The Holy Monastery of
St. John the Forerunner was founded in 1995, when local
Doctor Gerald Timmer donated his 48-acre property to the
Greek Orthodox Diocese of San Francisco for the foundation
of a women's monastic community which was accepted by His
Eminence Metropolitan Anthony.
Geronta Ephraim, a priest-monk and former abbot from Holy
Mount Athos, Greece, was contacted by His Eminence to help
establish the monastery in Washington. ("Geronta" in Greek
means an "Elder" or "Abbot".) Already the spiritual
father/elder of 11 monasteries in Greece, 1989 he began the
work of establishing monasteries in North America with the
blessing of the Church officials and the appeal of the
Orthodox faithful in the United States and Canada.
There are now 17 such monasteries in North America. These
communities have prayer for the world as their primary
profession, and then to provide spiritual guidance to the
faithful and help preserve the Holy Traditions of the Church
through exemplary Christian life and devotion to God.
Geronta Ephraim called three nuns from the Holy Orthodox
Monastery of the Panagia Hodigitria in Volos, Greece to come
to Goldendale. At first the small monastery of St. John the
Forerunner was virtually unknown. Slowly, with much prayer,
perseverance, and Grace from God, the Orthodox faithful, and
others wanting to know about the Orthodox Church, began to
visit and help the monastery.
There are now 17 nuns and novices at St. John's
Monastery. The monastery supports itself solely by the
handiwork of the sisters and donations. They practice the
traditional arts of the Orthodox church including: writing
Byzantine icons, sewing vestments, knotting prayer ropes,
hand-rolling incense, and dipping beeswax candles. They also
mount icon prints and make natural soap and lotion and bake
traditional Greek food and sweets for their bakery and gift
shop.
