The Entrance of Maddie & Rose

Christ the Bridegroom Monastery received two new dokimoi (postulants) during Vespers on Sunday, December 15. Madison ("Maddie") Hebert is from the Proto-Cathedral of St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church in Sherman Oaks, California, and Rose Tsakanikas is from St. Sophia Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in Garner, North Carolina.
Dokimos means "one who is approved by testing." This first period of the monastic life is a time for the dokimos to try out the life, and it is also a time for the monastic community to become more deeply acquainted with the one who wishes to live this life. Her ability to live the life, to accept correction, to love and be loved, and to grow, is "tried." Like gold mined from the ground, she begins to experience the monastic purifying fire that will make her "pure"--in other words, "of one substance," all gold, oriented to the love of God.

The service for the reception of the dokimoi took place in the midst of Vespers in the monastery chapel, celebrated by Bishop Robert. The brief service included a special Epistle and Gospel reading, a prayer over each of the young women by the bishop, and the blessing of their head coverings and crosses, which the new dokimoi put on with the help of the youngest members of the monastic community.
Bishop Robert then gave a beautiful homily about the monastic life. Comparing the entrance of the dokimoi into the monastery to the recent feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple, he said:

"How fitting it is, with family, pastor, and now your sisters...to come to this day of entrance...ready to put yourself before God (recognize already the temple that you are by the power of the Holy Spirit...) and to make your very life a sign, as we just heard in the prayer, of the fleeting nature of this life and our life being about the kingdom of heaven. Monasticism is baptism radically lived. We begin this evening the celebration of the holy prophet Haggai. Monasticism is a community of women--or men--who each themselves have a prophetic role in the world today. And in one way we need not be overwhelmed by that aspect of the fullness of life that you now, in a very formal way, begin to discern, because it is the life itself that is prophetic--the life itself."

Supporting Maddie in person for the entrance were her parents, pastor Fr. Michael O'Loughlin and friend Libby Reichert. Rose's guests were her parents, grandparents and nine of her thirteen siblings. The monastic community and guests spent time over the weekend praying together and enjoying meals and recreation, discussing the pain of the impending separations, sharing funny stories, and widening their hearts to receive the many new members of their "family."

Please pray for Maddie and Rose as they begin to live monasticism and continue to discern God's will for their lives.