About Hermitage of St. Arsenius
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Tucked away from the distractions of the "secular world", the Hermitage of St. Arsenius is nestled in the woods on twenty acres of farmland between Greenwood and Decatur, Texas. It is about seventy miles northeast of Dallas.
A wooden cross by the county road is all that marks entry to the hermitage. Fr. Gregory describes his tiny monastic community as follows: “My aim is to be as self-sufficient as possible and as low maintenance as possible.” The main building is insulated by square hay bales coated with a clay mixture from the land. It is powered by solar panels that were donated. Rainwater is collected from the roof and filtered for bathing and laundry. The hermitage grows its own vegetables, fruit and nut trees, and different herbs. The latter are used for food, medical purposes, and natural antibacterial and fragrant soaps. A few goats and chickens provide milk and eggs. The hermitage produces and sells a variety of jams and jellies as well as very popular soaps made from natural sheep milk. The Hermitage of St. Arsenius is an English-speaking monastic community, but it worships in a “Russian style” in terms of its liturgical traditions and hymnology. In addition to the daily cycle of prayer services, two Divine Liturgies are served each month in the small chapel in the woods. Several simple chairs sit on a plain plywood floor. Images of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, the Apostles, and a host of saints adorn the walls. Fr. Gregory also serves as a substitute priest in local Orthodox parishes. The hermitage maintains its own blog, titled “The Panagia: She Who Is Quick to Hear"
From: http://www.assemblyofbishops.org/assets/files/news/scoba/AtlasOfMonasteriesSecondEditionBookmarkedOptimumSize.pdf
