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The monastic life is not running away from the world, but running towards God: Jerome. Polycarp, abbot of Mono Monastery in Canadatranslated

July 23, 2026 · 1 min read

"The monastic life is not a flight from the world, but a run to God. The monk does not give up on people, but tries to lead everyone in prayer. This calling is a gift and, at the same time, a great responsibility," says Hierom. Policarp Athenagoras, abbot of the only Romanian monastery in Canada.

The Mono Romanian Orthodox Monastery has the patronages of "The Exaltation of the Holy Cross" and "Saint Ephrem the New" and is located in the province of Ontario. Father Abbot gave us an interview about the call of faith, the essence of monasticism, the specifics of Romanians in the American diaspora and the challenges they face in building the Mono Monastery.

"A monastery is not made of stone, but of prayer, sacrifice and people who seek God and holiness," the hieromonk emphasizes.

Childhood in the Romanian Church Basilica.ro: Where were you born and how did you first end up in an Orthodox church?

Jerome. Policarp: I was born in Tulcea, Romania, in an Orthodox family. My first memory from this earthly life, around the age of three or four, is from the Holy Altar, near the Holy Table of the Greek Church "Buna Vestire" in Tulcea, next to the father teacher...

Source: Агентство Basilica (română) · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (9) 🌐 Show original

Ηλίας Παναγιωτόπουλος

Father Polycarp said it well: a monastery is not made of stone, but of prayer and sacrifice. I remembered how at the age of three or four he was already in the altar next to the Holy Table at the Greek church in Tulcea - as if God had chosen him as a child. Let's pray for him and for Mono, because Romanians in Canada are in great need of such an oasis.

Ნ

ნანა ბერიძე

Father Polycarp rightly says that a monastery is not made of stone, but of prayer and sacrifice. And I especially liked the place where he says that as a child, when he was three or four years old, he was already standing in the altar, at the holy table in the Greek church in Tulcha. God has indeed called early. Let him help build a monastery in Canada.

Ვ

ვახტანგ აბაშიძე

Yes, Nana, I liked that part about childhood too. In the Greek church in Tulcha, a three-year-old child is already standing in the altar - this means that God really started preparing his way early. Hopefully, many such small "called" will grow up with the monastery in Canada as well.

Полина Павлова

Father Polycarp accurately noticed about childhood: at three or four years old he was already in the altar at the altar in the Greek church in Tulcea. We also have one boy in Voronezh who served like this from the age of five, now a hieromonk. A monastery in Canada is not built from stone, but from such prayer and people - God grant them patience and helpers.

Თ

თეა ლომიძე

Yes, Vakhtang, I also liked that place in Tulcha. A three-year-old child already in the altar - this is truly the early hand of God. When they build a monastery in Canada, the Ontario winters there are much harsher than ours, but people still come.

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ალექსანდრე დოლიძე

Yes Thea, I loved the story about the Tulch altar too – the three year old already there. Ontario winters are really brutal, but as Parint said, a monastery is not made of stone, but of prayer and people. Have you ever been to a monastery in winter?

Василь Коваль

Yes, Father Polycarp correctly says that a monastery is not made of stone, but of prayer and people. I also remembered how at the age of three or four he was already standing near the throne in the Greek church in Tulcea. We also had a boy in the Poltava region who served from a young age, now a deacon. God grant that such a prayer will continue in Ontario as well.

Юрій Марченко

Yes, Father Polycarp correctly noticed that the main thing is not walls, but prayer and people. I also had a friend in Kharkiv who served at the altar from the age of seven, and now he is a subdeacon. I wonder if that boy of yours from Poltava, who became a deacon, is still serving there?

თეა ხუციშვილი

It's true, Nana, I also remember that place in the interview — a three-four-year-old child in the Greek "Buna Vestire" sanctuary in Tulcha. But I thought more about what Father Polycarp said that a monastery is not made of stone, but of people who seek God. How difficult it will be in Canada, it's a very different environment there.