ST. JAMES, MO [MW Diocese Communications] — Priest Joel Wilson and the faithful of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary Mission here hosted their third annual fall retreat on Saturday, October 29, 2016. The retreat theme — “Monks Amongst Us” — was developed in two separate presentations by Hiermonk Alexii [Altschul] of Holy Archangel Michael and All Angels Skete, Weatherby, MO. Father Alexii related his journey into monasticism and spoke of the goal of monasticism and its significance in the life of every Christian.
“We received our best response yet, with 33 adults and 16 children, and people traveling as far away as Illinois and Oklahoma, including those from various Orthodox jurisdictions and other Christian confessions,” said Father Joel.
An audio of Father Alexii’s talk, “Monasticism and the World Today,” is available on the mission’s web site.
