On Saturday, December 7, 2024, the Saint Catherine of Sinai Monastery in Sonora, California, joyfully celebrated its annual Patronal Feast Day.

This wonderful day started with the clergy and faithful gathering in the monastery church for the "Lesser Blessing of the Waters," and to the gladness of all present, holy water was sprinkled throughout the Church and on all smiling faces. The Hours and Divine Liturgy proceeded, as the church with its prayerful icons and beautifully decorated interior including red poinsettias, welcomed the faithful who came to be a part of the solemn and prayerful services. 

The concelebrating clergy at the liturgy were Archpriest Paul Volmensky, Rector of Holy Ascension Russian Orthodox Church of Sacramento, Archpriest James Steele, Rector of Saint Elias Orthodox Church in Diamond Springs, and Priest Marko Bojovic, Rector of Saint Sava’s Serbian Orthodox Church in Jackson. Deacon Seraphim Torruella assisted throughout.

The monastery asked a gifted choir to chant for this splendid feastday consisting of Nicholas and Nathaniel Baba, and Micheal Habtezian, who chanted in the Byzantine style. There were about 60+ pilgrims present who traveled from various regions, including the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys, and as far as Los Angeles and Oregon. 

It was truly encouraging to see all the dedication and support for this newly formed Monastery from among the various Orthodox communities.

Unfortunately, His Grace JAMES Bishop of Sonora was not able to preside over the Matronal Feast of Holy Great Martyr Catherine of Sinai in person this year due to unforeseen events. Nevertheless, His Grace sent his pastoral blessing and prayers. God willing, he plans to visit the Monastery when the youth of the Saint Herman’s West Youth Conference will be going there on a pilgrimage at the end of December as part of their program.

The foundational history of this monastery and its land began with the establishment of the Saint Silouan the Athonite Brotherhood religious community in Ben Lomond, California, before moving to the picturesque hills of Sonora in 2015, where it became the Saint Silouan Athonite Monastery. The Monastery's initial 50 acres expanded in 2019 to encompass more than 100 acres, leading to the development of a property that included traces of a 19th-century mining settlement.

In 2022, the monastery mourned the loss of its two founders: monk Maximus, who fell asleep in the Lord on the eve of the monastery's feast day, September 23 (St. Silouan feast day celebrated on September 24) and his co-struggler Deputy Abbot, monk Ignatius, who had his own blessed repose on December 31 of that same year. The monks are buried side by side on a beautiful hillside of the monastery. Their legacies were left without clear successors, leading to uncertainty about the future of the monastery.

On September 18, 2023, in God's mercy, a pivotal moment occurred for formation of the Saint Catherine of Sinai Monastery when the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia heard a petition by His Eminence KYRILL, Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America, to transform Saint Silouan the Athonite Monastery into a women’s monastery dedicated to the Holy Great Martyr Catherine of Sinai. On that day the Synod of Bishops confirmed this petition formalized by Decree No. 09/01/23 which assigned nun Catherine as the Reverend Mother Superior of the newly-formed monastery and to ratify the monastery typicon she presented and the plans she proposed for developing the Monastery.

Mother Catherine, originally from San Francisco, had a rich spiritual journey prior to her appointment. She was received into the Orthodox Church by Igumen Kyrill (now the Archbishop of the Western American Diocese) and was immediately clothed as a novice by Abbess Ariadna, the Reverend Mother Superior of the Our Lady of Vladimir Women’s Convent in San Francisco. Then after years of ascetic life at the Convent of St. Mary Magdalene in Gethsemane, Jerusalem, and under the guidance of Metropolitan Mark of Berlin in Germany, she came back to California, receiving a canonical release to return to her homeland and found a women’s monastic community. Following several unsuccessful attempts to locate a suitable site, she prayed for God's will for her next steps and—Glory to God for all things—His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill assigned Mother Catherine to the monastery land in Sonora, just 72 hours after the repose of the Deputy Abbot, monk Ignatius. In this way, God, through His Eminence, secured a monastic succession on those holy grounds in Sonora and a seamless transition of leadership and spiritual continuity.

Under Mother Catherine’s leadership, there are plans to upgrade the various monastic quarters, buildings, and the monastery’s infrastructure for future construction and pilgrims’ facilities; and most importantly the building of a proper church for prayer, which is the foundation of the Christian life, and much more so for monastics.

For many years Mother Catherine has served the Church as a monastic and was awarded the dignity of wearing a gold pectoral cross by His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill on the Feast Day of the Holy Virgin Cathedral in San Francisco on November 6, 2024.

Currently, there are two women expressing interest in joining the monastery and Mother Catherine's vision, as novices. Their addition signifies hope for the monastery's mission of daily prayer and monastic struggles, and to provide spiritual refuge and guidance for many who are wearied by the contemporary challenges we face today.

As the monastery continues to develop under Reverend Mother Catherine’s stewardship, it embodies a living testament to faith and community. With the underlying prayer that God may direct her works, the future of Saint Catherine of Sinai Monastery reflects a dedicated commitment to outreach, consolation, and spiritual healing through our Lord Jesus Christ.

To help, or be a part of the many blessings of the monastery's growth, please contact:

Address
Saint Catherine of Sinai Monastery
21285 Old Sonora Columbia Road,
Sonora, CA 95370-8807

Telephone
+1 (209) 882-9776

Email
Website