"To the angel of the church of Ephesus write... He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God..." - Rev 2:2-7

It has been a great privilege to found the Sepulcher Hermitage of St. John the Theologian in his beloved city, Ephesus (Selçuk,Turkey) with the help of our generous donors.  Your help makes possible a life of prayer, and divine services, in what was once the heartland of Christianity, but now the only foothold of True Orthodoxy is our little chapel in the forgotten holy metropolis of Ephesus. 

  2024 was a wonderful year, with new discoveries of the holy places around Ephesus (see Mt. Galesion), our first pilgrims, and a deeper understanding of St. John the Theologian's significance for all of us (see The Creed as revealed by St. John the Theologian).

In order to maintain a life of prayer there, in approximately biannual visits, we do need your support. Your help provides for the travel expenses, living costs, and modest improvements of our little hermitage near St. John's tomb for two visits in spring of 2025: one short one now in March, for maintenance of the Hermitage, and a larger expedition and celebration of the feastday of St. John in May.  

The above fundraising goal also takes into account approximately $2500 necessary to publish an English translation of a book written by the Hermitage's founder, Bishop Akakije, about Ephesus and St. John the Theologian's life and basilica there. We hope to have this book in print by May 2024 so we can bring it to the US on a visit we have planned. 

We are eager to pray at this holy place once again, the earthly home and burial place not just of the friend of the Lord, St. John the Theologian, but also many other great saints, including the Holy Apostle Timothy, St. Mary Magdalene, the Seven Youths of Ephesus, and others. 

Please see the blog https://stjohnshermitage.blogspot.com/ to learn about the Hermitage. There, you can also find contact information. We would love to hear from you and, if you write to us, send you an icon of St. John and the new book about Ephesus. You can also see pictures from life at the Hermitage at https://www.instagram.com/agiostheologos/.  

Many thanks for your support, may the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John be our fervent intercessor before the Lord!