Bungarby: a Monastery in the Mountains of Australia

The feast of the temple, the Presentation of the Mother of God, which takes place in the middle of December, was marked already for the third time in the recently-founded monastic community in Bungarby (about two hours’ drive from Canberra). Abbess Anna (Karipoff) was the head of our convent in Gethsemane in Jerusalem for many years but had to return to Australia for medical care in 1998.

In 1999 Mother Anna with her near ones purchased 600 acres of fertile land, on which stood a farmhouse and other agricultural structures. At present this house is the residence for five monastics and there is hope that in future the number of nuns will continue to increase.

Plans call for the existing building to become a guest-house once monastic cells have been built, and constuction of a small chapel is already in progress. The future monastery is situated at the foot of a hill on the shore of a small river, and even during this difficult time of severe drought the water continues to flow along its centuries-old path.

The monastic community has its own farm and garden. The sisters also occupy themselves with handiwork. The community is often visited by pilgrims, among whom are many Serbian Orthodox who have also come to love this holy place. Possibly the visiting Serbs are reminded of the Presentation monastery in Milkovo in their native Serbia, where St. John and the ever-memorable Archbishops Tikhon and Anthony of Western America and San Francisco were tonsured.
For the feast, the verandah of the house, sheltered from the sun, becomes a temporary temple of God, and after the service it is turned into a refectory. There is much work here to be done, but kind people are always to be found, and they help in the convent’s affairs, and the monastic services are always especially prayer-filled: Mother Abbess is an experienced church choir director and spiritual teacher.

The ever-memorable Archbishop Averky wrote: “Orthodoxy is not something abstract, Orthodoxy is not only faith, but also life in faith – life which is in agreement with faith, usually called piety.”

Here is monastic life in faith – the most complete labor of Orthodox piety. A student of Archbishop Averky, now our ruling Archbishop Hilarion, accompanied by Protodeacon Vassily Hadarin, arrived on the eve of the feast, and before the start of the All-night Vigil Hieromonk Makary arrived from the Transfiguration monastery. A large number of pilgrims came from Sydney and places surrounding the future holy monastery. Fr. Makary served the Vigil with Protodeacon Vassily. Vladyka Hilarion came out for the Lity with the serving clergy and also read the Gospel.

On the day of the feast itself Archbishop Hilarion together with Fr. Vassily served the blessing of the waters, and they were joined by the beginning of Liturgy by Protodeacon Vassily Yakimov from Canberra.

The regular nuns’ choir of the community was augmented for the feast by the voices of pilgrims. The service in two languages went by prayerfully. Archbishop Hilarion gave a moving festal sermon, and after the Liturgy served a moleben, and in place of the ‘many years’ the serving clergy sang, for Mother Abbess and her sisters in Christ – Save, O Christ God!

At the meal Vladyka Hilarion spoke with the visitors as well as the sisters of the community, and later, accompanied by the clergy, went to see the progress in construction of the chapel, and soon after left the convent.

The community of the Presentation of the Mother of God needs donations to complete its planned construction and His Grace Vladyka Hilarion asks all who can respond to this appeal to help as they are able – “for God loveth a cheerful giver.” (II Cor. 9:7).

In closing I will cite the words of archbishop Averky:
“Brothers and sisters! Let us aspire towards ascetic labor, in which is expressed precisely the essence of our Orthodox Christian faith, which is the labor of imitating Christ in bearing the cross and self-crucifixion – a faith of labor and, laboring lawfully as the Word of God teaches, let us suffer all things for the Truth, not moving away from it, as do many because of their poverty of spirit or self-interest. And let us remember well: where there is no labor, where there is no steadfastness in the faith – there is neither Orthodoxy nor true faith in God and in His Christ. Amen.”

Protodeacon Vassily Yakimov