2. About Them New Skete is a group of men and women committed to monastic life which consist in one goal: “We love God with an undivided heart and place nothing in the way of our personal and communal attachment to Christ. We endeavor to achieve this by embracing the evangelical virtues of poverty, chastity and obedience in stability and fidelity”. They pursue the comprehension needed to foster a spirit of healthy simplicity by reciting the Psalms, studying Monastic and Liturgical History, Sacred Scripture, spending time in prayer and quiet, combining their physical labor and study with the intention of following the gospel rule of love and compassion.
4. Monks They are dedicated to daily prayer and worship along with labor to earn their daily bread. Among their duties we find the physical work of erecting the buildings where they would live, worship, care for the farm animals and smoke meats and cheese that they get from their rural neighbors. Ecumenical outreach it’s essential for them that is why –often they host visiting social, school and church groups providing a free meal during Advent and Lent. They are international known for their German Shepherd breeding and dog training programs. Moreover, they have published several books related to their lives with the dogs (New SketeSheperds) and spiritual study of monastic life (In the Spirit of Happiness). They welcome visitors either to make retreats, attend services, visit the gift shop and grounds, or to purchase a puppy or have their dog trained.
5. Nuns Their monastery is under the patronage of Our Lady of the Sign, a symbol of the entire praying church. The community began by a group of Poor Clare nuns under the Roman Catholic Church and their ongoing prayer is that the division between the churches may one day truly be healed. They look for a balance in common and private prayer and the work of daily living. Nuns produce cheesecakes in the monastery’s bakery to support the nuns and the maintenance of the monastery and land. They are committed to serve as spiritual companioning, both formally and informally through their ongoing relationships. Among their duties: creative artistic expression in their gardening, icon painting, vestment making, writing and cooking.
6. Companions They are a married monastic community founded in 1983. The companions monastery is named Emmaus House in honor of the appearance of Jesus Christ to tow of his disciples on the way to Emmaus. The members live monastic life (prayer, contemplation and liturgical worship) and work in common, in fellowship with the Nuns and Monks of the New Skete, according to the evangelical promises of poverty, chastity and obedience. They have developed Sanctuary Gardens and a Woodland Walk with several meditation areas and icons to improve the insightful experience of their guests.
7. Their Mission: “Our vocation as Eastern Orthodox monastics, united in interactive communities of monks, nuns and married couples, is to grow in the likeness of Christ through a vowed life and to embody and express Christ's love and message for all seekers in a manner responsive to contemporary needs and faithful to the prophetic spirit of the earliest Christian communities.To carry out this mission… We embrace our responsibility to foster the single-minded search for God in each other and in those we meet. We are open to others of all beliefs through retreats, days of recollection and liturgical services. We interact with the wider community in accord with our way of life. We are firmly committed to the equality of all persons, and, in very simple ways, we reverence all of creation as the dwelling place of God.”
