Nazareth House Apostolate Blog: Kentucky

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.

Showing posts with label Kentucky. Show all posts

Monday, February 11, 2013

There is room

There's an extraordinary place in the center of Taylorsville, Kentucky.

Within a few steps of entering through the door, your eyes feast

upon a bountiful collection of memorabilia covering the walls.

Everywhere you look,

it is a walk down memory lane

and if you are too young to recognize

some of the items on these walls - the visit makes for a good revealing of Kentucky history

and Outdoor life.

Its a friendly place, one where you can warm by the stove, chatting with a good friend.

You'll find Troy there, Troy Baskett with two T's and he'll tell you that "we are a dying breed" and indeed they are.

Rarely do you run into such a friendly atmosphere and find an honest, caring good soul to tend to your livestock and farm needs. Troy is a remarkable man and his feed store reflects this.

Of all the things to see in Mill Street Feed Store, there is one very special sight that many won't notice for lack of seeing.

In the 18th Chapter of Luke, there is the story of the Blind Man begging for Christ to heal him. He wants to see:

"Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging. And hearing the multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" (This is the Jesus Prayer, The Prayer of the Second Strand of The Prayer Rope of St. Simeon Skete)

So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, "What do you want Me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight." Then Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight, your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God. "

In this story, Luke emphasizes the beautiful faith relationship between Jesus and the Blindman. Faith does not necessarily mean or expect that God will intervene for faith is an end in itself. Faith calls forth in the other and in oneself, what it sees. It doesn't have to change things because Faith is able to see in all things!

The beggar in this story was waiting in faith. Faith is the act of holding on when there are good reasons not to. We wait in faith, we wait in prayer. The faith required is not that your prayers make a difference, but that you are to pray and THAT is the difference.

You can call forth Life from anything IF you already possess life! You can call forth Mercy from anything if your already possess mercy. You can call forth Forgiveness from anything if you already possess forgiveness. You can call forth Generosity from anything if you already possess generosity. ...you can call forth seeing if you already possess seeing.

As you look around Troy's Millstreet Feed Store, if you are not blind, if you possess the sight needed to recognize it, you will find Jesus. And when you find Jesus you find his Heart, they are one in the same.

A horse collar is a device used to distribute the load the animal is carrying. Framed in the horse collar on the wall of the Feed Store is the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus reminding us that no matter how crowded lives are, our muchness, or manyness, whatever we are carrying in our life - the good or the bad, in Jesus' heart there is room (Luke 14:22).

Many of us, hide our heart to protect it from hurt or pain, but Jesus' heart is exposed, out front, vulnerable distributing our loads onto Him so that we don't carry them alone. His heart is open and in His heart there is room.

So if you are in the city center of Taylorsville, Kentucky- stop by and say hello to Troy, enjoy his store, look around, buy something and while you are there, be sure to see the Heart of Jesus poster.

Sacred Heart of Jesus Clauses

of the

Jesus Life Rosary

Jesus your Life, your heart exposed is living in me
Jesus your Life, your heart out front is living in me
Jesus your Life, your heart vulnerable is living in me
Jesus your Life, your heart pierced is living in me
Jesus your Life, your heart open is living in me
Jesus your Life, your heart, there's room is living in me
Jesus your Life, your heart, my hope is living in me
Jesus your Life, your heart, my refuge is living in me
Jesus your Life, your heart making mine see is living in me
Jesus your Life is living in me that I might be one with Your Heart.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Last week, one of the boxes that NHA sent to Sierra Leone arrived at its destination. There were others that were mailed together with it, but sometimes things are released at different times depending on how the postal workers in Lungi process the shipment. Once the packages arrive in Freetown, the Postal Workers there understand the value of the boxes and the needs of the people and they try their best to get them to James. Last week when the single box arrived in Freetown, the postal worker (a friend to James) took the care to have it delivered to James in Kabala.

Box in hand, James set straight out to put the box's contents to use. Squeezed in among the medications in the box was some deer jerky. In villages with no electricity, no form of refrigeration, the jerky is a great source of protein.

As James approaches the village, the residents wonder what he is up to and why he is coming their way.

He is watched as he steps closer.

The children are shy,

unsure of this visitor.

James begins to pass out the jerky.

At first, no one understands.

What is this dried out strip this man is giving us?

One taste of jerky at a time,

the uncertainty on their face is replaced by a smile.

Smile after smile after smile

after smile.

The Hunting Season in and around Anderson County in Kentucky

has now brought joy

to many people

in and around Kabala, Sierra Leone. Thank you to Denny and Joanie of

Markwell's Deer Processing for sending the jerky.

It certainly is a real treat in Africa.

See your donations in action, check back on this NHA Blog often! Let's pray that the remaining boxes arrive soon, there is some extremely important medications - like Roo's Iron pills - in them.

Please spread the word, invite your friends to be an NHA Sustainer! Thank you.

Friday, January 6, 2012

6 January 2012, The Feast of Epiphany

Epiphany (the word meaning “showing forth” or “manifestation”) is one of the oldest Christian Feasts in the Church Calendar.

Most people associate this feast with the coming of the magi or Wise Men to bring gifts to the Christ Child in Bethlehem.

But there are other manifestations of God’s Presence that are also celebrated on this day. In the Eastern Church, the Baptism of Christ by John the Baptist, and another celebration is that of the miracle of Jesus changing water into wine, the Wedding at Cana. Because of these customs, in many churches water is blessed today.

On the last day of Christmas, we begin our Epiphany preparations at St. Simeon Skete.

In the back of the Skete’s barn, Seraphim has made space for a workshop.

It is his hope to establish a woodworking shop in order to maintain and tend to the work around the property as well as construct icon stands, etc.

In the barn, Seraphim begins making the Epiphany Cross. As he works he stresses that it is “vitally important that in making the Cross that you fashion the vertical beam first before the horizontal.

If you don’t have the vertical beam right, no matter how hard you work at the horizontal beam - it will never work.” he further explained “This is the same with the spiritual life: If you don’t have the vertical beam (represents your relationship with God) right, your horizontal (represents your relationship with man) will not work, it will not be right."

Last evening, for us it was time to take the Christmas Tree down (before sunrise the day of Epiphany).

Today began as usual - walking over to the Chapel in the darkness of the wee hours of the morning.

The moon is beginning to set and lights the path.

6 Jan 2012, Moon at 93% full

Upon reaching the Chapel I meet Seraphim and enter into the ongoing stream of prayer.

Seraphim’s day begins earlier; he has been in the chapel now for hours.

After Lauds (Morning Prayer) we begin the Liturgy.

As is the custom at St. Simeon Skete on Epiphany, during the Offertory, the water is blessed and will be used as Holy Water for the coming weeks and months.

The font at the entrance to the Skete is filled with the Holy Water.

The Epiphany Cross is placed in the offering basin along with our rosaries. (At the skete we offer our beads that hold our prayers at every Mass)

The Cross is then blessed at the Altar.

Later a special procession is made to the nearest river (about a 15 minute hike through the woods for us at the skete) and the Cross is tossed into it, making all waters Baptismal Waters as the river carries the Cross from tributaries, to streams, to rivers, to oceans.

Following Mass as the sun rises, St. Simeon Skete keeps the tradition (Eastern Europe, Baltic Sea to Mediterranean) of blessing all the entrance doors on the property.

God’s blessing is then asked to be upon the building and all who dwell on within.

A piece of chalk is first blessed with holy water and the inscription is then written above the doorway.

20 + C + M + B + 12

The three initials stand for Christus Mansionem Benedicat - Latin for “May Christ bless this house”, although they also stand for names traditionally given to the Wise Men: Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar. They are enclosed by the numerals of the current year.

All doors of the Holy Trinity Kellia have been blessed for 2012

After Seraphim completed blessing all the doors of all the buildings on the Skete’s property, he began his journey,

carrying the Epiphany Cross through the woods to the river.

Saying the Jesus Prayer and the Rosary along the way

he stops to bless the entrances to the St. Arsenius’ hermitage hidden in the woods, and the newly found The Cave of the Seven Sleepers.

Upon arrival at the river bank, Seraphim said the Service for Placing the Cross in the Water adapted from Office of Baptism.

After placing the Cross into the River, thus rendering all waters Baptismal, Seraphim recited the Luminous Mysteries.

Taylorsville Lake, Taylorsville Kentucky

Tonight, after the last Office of the day, we will remove the Nativity Scene from the Chapel although the Season of Epiphany will remain through four Sundays.