ABSTRACT
This chapter studies a Finnish lay monastic community based on material gathered through participant observation and interviews. The community is led by a charismatic nun and frequented mostly by women who have converted to Orthodoxy from Lutheranism. The analysis shows that the community’s activities are geared to support and facilitate the gradual mastering of an Orthodox lifestyle. According to the authors, the position of the community on the borders of the parish and other church institutions helps to constitute it as an egalitarian and “safe” space where conventional gender roles can be broadened and reinterpreted.
