Don Lattin

Three copper domes glisten in the midday sun. Across the canyon are cliffs peppered with caves that once sheltered the early disciples of St Sabas, the fifth-century monk who founded this spectacular desert sanctuary. Approaching the monastery by foot, visitors are confronted with an imposing stone wall. Over the centuries, it has been built and rebuilt to ward off invading hordes of marauding infidels. The only entrance into the complex is a small but sturdy door, painted bright blue. Only a handful of Greek Orthodox monks remain at the monastery. But the one who opened the blue door on a bright winter day happened to be an Orthodox convert from San Francisco.

His name is Father Lazarus. He grew up in Connecticut and came to California when he was 18 to study psychology in Santa Cruz. It was 1979, and he soon found himself drifting in a spiritual direction. Raised by Roman Catholic parents, he dabbled in Eastern mysticism but was soon introduced to Orthodox Christianity by a friend. He traces his conversion to the moment he first walked into the onion-domed wonder of the Holy Virgin Russian Orthodox Cathedral in San Francisco. “I felt a sense of peace come over me. It penetrated deep into my soul,” he said. “I’d gotten tired of the worldly life of a student and started searching for truth and holiness.” Lazarus (he’ll give no other name) stood in the kitchen at Mar Saba, preparing a cup of thick Greek coffee for two guests. — Beliefnet.com