Thirty-two men from across the Diocese of New York and New Jersey met on the third weekend of September for the annual Mountain Men's Respite Retreat in the beautiful and remote Adirondack Mountains of New York. Participants came from Western New York, the far reaches of Northern New York state along the Canadian border, New York City, and New Jersey for one purpose: to spend the weekend of September 19-21 in prayer, fellowship, and fraternal love grounded upon their shared life in Christ.

The retreat was held in the same location as previous years, at the Moose River Plains region in the densely wooded heart of the Adirondack Mountain range. Although some initial campers arrived earlier in the week to mark the location and establish access to the site, the majority of the participants trickled in on Friday and departed on Sunday afternoon.  Access to the site involved navigating down a logging road, an hour’s drive off the main road, in an area without cell phone access in the remote tranquility of the mountains.

Father Martin Kraus (Holy Trinity Church - East Meadow, NY) edified the gathered brotherhood with a series of reflections delivered during the evenings and the first morning of the retreat, on the topic of “The Work of a Man of God.” Friday evening's reflection focused on “The Work of Our Hands - God’s Blessing, Not a Curse.” In this discussion, Father Martin asked the participants to consider that the vocation of work was given to man before the Fall of Adam, not after it, reminding us that even Christ worked with His hands as a tekton or craftsman. So we too should see the labors entrusted to us as a vocation from God, working on them in an honorable and Christian manner, with the emphasis being on how we can serve others. 

During Saturday morning's session, the group discussed “The Work of Our Ascesis – Denying Ourselves and Cultivating God’s Gifts.” The men were urged to courageously engage in ascetical struggles, not relying on the easy “false medicines” of lust, distractions, scrolling on the internet, overeating, or alcohol that our age offers us. Finally, the reflection on “Christ the Light in Crisis – The Cross as Our Anchor” offered on Saturday evening invited the gathered brotherhood to bear the crosses given to them, reminding them that they are not called to fix everything, but to hold fast to Christ. They were tasked with remembering that they are to be a light in times of crisis, bearing witness to the light of Christ through their patient endurance of trials and the ministry of their presence to others.

During the devotional time together in the evenings, the question-and-answer sessions held afterwards, and the spontaneous conversations that arose during the day, it became clear that the participants were serious about their spiritual life and were striving to draw closer to our Lord. Assisted by the lack of distractions from modern technology and surrounded by the beauty of nature, the men were able to enjoy God's creation and each other's company in a way that is often hard to find in our busy modern world. 

A group of the men ventured on a three-hour hike up nearby Wakely Mountain and climbed its impressive fire tower at the summit. Other men spent the time fishing for native brook trout in the Otter Creek that ran alongside the gathering of tents clustered in the trees. At night, the sounds of barred owls could be heard from nearby trees, and the absence of light pollution showed the full splendor of the stars and other heavenly bodies. Staring up at the same sky that our ancestors used to gaze upon allowed the participants to see the majesty of God's work in a way that many of them had not witnessed before. The men were also able to enjoy hearty, filling meals such as lentil stew, chili, eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns, all thanks to the work of Delbert Clement who kept the cooking fire stoked at the central meeting tent.

The retreat also included several liturgical services. Before any other tents or canopies were pitched, the organizers of the retreat made sure to establish the mobile chapel that would be used for services throughout the weekend. A temporary Altar Table, Table of Oblation, candles, icons, candlestands, censer and stand, and other liturgical implements were arranged under a folding canopy to serve as the central meeting place for the celebration of services. Although the men spent much of their days talking around the fire, fishing, wood carving, gathering firewood, or hiking, the brotherhood came together for the scheduled Divine Services, led by Fr. Martin Kraus, with singing directed by Fr. Gregory Fedorchak and Lonn Bologna. Daily Vespers was celebrated on Friday evening, and the Akathist of Thanksgiving (“Glory to God for All Things”) was sung on Saturday morning. As evening drew near on Saturday, the men gathered once again for Great Vespers, with the worship culminating on Sunday morning in the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. 

The brotherhood also celebrated a Panikhida for the departed servant of God, Onesimus Smith (Morgan in the world) - a founding member of the annual retreat who fell asleep in the Lord in 2024. The atmosphere of peace and reflection was also due in large part to the tireless work of the diocesan clergy in attendance, who made themselves available for confession, spiritual counsel, and guidance throughout the entire weekend.

The last few hours of the retreat proved bittersweet as the men packed up their tents and rucksacks and began storing equipment in their vehicles for the long ride home. Many of those gathered commented that they wished they could stay on the mountain longer, as the time spent there had been such a source of joy for them. The promise of next year's gathering gave them hope, and the bonds and memories established on the mountain would stay in their hearts as they returned to their homes. The return home is, in a sense, the last essential step that fulfills the entire purpose of the Mountain Men's Respite Retreat - to go back into the world and live as men strengthened by their encounter with the One Who loves us more than we love ourselves.