Holy Myrrhbearers Monastery

Otego, New York

Welcome!

Please continue scrolling down this page, and then start touring by clicking on the links or the buttons above.  Click on "thumbnails" throughout our website to see larger pictures.

Founded in 1977, we are a monastic community for women of the Orthodox Church in America.  We have been situated since 1983 in Otsego County in the scenic upper-Catskill region of New York State.  We are members of the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce and are honored to be part of Central New York's "Leatherstocking Country."

Please follow the links here to find out more about the Orthodox Church, Our Monastery and its daily life:  Monastery Icons, our publications, including Essays & Notes and our work at Zoar Farms.  We also include responses to some Frequently Asked Questions:  FAQs  And links to two wonderful Orthodox philanthropic organizations: International Orthodox Christian Charities  and The Virginia Farah Foundation 

Twice a year we host Pilgrimage Days: Our Patronal Feast of the Myrrhbearers on the second weekend after Pascha and our Fall Pilgrimage on the second Saturday of October. For more information, see: Monastery Events  Update 10/16/2008: FALL PILGRIMAGE REPORT! Click here: 2008 Pilgrimages

Click below on the thumbnail photo to see the full-sized picture of the Monastery's icon of our patrons, the Holy Myrrhbearers

The Myrrhbearers are the women who went to the Tomb of Christ carrying myrrh and other spices to anoint His dead body.  On finding instead an empty tomb, they were the first to preach the Resurrection.  In the Orthodox Church they are called "Apostles to the Apostles; the First Preachers of the Resurrection."

Within the monastery's framework of daily liturgical and personal prayer, we work as farmers, artists and craftsmen.  We offer the result of our own labors, here and in our regular catalog that goes out through the regular mail once a year.   If you would like to receive our regular mail catalog (as well as our newsletters) and are not already on our mailing list, send us your address by clicking here: Myrrhbearers@aol.com   

We also offer a few selected items that are not products of our monastery or farm, such as the embroideries from Palestine listed below and recordings of liturgical music.  Some are offered only through this  Online Catalog.  

CLICK HERE FOR OUR: New Christmas Card 2008  

We are honored to present the beautiful embroidery done by the Orthodox Christian women working with Melia Art and Training Center of the Arab Orthodox Society, Jerusalem.  CLICK HERE: Embroidery from Palestine 

For profiles of Four of the Women Who Embroider for the Melia Center of the Arab Orthodox Society of Jerusalem: Arab Orthodox Society  To order a CD with the story of the Arab Orthodox Society and their amazing outreach to their own people, click here: AOS Slide Show

Updated daily: The menaion texts for Vespers.  Click here: Liturgical Texts.  

Would you  like to know what the weather is like in Otego?  Click here: Otsdawa, Otego Forecast 

Please click on this small picture of Maude, our most photogenic sheep, to see the full-sized photo.)