Monastica
Monastic life
Following the age-old traditions of the cenobitic monasteries of the Orthodox Church, a typical monastic day starts at 4am for lectio divina and Jesus Prayer, followed by Matins or Divine Liturgy.
Mornings are devoted to work, to procure for the community the necessary means to survive. After lunch the monks study.
Vespers is followed by a brief meal and Compline. In the silence of the evening, the monks practice the examination of conscience and do their individual prayer rule.
Remembrance of God and brotherly love
We strive to spend the whole day in the constant remembrance of God with the Jesus Prayer, and to live a life of stability and simplicity, with continual repentance and watchfulness. The monastery is a school of love, which is revealed through attentiveness to each other. Everything is ordered to intimacy with Christ and to prayer, which foster communion with the world, sanctifying it.
The elders of the monastery teach that “in the labour itself, the monks enjoy much of the labour’s reward because what will be the fruit of the work is already present in the work itself” (St Eucherius of Lyons).
Retreatants
We receive retreatants (male only at this point). Stays are limited to 4 or 5 days, and a week to 10 days for those coming from a long distance.
Candidates to monastic life
Young people are inquiring about what they should do to become a monk. We invite them to come and see, as our Lord asked His first disciples.
Concretely, once a young man has been accepted as a postulant, he is asked to visit at least three times (twice for ten days, and once for over a month) before being accepted as a novice. The young man (usually in their 20s) must be an Orthodox Christian from a canonical jurisdiction.
Who are we?
The monastery is part of the Archdiocese of Canada, Orthodox Church in America, under the omophorion of His Eminence Irénée, Archbishop of Ottawa and Canada. Our liturgical life follows the Julian calendar. The patron saint of the monastic church is St Sergius of Radonezh, and of the graveyard, St John the Baptist. Our monastery is bilingual, English and French.
History of the Hermitage
The Hermitage of the Annunciation is born from a monastic cell in Halifax created in 1994. In 2003, seeking more secluded quarters on the country side, the monks moved to the present location. The monastery is placed under the protection of the Mother of God, our helper and intercessor, in order to continually ponder the calling of mankind: to give birth to God spiritually in our heart as Mary did physically when she gave birth to Jesus.
Over the years, the monastery has become a familiar feature around the little town of New Germany and its villages, helped by the sale of our vegetables at farmer markets. Many people also visit, who are spiritually and affectively lost in a world which no longer offers meaning. Slowly a small but strong community of Orthodox faithful and catechumens has emerged around the monastery with a few families that have settled nearby. There are good relationships with the Orthodox parishes of Atlantic Canada. The monastery is supported by generous benefactors, especially the ladies of the Sisterhood of Martha and Mary.
Feasts of the monastery*
October 8 - Repose of St Sergius of Radonezh
September 21- Annual pilgrimage
July 7 - Nativity of St. John the Baptist
