About Us
Our Past
The Sacred Hermitage-Cell [Kellion]
of St. Prochoros of Patmos was established in 1999 by Stavrophore-monk
Symeon-Salos, within the Western European branch of the Auxentian Old
Calendar Church of Greece, in the
central region of New York State as a spiritual dependency of its
Motherhouse, the
cœnobitic Abbey of the Holy Name in West Milford. New Jersey.
Our Present
The Kellion remains under the omophorion of
Metropolitan John, Chief Hierarch. This True Orthodox Christian
Kellion is a bi-ritual idiorhythmic
eremitic monastic institution of the Sacred
Metropolitanate of all-Americas and British Isles. While Eastern Rite
(Slavic Use) is observed on a daily basis the Anglo-Roman Rite (Sarum
Use) is observed on special commemoration days dear to the Kellion.
We observe two major Western Orthodox typikons (monastic rule), these being: the Rule of St. Benedict of Nursia and the Brief Holy Rule of St Romuald for Hermits. It is our desire and prayer to restore the customs & spirituality of the early Romualdian communities of pre-Schism Orthodox Europe as exampled by our holy father among the saints St. Romuald of Ravenna..
Our Future
We pray for the Hermitage’s future expansion
that God may increase our number and establish the
Romualdian Orthodox Brotherhood
of St. John the Divine within the membership of the American
Congregation of the Primitive Observance of the Order of St. Benedict
that includes monasteries for men or women throughout in the Americas
and the British Isles under the governance of the same Metropolia.
The monk of this Kellion (and future Romualdian
monks) wear a grey inner rasa under a black scapular then bound together
with a monastic leather belt.
A skufia (soft monastic hat) on the head. During formal
gatherings and during liturgical services the head is covered with a
klobuk (tall stiff hat with veil). Around the neck a small wooden cross
with cloth or leather string; while the priest-monk wears large metal
cross (or pectoral cross) on a neck chain. For liturgical services the
monk may add a mantiya or a black outer rasa. If the monk is of the
stavrophore rank he bears the Western scapular with red crosses on front
and back. Among those of
the Great Schema their inner rasa is black, the outer rasa is grey with
the scapular and cowl of the Great Schema.
Lay Oblates wear the black scapular over their street clothes and
bound with a black leather belt.
During monastic labors there is a preference for quiet but no rule of silence. The Great Silence begins after vespers, ending after the first hour.