March 8, 2015
Jordanville: Bishop Jerome leads Triumph of Orthodoxy Services

On Saturday, February 28, and Sunday, March 1, the first Sunday of Great Lent – the feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy – His Grace, Bishop Jerome, led the divine services in Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY.

At the Vigil service on Saturday night, the monastery church was filled to the brim with worshipers, and His Grace recalled that the chanting was "impressive, with well-trained voices singing both compositions and some unison pieces." At Divine Liturgy the following morning, Bishop Jerome was co-served by monastery and visiting clergy, totaling seven priests and five deacons.

Upon completion of the Liturgy, Bishop Jerome delivered two sermons: the first, in Russian, was on the Epistle reading, and encouraged the faithful to "know their Orthodox Faith;" the second, in English, was on the reading from the Gospel, relating to the Holy Apostle Nathaniel and the "secrets of the soul." His Grace also explained that the Rite of Orthodoxy, specifically the Rite of Anathema, is not a cursing or damning of individuals, or an expression of fanaticism, but rather emphasizing for ourselves where the teachings of the Church begin and end.

The Rite of Orthodoxy then began, read for the first time by monastery cleric Deacon Peter Markevich.

After the service, a lenten luncheon was held in the monastery refectory.

Media Office of the Eastern American Diocese