August 18, 2025, the Monastery of St. Archangel Michael is tucked inside the canyons of Cañones in proximity to the Sangre de Cristo Mountain range in northern New Mexico. Secluded and serene, this monastery is where technology goes to die.
Traveling through the hilly and mountainous region with winding roads, some paved, others not, you realize when you reach the monastery that your cell phone receives no reception. In fact, the only way to communicate with the monks in this monastery is through landline, which they check messages periodically, written letter, or by showing up. Goods that you purchase from the monastery must be paid for in cash, and a donation link on their website was only recently placed. The monks of Cañones would have it no other way. Their belief in silence and personal community is paramount to the understanding of Orthodox Ascetism.
At the time of my arrival with my travel companion, we followed the usual process of checking in our possessions in one of the guest rooms located in the living quarters for pilgrims, along with the food we brought with us in the refrigerator placed in the kitchen guest area that also provides a place to rest and fellowship with other pilgrims. Depending upon how many guests they have, the monks may invite you for meals with them. But since the monastery is still rather small, and the dining room fits only a few more than the number of monks, you should bring enough sustenance for yourself to eat if you decide to visit.
This would be my third time traveling to the Monastery of St. Archangel Michael, each subsequent time more spiritually enhancing; uprooting the world from my heart, awakening me to how much I must work on to meet the mark of Christ. It is not an easy stay but fulfilling and healing. One that keeps you coming back.
During my three-day stay at the monastery, I attended services three times a day, starting at 5 AM with Hours and Divine Liturgy, Paraklesis at noon, and Great Vespers at 5 PM. Divine Liturgy usually starts at 4 AM, but since the ordination of the new Priestmonk Lazarus who was raised up to the Holy Priesthood to help spell the Abbott Silouan, a disciple of the Monastery in Essex, from his duties as he is working out his salvation by what he describes as the “cancer that has given him God’s grace.” The Abbott, who is visibly ailing from his sickness, remains spirited, humorous, and full of wisdom. He has proclaimed that Father Lazarus should serve the Divine Liturgy forty days in a row to obtain full understanding of his duty. While there, you are encouraged, yet not forced, to help with some of the many tasks around the monastery. My companion spent an afternoon helping with the candle-making, while I got up one morning at 3 AM to help make Tortillas for the breakfast right after the Divine Liturgy.
As I sat with Abbott Silouan in the Catholicon dedicated to the Archangel Michael, he told me that he believes the only sin is not seeing the presence of God in everything around us. Becoming so distracted within the world that we miss this Truth. He entreats us to get creative in our prayer in the world, to find time in our workday to say the Jesus Prayer whenever we can. And, while he is not opposed to prayer rules, he believes that sometimes we just need to pursue noetic prayer without rigidity, with love of God, and not solely set on the hour of the day. He wants us to be truly free. Our aim is an authentic Orthodox Christian life as the Archimandrite Zacharias of Essex so lovingly teaches us in his book, so that we may remember our First Love.
When I asked the Abbott about the realities of the world and how tied we are to our phones, the growing celebrity seeking on the Internet, and the ongoing “Online Orthodoxy” he was pastoral in his response. He stated that he understands that perhaps online forums may bring someone to the Church, but afterwards, we must disconnect from it. There is no need to linger, debate, and defend the faith. Ours is to rejoice in finding the True Faith and, as he pointed in the direction of the Altar, standing in silence to hear the Lord.
Interesting enough, one of his monks, the newly tonsured Schema Monk Spyridon was not so lenient in his advice to me. When posed with the question, he told me, “There is no such thing as Internet Orthodoxy. The Orthodox Church is incarnational. Internet life is not. It is fake. We must be incarnated in Christ in His Church.”
As I left the monastery, it felt as if I was leaving the Hobbit Shire in a C.S Lewis novel, except within the New Mexican switchbacks. I could not help but truly understand why the monks chose this location, with the great canyons all around them, choosing to shun all the advances of the world to keep silent and commune with the Lord.
It is, from a military perspective, a defenseless position. These monks wanted no worldly ammunition. They entreated us to drop ours for a spell. To be defenseless against Christ. To give the Lord the high ground so that He can attack our hearts and heal us.
— Deacon Christopher
If you wish to donate to The Monastery of Archangel Michael in Cañones. You can also write the monks and get on their list to receive a free Newsletter called Doxa on their website.
