St. Anthony Monastery<\/p><\/div>
\n Sixteen high school seniors from Utah returned Sunday from a weekend-long graduation celebration. There was no partying or dancing. There was wine, just not for their imbibing.<\/p>\n

Still, the teens did experience extreme behavior — religious, that is.<\/p>\n

The pilgrims from Salt Lake City’s Greek Orthodox parish traveled to St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery in Florence, Ariz., an hour from Phoenix, to immerse themselves in monastic life.<\/p>\n

Sequestered from the stresses of modern living, the 10 boys and six girls rose each day at 2 a.m. for a three-hour worship service, worked in the kitchen and vineyards in 90-degree weather and met for small group discussions and quiet meditation. They wandered around the monastery’s 300-plus acres, dazzled by the stark beauty of the chapels, gardens, gazebos and Spanish fountains nestled among the palm trees and sagebrush.<\/p>\n