Monastery Blog

Monastery Feast & Ordination

On Thursday the 15th and Friday the 16th of October, the feast of the Holy Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite, the Brotherhood of St. Dionysios in St. James, NY, began the celebration of their third annual patronal feast day. The festivities commenced at the start of All-Night Vigil on Thursday evening, with the arrival of Mother … More »

Archimandrite John Reposes in the Lord

On Friday, July 31, while the Brotherhood chanted Matins in the Monastery chapel, our ever-memorable brother, our beloved Father John, reposed in the Lord after a battle with cancer. He was 68 years old. The future Archimandrite John was born Carl Theodor Erickson on January 5, 1952 in Brooklyn, NY to the family of Carl … More »

Church Building Project

The Monastery of Saint Dionysios the Areopagite in Saint James, New York is asking both for your prayers and financial help over the next six months in order to build a church dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. An anonymous donor has generously offered to match all donations we receive for the building … More »

Fire and Water

Sermon delivered January 19, 2020 by Archimandrite Maximos We have today in the Gospel, quite a vision. The Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man, comes to the River Jordan. The River Jordan is only impressive in theology; in reality it’s a small muddy river, in a then-obscure province of the Roman Empire. And John the Baptist … More »

Nativity of Christ Icon

Mirrors of Love

Sermon delivered January 7, 2020 by Archimandrite Maximos In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Christ is born! Glorify Him! When preparing for sermons, you look at the writing of the Holy Fathers and they always begin a sermon on a Great Feast with a protestation of how … More »

Make Ready

Sermon delivered December 29, 2019 by Archimandrite Maximos The king has called us to a great feast. He called out, he prepared a beautiful, overwhelming feast; imagine that scene: The finest banquet hall, decorated in the most beautiful possible way; every good and tasty thing, plates of gold, cups encrusted with jewels; this amazing, perfect … More »

Shepherding Our Thoughts

Sermon delivered December 22, 2019 by Archimandrite Maximos Joachim and Anna were old. They were married for fifty years. Joachim was a shepherd, a successful shepherd by all accounts; Anna was his loving, dutiful wife. She was dedicated to prayer, and work. Joachim, as a shepherd, we are told by John of Damascus, that as … More »

Painting by Rembrandt

Fruitless Harvest

Sermon delivered December 1, 2019 by Archimandrite Maximos This rich man had a problem, but it’s not the problem he thought he had. His land brought forth tremendous fruit, tremendous grain, riches. He had a difficulty: “What am I going to do with all of this extra grain, these extra riches? Where will I store … More »

Third Visit to Baylor University

Third Visit to Baylor

Starting on Wednesday, November 13, Abbot Maximos, together with Hierodeacons Parthenios and Vasilios, spoke at Baylor University Chapel to a combined total of about 4,000 freshmen. The Fathers discussed the life and writings of Saint Dionysios the Areopagite (Acts 17), the liturgical life of the New Covenant, and deification as the goal of the “Good … More »

Painting of the Widow's Son by Blake

Arise and Walk

Sermon delivered October 20, 2019 by Archimandrite Maximos The Lord encountered this sad scene of a young man being brought from the city for burial; a young man, we can assume, probably in his late teens. And the widow is deeply upset, obviously. The Lord takes compassion; He touches the bier, and He says to … More »

Painting of the Unforgiving Servant by Domenico Fetti

The Unforgiving Servant

Sermon delivered September 1, 2019 by Archimandrite Maximos This Gospel today, the parable of the ten thousand talents, on the surface is relatively simple. We see this man who owes this unfathomably large amount of money. Ten thousand talents is a vast treasure; you can say a million or a billion, you can substitute in … More »

The bier of the Mother of God decorated with flowers

Dormition 2019

On August 28, the Brotherhood celebrated the Feast of the Dormition of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. The Brotherhood was joined by the lay faithful to celebrate the Divine Liturgy; Archimandrite Maximos gave the homily. Fr. Maximos preached on the significance of the icon of the falling asleep of the Mother of … More »