New

Skete A skete ( ) is a monastic community in Eastern Christianity that allows relative isolation for monks, but also allows for communal services and the safety of shared resources and protection. It is one of four types of early monastic orders, a ...

is the collective term for two

Orthodox Christian Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churche ...

monastic Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic ...

communities in Cambridge, New York (geographically in the Town of White Creek): *The Monks of New Skete, a men's

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

founded in 1966, and *the Nuns of New Skete, a women's monastery founded in 1969. The communities are under the

omophorion In the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic liturgical tradition, the ''omophorion'' ( grc-gre, ὠμοφόριον, meaning " omethingborne on the shoulders"; Slavonic: омофоръ, ''omofor'') is the distinguishing vestment of a bishop an ...

of the Metropolitan of the

Orthodox Church in America The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) is an Eastern Orthodox Christian church based in North America. The OCA is partly recognized as autocephalous and consists of more than 700 parishes, missions, communities, monasteries and institutions ...

. The monks are best known for their breeding of

German Shepherd The German Shepherd or Alsatian is a German breed of working dog of medium to large size. The breed was developed by Max von Stephanitz using various traditional German herding dogs from 1899. It was originally bred as a herding dog, for ...

s, and the training of all dog breeds in basic obedience. The monks have written several dog-training manuals, including ''The Art of Raising a Puppy'' and ''How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend: The Classic Training Manual for Dog Owners''. The nuns are best known for baking gourmet cheesecakes, which they sell on the Internet and in their gift shop. These two communities are unique in that they have instituted wide-ranging reforms to the divine office and

eucharistic The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted ...

liturgies Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

of the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops vi ...

, aimed at rendering the services more comprehensible. They are open to ecumenical contacts with other Christian groups. The nave of their Holy Wisdom Temple features

iconographic Iconology is a method of interpretation in cultural history and the history of the visual arts used by Aby Warburg, Erwin Panofsky and their followers that uncovers the cultural, social, and historical background of themes and subjects in the visu ...

portraits of Orthodox saints as well as prominent non-Orthodox people, such as

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

, Archbishop

Michael Ramsey Arthur Michael Ramsey, Baron Ramsey of Canterbury, (14 November 1904 – 23 April 1988) was an English Anglican bishop and life peer. He served as the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury. He was appointed on 31 May 1961 and held the office until 1 ...

, and

Mother Teresa Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa ( sq, Nënë Tereza), was an Indian-Albanian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu () was ...

of Calcutta,Wall icons of the Church of the Holy Wisdom
. The communities also celebrate the feast of the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

saint Francis of Assisi. They have been criticized by Orthodox conservatives and traditionalists, but the

Monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

s and

Nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

s have strongly defended their renewal of liturgy and monastic life. They believe this is a necessity if Orthodox monasticism is to be more than "museum-keeping" in the modern world. The monastery has a chapel community as well as a fellowship of lay people, known as Companions, who seek to be formally connected with New Skete in order to deepen their spiritual lives. Through their connection with New Skete, they work to incorporate monastic values that help them live out the call of the Gospel in a lay setting at the same time as they help to support New Skete's mission. This enrichment program serves those who seek to integrate prayer and spirituality in their daily activities, and enhances their commitment to their own Christian life. In April 2007, the

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

show '' Divine Canine'' premiered on the cable television channel

Animal Planet Animal Planet (stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American multinational pay television channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. First established on June 1, 1996, the network is primarily ...

. The show featured the dog training program of the Monks of New Skete.

Monks of New Skete

The Monks of New Skete believe that an authentic and vibrant monasticism is an essential ingredient to healthy Church life. The monastic vocation is contemplative and apostolic, challenging both the Church and the world at large to fuller life. They note that monasticism has always incarnated itself within a particular cultural context. Working to live as monks in the modern world, they have developed a daily schedule that integrates liturgical and personal prayer, work, study, and prudent openness to the world. Anchored in a daily cycle of matins and vespers (with Divine Liturgy on Sundays and feast days), they try to be available to all who come to the monastery, in a manner in keeping with their vocation. Many people visit the monastery each year, either to make retreats, attend services, visit the gift shop and grounds, or as dog customers.

Nuns of New Skete

The Nuns of New Skete, originally a group of

Poor Clare The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare ( la, Ordo sanctae Clarae) – originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and later the Clarisses, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Order, and the Second Order of Saint Francis ...

s, moved from

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

in 1969 to establish their monastery near the monks' monastery. They support themselves by baking New York-style gourmet cheesecakes for sale in their gift shop and on their website.''

The New York Sun ''The New York Sun'' is an American online newspaper published in Manhattan; from 2002 to 2008 it was a daily newspaper distributed in New York City. It debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of the earlier New Yor ...

'',
Laurence Mancuso, 72, Leader of Dog-Training Monks
June 27, 2007.

Publications on religion and spirituality

*''In the Spirit of Happiness'', The Monks of New Skete, Rider, 1999, *''Rise Up with a Listening Heart'', The Monks of New Skete, Yorkville Press, 2004,

Publications on raising and training dogs

*''How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend: The Classic Training Manual for Dog Owners (Revised & Updated Edition)'', The Monks of New Skete,

Little, Brown and Company Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emily ...

, September, 2002, *''The Art of Raising a Puppy'', The Monks of New Skete,

, March 20, 1991, *''Divine Canine: The Monks' Way to a Happy, Obedient Dog'', The Monks of New Skete, Hyperion, September 18, 2007, * ''I & Dog'', The Monks of New Skete, John Sann, and Monique Stauder (Photographer), Yorkville Press, November 3, 2003, *''Bless the Dogs'', The Monks of New Skete, Vincent Remini (photographer), Hachette, 2013 *''Let Dogs Be Dogs'', The Monks of New Skete and Marc Goldberg,

Little, Brown, and Company Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emily ...

, 2017

References

External links

Common site for the communities

Monks of New Skete

Nuns of New Skete

Companions of New Skete
{{DEFAULTSORT:New Skete Eastern Orthodox monasteries in the United States Christian organizations established in 1966 20th-century Christian monasteries Dog training and behavior Dog breeders Sketes Christian monasteries in the United States