Valaam Monastery tonsures 15 monks during Great Lent

The historic Valaam Monastery in Russia’s northeast has celebrated the rite of monastic tonsure three times so far this Great Lent, in the first and fifth weeks, thus adding 15 men to the monastery’s ranks. The men, previously living at the monastery as novices, have entered the riassaphore stage of monasticism, reports Valaam Monastery.

The tonsure as a riassaphore monk is the last step before the full monastic tonsure. At this stage, the monks do not yet take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Monks are received gradually into the angelic way of life, so as to avoid hasty and rash decisions.

At the beginning of the rite, His Grace Bishop Pankraty of Troitsk, the abbot of Valaam Monastery, calls the novices by their usual names, announcing their new names for the first time upon completion of the tonsuring.

The first six monks arrived in 1989 to restore the hugely influential Valaam Monastery. There are now well over 100 monks laboring in asceticism there.

Source: Orthochristian.com (са енглеског Информативна служба СПЦ)