Saint Paul the Apostle Orthodox Monastery
Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
- About -
In October 2022, the Brotherhood of Saint Paul was founded with the blessing of Archbishop Peter of Chicago (†2024). Our community is led by Father Menas, a monk of over 50 years, 26 of them at Saint Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery. His arrival in rural Wisconsin brings the rich tradition of Saint Joseph the Hesychast and the ever-memorable Elder Ephraim of Arizona to the heart of the American Midwest. The brotherhood first gathered to celebrate the Divine Liturgy on donated land in Brodhead, Wisconsin, for the feast of Saint Longinus the Centurion on October 29th civic calendar / 16th church calendar. We later relocated to our current, larger home in Crawford County in this once-deserted place transforming it with new life and one filled with praises of our Lord.
We warmly invite you to visit the monastery and pray that you will find a place of joy and renewal. Our daily cycle of services follow the Julian (old) calendar. English is the liturgical and everyday language of our community. Our 27 acre property sits in a little valley just a few miles from the Wisconsin River in farm country. The grounds are shaded by sugar maple, white oak, and red pine trees. A small stream flows through the center of the land and is a favorite watering spot of whitetail deer and ducks.
The primary work of the brothers is prayer for the world. Amidst our monastic labors we also offer an extensive collection of museum-quality mounted icon prints, crafted by monks and volunteers. Each piece is made here in Wisconsin with prayer and obedience. Our icons are small batch crafted and assembled by hand with great care, each with a final border of red paint applied by brush. By purchasing from our workshop, you are directly supporting Orthodox monasticism in America. We pray that our icons enrich your spiritual life and bear witness to the beauty of our faith.
Our Monastery Store: saintpaulsicons.com
✢Saint Joseph the Cave Dweller (seated), 1897-1959
✢Elder Ephraim of Arizona (center), 1928-2019
✢Father Menas (right), our Superior at the Monastery
- Timeline -
2022
𐫱 A Vision of Accessibility: For years, Orthodox Christians hoped for a monastery that shared traditions of the Holy Mountain in the common language of America. In response to this need, Father Menas departed Saint Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery in Florence, Arizona, and came to the American heartland to help bring this vision to life.
𐫱 Our Patron Saint: Paul the Apostle worked to bring the faith to all nations and peoples. In this same spirit, we set out to establish our monastery using the English language. This is the background of our namesake.
𐫱 Origins in Brodhead: Our small brotherhood was established on donated land south of Madison, Wisconsin with the blessing to build an Athonite style monastery that prayerfully conducts services in the English language. This was a simple start with a beeswax candle operation.
2023
𐫱 Move to Boscobel: It became clear that a larger and better equipped site was needed to grow the kind of organized, cenobitic (common life) community we were building. We relocated two hours west, to a property near Boscobel, Wisconsin, where this vision could better take root. The land had previously been the home of a hermitage but this had been dormant for many years. Upon arriving, our brotherhood began what we now call: the Great Cleanup.
𐫱 New Creations: We began transforming the overgrown grounds and reactivated an icon business through numerous projects: purchasing an industrial laser printer, burying overhead electrical lines, removing old structures, and preparing the land for new construction.
2024
𐫱 Renewal: Restoration continued with the removal of several delipidated mobile homes and the rebuilding of a bridge over the stream that runs through the center of our land.
𐫱 Refectory start: Construction began on a two-story multi-purpose refectory and guest quarters.
2025
𐫱 Refectory finish: Construction was completed and first used for trapeza dining and overnight stays during our patronal feast day celebrations in July.
𐫱 Workshop start: Groundbreaking for our new workshop to house donated carpentry equipment and provide space for chores and icon production.
𐫱 Fruitful progress: Slowly but surely, more people are visiting and offering their talents. With God's help and your prayers, the brotherhood continues to build and be strengthened.
- Wisconsin Monks -
O Holy Apostle Paul, pray to God for us!