St. Simeon Skete, Taylorsville Kentucky USA

With St. Simeon, the God receiver, as our patron, the skete seeks to practice the ideals found in our Rule, The Thousand Day Nazareth. In simplicity and poverty, the skete embraces the struggle of inner life through the practice of the Prayer Rope.

See our website at www.nazarethhouseap.org

Donations should be addressed to: Nazareth House Apostolate, 185 Captains Cove Drive, Taylorsville, Kentucky 40071.

Important Notice: All writings, posts, graphics & photographs in this blog are the copyrighted property of (unless otherwise indicated) Nazareth House Media, a division of Nazareth House Apostolate and cannot be copied, printed or used without written permission from NHA Media, Taylorsville, KY.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Country Roads Take NHA Home



The Spring and Summer of 2011 have been very active times for Nazareth House Apostolate; both in America and in Sierra Leone.  









 Our headquarters in each Nation have now both moved from out of busy cities 





and into more rural areas. 







In America, NHA has been establishing St. Simeon Skete.   




The spiritual work (11 Prayer Offices & Daily Liturgy) at St. Simeon Skete is not new, 






its been going on for many decades - it was simply a matter of doing it in a different place.  





In this case, the location is a more suitable place, one much more conducive to the prayer life. 


View of St. Simeon Skete from on Taylorsville Lake.   (Chapel on Left, Kellia on Right)

In Africa, NHA is establishing the new NHA Compound.




Again, the work of loving & caring for the people in Africa will remain the same, only the location has changed.


There are outlying villages that desperately need our help.



And... our NHA School with all its needs is right there next to the new compound.



So as it is with NHA America, the new space in Kabala is much more conducive to the work it performs.






In Africa in Kabala and in America in Kentucky, both NHA headquarters are surrounded by the finest of nature's beauty.  


Bureh Beach, Sierra Leone


Yet there is no time to get lost in the allure of such tranquil settings. 




Doe and Fawn on Campus of St. Simeon Skete




 In addition to the prayer life at the Skete in Kentucky and the humanitarian work at the Compound in Kabala, both facilities require much physical upkeep on the buildings and property.  





 There are six buildings on the grounds at St Simeon Skete which include:  The Chapel including the bookshop, Anna House, the Kellia, the barn, the stone hermitage and St. Arsenius Hermitage located deep in the woods. Every building is in need of regular maintenance and upkeep  - as well as the usual repair work.   





St. Simeon Skete has been cloistered spiritually,







 but as of last week we are now also physically cloistered.






We now have a new fence surrounding the front of the property.



One of the things we’ve been missing is the church bell. 




 It is used to call us to scheduled prayer times.   






As Jesús  and his son, installed the bell pole into the ground with concrete, he wanted to make sure that it was level.  







Unfortunately, we need to stock up on many tools that we didn’t have before ....but never fear...  










 there is an app for that!   








And Jesús completed the task perfectly -





 just in time to ring for the next service. 





While the bell was being put in, Denny was grating the gravel road.  





The recent heavy rains formed gullies in the driveway and parking lot and it was in need of a good smoothing out.



The overgrowth of the woodland areas of the Skete have been a chore, to say the least.  


There is much tree removal and trimming to be done.   




During the Winter, Seraphim and the Archbishop made the first purchase at the skete together - they bought a chainsaw. 
I never know what I will see go pass the front door of the kellia





Last week, Denny and Seraphim tackled a tree line along the driveway 





between Anna House and the barn. At first it looks as though there is nothing but trees, but as we look closer you see Seraphim’s head as he uses the chainsaw.    







...and how is he reaching that tall tree?


"2 scoops of monk please..."



The tree removal took a good portion of the morning






there is nothing like a quick rest in a shovel before you set out for more work...


There are Purple Martin Birdhouses to be hung...


and bat houses to be placed (it is our hope that this will help with some of the mosquitoes and other flying nuisances around the property). 

And of course, with all the rain, and sauna-like heat



the grass is growing like crazy and always ready to be cut...

Fr. Donald Ashman is getting acquainted with the zero-turn radius Scag Cheetah during his recent visit to the Skete


Seraphim has become a pro at Zero-turn spinning and cutting

Back in Africa, wells are being dug


life out of the city is being experienced


and the NHA Compound is being built




Isaiah 43:18-19

King James Version (KJV)

 18Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
 19Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.



So many prayers, so much work, lots of things to do, so many needs... but we have one thing that can make everything possible

We have 
LOVE

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