September
7, 2009
Jordanville: Celebrating the Feast Day of St. Job of Pochaev in Holy
Trinity Monastery
September
5 and 6
marked the "little" feast day of Holy Trinity Monastery,
whose lower church is named in honor of St. Job of Pochaev, whose
memory is traditionally greatly celebrated at the monastery on the
Sunday of Labor Day weekend. The divine services were led by Bishop
George of Mayfield, co-served by a multitude of diocesan and monastery
clergy.
The
feast began on Saturday at 3:00 PM, when the clergy and pilgrims
gathered at Holy Trinity Cathedral. From there, all departed with a
crucession to the monastery's cemetery church to greet the Icon of the
Pochaev Mother of God. Following this, and upon returning to Holy Trinity
Cathedral, an akathist to St. Job was sung by the people, before an
icon of the Mother of God and the great God-pleaser. At 7:00 PM, after
a spiritually and physically satisfying dinner in the monastery
refectory, the All-Night Vigil was served, greatly beautified by the
singing of the monastery choir, under the direction of Hieromonk Roman
(Krassovsky).
On
Sunday, September 6, the greeting of Bishop George took place at 9:00
AM, to the mellifluous ringing of monastery bells. During the reading of the Sixth Hour, His Grace tonsured seminarian Sergei
Jakubov to the rank of reader, and during the Little Entrance awarded
Deacon Andrei Rudenko the right to wear a double orarion. Due to the
high quantity of pilgrims, the people communed from two chalices. In
his sermon, Bishop George spoke on the life of St. Job and his works,
especially the printing of books. Vladyka reminded everyone, that a
very important aspect of life at Holy Trinity Monastery is found in
the publishing of spiritual materials by the Publishing House of St.
Job (whose feast day it was) for the good of the faithful. Vladyka
herein urged the faithful to engage in spiritual reading, without
which salvation becomes much more difficult to achieve. The archpastor explained
that the Church, in the words of the ever-memorable Archbishop Nikon,
is a great Teacher, which "teaches
Her children how to live and how to die." At the end of the
Liturgy, a crucession proceeded around the cathedral.
After
the Liturgy, a bountiful luncheon was offered to all the pilgrims,
after which all were allowed to walk around the monastery, visit the
bookstore, or just sit in the shade of the trees until 4:00 PM, when a
new tombstone was blessed in the monastery cemetery for Bishop
Mitrofan (Znosko-Borovsky),
who reposed in 2002.
Photo-report
