June 2, 2015
Resaca, GA: Metropolitan Hilarion leads Patronal Feast Day of Glorious Ascension Monastery

On Thursday, May 21, the great feast of the Ascension of our Lord, His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, visited Glorious Ascension Monastery in Resaca, GA, and led the divine services for the monastery’s patronal feast day.

Co-serving His Eminence were Archimandrite Maximos (Weimar; the monastery’s administrator), Archpriest Steven Ritter, Archpriest Mark Mancuso (member of the Diocesan Council), Priest Job Watts (rector of St. Nektarios Church in Lenoir City, TN), Hieromonk Alexander (Lisnichuk; cleric of St. Mary of Egypt Church in Atlanta, GA), Priest Eugene Antonov (rector of Joy of All Who Sorrow Church in Atlanta), Priest Benedict Simpson (the monastery’s chaplain), Deacon Anton Kouznetsov (cleric of Joy of All Who Sorrow Church), and Hierodeacon Dionysios (Hatcher; cleric of Holy Cross Brotherhood in East Setauket, NY).

During the Sixth Hour, Metropolitan Hilarion tonsured Justinian Burnett a reader, who will be assigned to the monastery. At the Little Entrance, Fr. Steven was awarded the right to wear the jeweled cross, and Fr. Benedict the right to wear the nabedrennik. The day before his visit, the First Hierarch also tonsured Fr. Alexander to the Lesser Schema, renaming the new hieromonk in honor of Venerable Alexander of Svir.

Upon completion of the Liturgy, the clergy and faithful were treated to a festal luncheon organized by the monastery’s Sister Christonymphi.

Media Office of the Eastern American Diocese