About Us
St. John in the Wilderness is a small Orthodox Christian Sanctuary devoted to Nature, Beauty, and human resilience in the face of climate change.
Our Community
We are an English language Mission of the Orthodox Church in America devoted to human theosis as eschatological, communal and consubstantial with creation. Our Sanctuary is a dwelling place for a liturgical ontology, embodied in the wilderness, and experiencing the ecological crisis as it unfolds over the generations. (For a further explanation of that, click HERE.)
Orthodox Christianity can come across as very scholarly, mysterious and abstract, but at the heart of the tradition is a full embrace of humility, simplicity, and embodiment. Many in our community are relatively new to Eastern Christianity or converts to the faith, which makes this a great place to encounter the rich paradoxical Wisdom held within this ancient faith for the first time. Come and see!
MORE ABOUT US:
Fr Nilos Nellis and M. Sheila Murray-Nellis came to be the caretakers of this breath-taking, pristine land in 2006. Those of us who come here to learn and grow and worship feel so blessed to be able come together here in communion with each other and the elements in the natural beauty of the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy.
With the help of God, we are on our way towards building an exquisite stone chapel designed by Byzantine architectural scholar Andrew Gould! In 2013 the spot for the stone chapel was excavated and in 2015 Fr. Nilos, with the blessing of OCA Archbishop Irenee, held the first Divine Liturgy here in a small chapel that had formerly been used as a weaver’s cabin just up above the house. As of 2024, the concrete foundation for the stone chapel is in place, we have stones lying in wait, we have hired a local stone mason and have even begun vertical work on one of the walls! Until the stone chapel is built we have a small but lovely temporary chapel space on the top floor above the common area of the main house. We have ten acres of gorgeous land, cabins, and all the tools necessary to continue the building up of our stone chapel and other infrastructure needed for the St John in the Wilderness mission.
We have committed members, new catechumens, and many curious visitors. We are excited to keep growing, in Christ!
Our Voices : St John in the Wilderness Blog
STEEP SLOPES AND BOAT ACCESS ONLY (Fr. Nilos Nellis)
– Building a Sanctuary for the Soul, by Suprasl’s The Meadow
FAITH IS A FEAT
– November 2025 Chapel Update, by Daniel
PRIESTS OF THE WILDERNESS
– Remembering the Future in the Great Land, by Ann
GRATITUDE FOR THE BLESSINGS
–Circling over St Nicholas, by Elisabeth
THE ONTOLOGY OF THE BRIDE
–The Wedding as the Key to Reality, by Ignatius
Other recommended reading:
Who Am I? according to St. Maximus the Confessor by Nicholas Smith, Spiritual Pilgrim
Join us
Our regular services in Birchdale are:
Divine Liturgy on Sundays (boat pickup at 9 AM) and Great Vespers on Saturdays (boat pickup at 5:30 PM)
First time visitors please contact Fr Nilos in advance for more information and to arrange for boat pickup. This can be particularly helpful for those who have never experienced an Orthodox Liturgy. In keeping with the ancient Orthodox Christian tradition, communion is limited to baptized, confessing Orthodox Christians, but all other aspects of our prayer and worship are open to all.
If you’d like to connect, we would love to hear from you. Please contact us with any questions!
our beginnings
St John in the Wilderness Orthodox Sanctuary had its beginnings – at least in terms of the land itself being involved- when Sheila and Robert Nellis (now Fr Nil and M. Sheila) felt guided and strangely compelled to make an offer on an intriguing property inside the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy after they unexpectedly walked into a real estate office in Nelson BC in 2006 while travelling through the area with their youngest son Patrick. When Fr Nil was asked the usual question “What are you looking for?” the following words spontaneously and mysteriously came through, as if “someone else carried them out of my mouth for me”:
“Do you have anything with steep slopes and boat access only?”
After a few moments of astonished silence, the real estate agent brought forward a listing that only one person had looked at and that no one had ever made an offer on: a ten acre piece of land north of Kaslo that was boat access only. Looking back through time, it seems the listing must have been lying in wait, destined to become home to what would become St John in the Wilderness Orthodox Sanctuary.
If you are curious about how the steep slopes question relates to a father-son experience on Mt Athos you’ll need to ask Fr Nil .
If you’d like to continue reading this story and learn more about us, visit the OUR STORIES webpage!
Our Location
Experience Eastern Orthodoxy in the Kootenays
St John in the Wilderness is in a remote area not easily accessible to the public; however the Anglican Church has given us the blessing to offer outreach liturgical services at the historic St Saviour’s Church in downtown Nelson, BC on the first Friday/Saturday of each month. We will have Vespers on Fridays at 6 PM and Divine Liturgy on Saturdays at 11:30 AM. See our Calendar for more details.
