New Skete
Encyclopedia
Skete
A Skete is a monastic style community that allows relative isolation for monks, but alsoallows for communal services and the safety of shared resources and protection...
is the collective term for three Orthodox Christian monastic communities in Cambridge, New York
Cambridge (town), New York
Cambridge is a town in Washington County, New York, USA. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 2,158 at the 2005 census.The town of Cambridge contains part of a village, also called Cambridge.- History :...
(geographically in the neighboring town of White Creek):
- The Monks of New Skete, a men's monasteryMonasteryMonastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
founded in 1966 by Laurence MancusoLaurence MancusoLaurence Mancuso was the founding abbot of the New Skete Eastern Orthodox monastic community in upstate New York.-Early life and career:...
, their first abbotAbbotThe word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
, - the Nuns of New Skete, a women's monastery founded in 1969, and
- the Companions of New Skete, a community of marriedMarriageMarriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
monastics founded in 1982.
All three communities are under the omophorion
Omophorion
In the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic liturgical tradition, the omophor is the distinguishing vestment of a bishop and the symbol of his spiritual and ecclesiastical authority...
of the Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church in America
Orthodox Church in America
The Orthodox Church in America is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in North America. Its primate is Metropolitan Jonah , who was elected on November 12, 2008, and was formally installed on December 28, 2008...
. They are best known in the world at large for their breeding and training of German Shepherds as companions and guide dog
Guide dog
Guide dogs are assistance dogs trained to lead blind and visually impaired people around obstacles.Although the dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are partially color blind and are not capable of interpreting street signs...
s, and the training of all breeds in basic obedience. The Monks have written several dog-training manuals, including The Art of Raising a Puppy and How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend: The Classic Training Manual for Dog Owners. Among Orthodox Christians.
They are unique in that they have instituted wide-ranging reforms to the divine office
Divine Office
Divine Office may refer to:* Liturgy of the Hours, the recitation of certain Christian prayers at fixed hours according to the discipline of the Roman Catholic Church* Canonical hours, the recitation of such prayers in Christianity more generally...
and eucharistic liturgies of the Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
, aimed at rendering the services more comprehensible. They maintain an open stance regarding ecumenical contacts with other Christian groups; the nave of their newer temple features iconographic portraits of prominent non-Orthodox such as Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
, Archbishop Michael Ramsey
Michael Ramsey
Arthur Michael Ramsey, Baron Ramsey of Canterbury PC was the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury. He was appointed on 31 May 1961 and was in office from June 1961 to 1974.-Career:...
, and Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
of Calcutta, and the communities celebrate the feast of the Roman Catholic saint Francis of Assisi
Francis of Assisi
Saint Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St...
. This openness has brought them criticism from Orthodox conservatives and traditionalists; but the Monks and Nuns strongly defend their renewal of liturgy and monastic life as a necessity if Orthodox monasticism is to be more than "museum-keeping" in the modern world. The monastery has also attracted the presence of a small but vibrant lay
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
community of cradle Orthodox Christians and converts from the surrounding area.
On 16 April 2007, the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
show Divine Canine
Divine Canine
Divine Canine is a television series on Animal Planet. The show premiered on April 16, 2007.The show examines the Monks of New Skete, an order of Orthodox Christian monks who train dogs...
premiered on the cable television channel Animal Planet
Animal Planet
Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
. The show features the dog training program of the Monks of New Skete.
Monks of New Skete
As a monastic community, the Monks of New Skete live with the conviction that an authentic and vibrant monasticism is an essential ingredient to healthy Church life. By nature, the monastic vocation is contemplative and apostolic, challenging both the Church and the world at large to fuller life; therefore, they see their primary responsibility as being authentic monastics. However, they believe this cannot be done by simplistically reproducing previous expressions of monastic life. Monasticism has always incarnated itself within a particular cultural context, so throughout their history the monks have worked to express the mystery and dynamism of their vocation in a manner appropriate to modern culture and times.Working toward this end, the Monks' daily schedule reflects an integrated blend of liturgical and personal prayer, work, study, and prudent openness to the world. Anchored in a daily cycle of matins and vespers (with Divine Liturgy on Sundays and feast days), they try to make themselves available to all who come to the monastery, in a manner that is in keeping with their vocation. Many people visit the monastery each year, either to make retreats, attend services, or visit the gift shop and grounds, or as dog customers.
Nuns of New Skete
The Nuns of New Skete, originally a group of Poor Clares, moved from IndianaIndiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
to live near to the monks in 1969. They support themselves by baking New York-style gourmet cheesecake
Cheesecake
Cheesecake is a dessert consisting of a topping made of soft, fresh cheese, usually on a crust or base made from biscuit , pastry or sponge cake. They may be baked or unbaked...
s for sale in their gift shop and on their website.
Companions of New Skete
The Companions of New Skete are married couples living under monastic orders. They were formed in 1983 and operate a bed and breakfastBed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
nearby.
Publications on Religion/Spirituality
- In the Spirit of Happiness, The Monks of New Skete, RiderRiderRider may refer to:People:* Fremont Rider , American writer and librarian* H. Rider Haggard , British novelist* Rider Strong , American actor, director, producer and screenwriter...
, 1999, ISBN 0712606866
Publications on Raising and Training Dogs
- How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend: The Classic Training Manual for Dog Owners (Revised & Updated Edition), The Monks of New Skete, Little, Brown and CompanyLittle, Brown and CompanyLittle, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
, September, 2002, ISBN 0316610003 - The Art of Raising a Puppy, The Monks of New Skete, Little, Brown and CompanyLittle, Brown and CompanyLittle, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
, March 20, 1991, ISBN 0316578398 - Divine Canine: The Monks' Way to a Happy, Obedient Dog, The Monks of New Skete, HyperionHyperion (publisher)Hyperion Books is a general-interest book publishing part of the Disney-ABC Television Group, a division of The Walt Disney Company, established in 1991. Hyperion publishes general-interest fiction and non-fiction books for adults under the following imprints: ABC Daytime Press, ESPN Books,...
, September 18, 2007, ISBN 1401309259 - I & Dog, The Monks of New Skete, John Sann, and Monique Stauder (Photographer), Yorkville Press, November 3, 2003, ISBN 0972942734
External links
- Common site for all three communities
- The Psalter (Translation by the Monks of New Skete)