Report on Orthodox Women’s Retreat 2024, Calgary, Alberta

This was my first time attending to Calgary’s Orthodox Women’s Retreat. I had heard about it only in 2020, when I was

able to take in some sessions virtually. But the Good Lord said, “Come and see”, and He is right - there is no comparison

to being there in the flesh.

Some forty women gathered at a charming retreat centre called Entheos, tucked away in an enchanted- forest setting 15

minutes west of Calgary, enjoying good fellowship, good food, and a wonderful selection of books and icons for

purchase. Participants hailed from the four western provinces, including several women who were born in Romania,

Syria, and Ukraine. We had a liturgically-rich schedule, and were served by priests from almost every Orthodox

jurisdiction in Calgary.

Fr. Phillip Eriksson, rector at St. Peter the Aleut parish in Calgary, gave the main presentation on one of the pillars of

Great Lent, The Prayer of St. Ephraim: “O Lord, Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power,

and idle talk. But grant rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to your servant. Yea, O Lord and King,

grant me to see my own transgressions and not to judge my sister or brother, for you are holy, now and ever and unto

ages of ages. Amen.”

While this Prayer is well-known to the average Orthodox Christian, many have not been exposed to its deeper meaning.

Using the wisdom of such authorities as Alexander Schmemann, Vassilios Papavassiliou, and Thomas Hopko, Fr. Phillip

parsed St. Ephraim’s Prayer into its constituent parts. He then demonstrated that each quality is a step on one of two

ladders, one of ascent and one of descent.

The first rung of decline is “sloth”, popularly understood as laziness, but more profoundly meaning lack of discernment.

Ironically, a slothful person may be extremely busy, because they lack the critical thinking to say, “No”. The positive

counterpart of sloth is “chastity”. Most people stereotype this quality as being sexually continent. However, the

pristine meaning is whole-mindedness, which makes discernment possible.

Sloth impairs vision and spirals down to “despair”, or pervasive negativity. Its opposite is “humility”, which is the ability

to see things as they truly are, and thus paves the way up to true self-knowledge.

The natural successor to the negativity of despair is “lust of power”, the desperate desire to control ourselves and

others. This ends in self-centeredness and exploitation. In the opposite direction, true self-knowledge is an affirmation

of one’s personhood, enabling one to cultivate “patience”, also understood as endurance.

The final level in the descent of the soul is “idle talk” or gossip. This is spiritual murder, for if one can’t control others,

one can always slander them. Diametrically opposed to idle talk is “love”, which is the height of all virtues.

Fr. Phillip ended his engaging presentation with these words: “The spiritual struggle of Lent and of the Christian life as a

whole is not a matter of avoiding the passions, but of mastering them.”

We also were able to enjoy a presentation about the life and glorification of St. Olga of Alaska, truly an example of love

and dedication. It has been decided that Matushka Olga will be the Patron Saint of the Women’s Retreat.

All who were present at the Retreat were touched by the good will of the organizers, the clergy, and the participants.

Personally, it was a joy to be in the presence of like-minded women who are also striving to follow Christ, having

understood each other both by what we said and what we didn’t say; we spoke the same language of Christ’s love. The

gathering was beyond simply listening to an inspired presentation. It culminated in the fellowship as members of

Christ’s Body, making and strengthening friendships that last a lifetime.

The next opportunity for such fulfilling fellowship and learning will be offered at the Orthodox Women’s Retreat from

September 19-21, 2025. May God bless it!

Respectfully submitted by Esther G. Juce, February 25, 2025