Prayer
Silence
Hospitality
Simplicity
Work
Study
Nestled in the Keurkloof Valley outside Robertson is Bedehuis Bethanië, home to the Afrikaans Orthodox Church of Saint Mary of Egypt. On the neighbouring farm is a building that was originally a dairy and has more recently been used as a pre-school. This building has become available to rent and I am presently moving there and will be seeking to develop it as a place of prayer and retreat. Exactly how it will develop must still become apparent and I am – slowly! – beginning to learn that God makes these things clear one step at a time!
The Orthodox Church around here is still small and fragile and we have limited resources. Yet we are also immensely privileged and have a heritage that is largely unknown in this country. While the tasks ahead of us are great, we need to create the space to nurture an inner life, enter into a rhythm of prayer, and allow ourselves to be formed by the tradition of the Church. All Christian life is geared towards theosis, in which we become partakers of the Divine Nature, but this requires a process of purification, of self-knowledge and repentance, a learning of humility, so that we can reflect the transfiguring Light of Christ to those around us. The path to salvation that is offered to us in the Church exists to equip us with the tools that we need on this way.
Throughout the history of the Church there has been a movement to the desert in which our Fathers and Mothers in faith sought to distance themselves from the clamour of the world in order to seek God in truth, simplicity and prayer. This new venture is a small and tentative initiative to make something of this tradition available to those who seek God in our context. Although informed by the monastic tradition, it does not claim to be a monastery but is simply a small step whose future will become clear with time.
At least in the beginning, I will be keeping my job in Cape Town and just going there for the weekends (hopefully long weekends if I can arrange that). We are starting small and plan to keep things simple. The building is very basic and, because it is rented, we won’t plan any major alterations at this point. However we do hope to put up some dry walls to make simple rooms for guests. If funds permit, we also hope to have a wooden hut for more solitary retreatants. And we hope to have another wooden hut for a small chapel.
The house will work closely with Bedehuis Bethanië although it will have its own identity and maintain a certain separation. Father Zacharias and I are hoping to offer some weekend retreats or study days together. But how things develop depends very much on who God sends and what is asked of us. His Emminence Archbishop Sergios has blessed the initiative and has said that we should take things one step at a time and see where God leads us. He has also very kindly provided me with a room for when I am in Cape Town during the week.
At least for the time being I will continue to support myself through formal employment which will also pay the rent for the building. But we are opening a separate account for those who would like to contribute towards the development of the house. This will be used for fairly specific things such as paint, dry walls, wooden huts and some furniture. We are also hoping to develop a library and would welcome contributions towards that.
In time, some of this may get more specific. I will hopefully develop this website further, but for now it exists to give people an idea of what is happening.
Please do keep this new venture in your prayers.
Macrina Walker
