to the left at Main Street. Turn left on 3rd Avenue in Bluffton.

Schema-Abbess Amvrosia (Martens)

RR #2

Bluffton, Alberta

T0C 0M0

Telephone : 403-843-6401

Entrance to the Monastery

Approach to the monastic buildings

References

Archdiocese of Canada — Orthodox Church in America, “The Orthodox Church in Canada : A Chronology” (Ottawa : Archdiocese of Canada, 1988).

Hopko, Thomas, ‘Monasticism’ in “The Orthodox Faith”, vol. 2.

Prokurat, Michael ; Golitzin, Alexander & Petersen, Michael, eds., 'Monasteries' in “The A to Z of the Orthodox Church” (Lanham, MD : Scarecrow Press, 2010), pp. 223-224. ISBN : 978-0-8108-7602-6.

...... 'Monasticism' in “The A to Z of the Orthodox Church” (Lanham, MD : Scarecrow Press, 2010), pp. 225-227. ISBN : 978-0-8108-7602-6.

Russian Mission in North America

Seide, Georg, “Monasteries and Convents of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad”, English translation by Theophilos Lasswell (Munich : Monastery of Saint Job of Pochaev, 1990). ISBN 3-926165-13-8

Additional information :

The Church of the GOC of America listing for the Monastery of the Holy Virgin Mary, Bluffton, Alberta

The Church of the GOC of America parish directory for the Metropolis of America

The Church of the GOC of America clergy directory for the Metropolis of America

Orthodox World listing for the Holy Virgin Protection Orthodox Convent, Bluffton, Alberta

The Church of the GOC of America web-site

Orthodoxwiki article about the Genuine Greek Orthodox Church of America

Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece web-site

Orthodoxwiki article about the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece

Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece (in Greek)

Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) web-site

Orthodoxwiki article about the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR)