October 18, 2014
Wayne, WV: Diocesan Vicar Bishops lead Holy Cross Pilgrimage Weekend

On Saturday, October 4, Holy Cross Monastery in Wayne, WV, opened the celebration of its annual Pilgrimage Weekend with a moleben and procession, carrying the Cross, the monastery’s Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, and the icon and relic of Holy Great-Martyr & Healer Panteleimon from the monastery’s main church to the outdoor Chapel of the Sign. His Grace, Eastern American Diocesan vicar Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan, served the moleben and read the prayer to St. Panteleimon, praying for many of the sick and suffering by name as the clergy read the many names submitted by the assembled faithful.

After a hearty meal prepared by the sisterhood of neighboring Christ the Savior Church in Wayne, the Vigil was served in the open air under a clear but cold night sky. With the blessing of the monastery’s abbot, His Grace, Eastern American Diocesan vicar Bishop George of Mayfield, the Leavetaking of the Exaltation of the Precious & Life-Giving Cross of the Lord was celebrated one day later, so that the hymnography of the feast of the Exaltation could be sung in the presence of the Cross, embedded with a piece of the True Cross of the Lord and adorned with basil leaves grown in the monastery garden. Several priests heard the confessions of the faithful throughout Vigil, as the people stood enduring the cool temperatures, comforted by the warmth of the common prayer and rented outdoor patio heaters. After Vigil, a reception was served by local friends and benefactors for the visiting hierarch, the clergy, and all those who endured to the end of the long Vigil.

On Sunday morning, October 5, over a dozen clergy greeted Bishop Nicholas for the beginning of the Hours and Divine Liturgy, concelebrated by Bishop George and Bishop Nicholas, representing the two vicariates of the Eastern American Diocese: Mayfield and Manhattan, respectively. Under the sunny skies and surrounded by the autumn colors of the Appalachian hardwood forest, a great number of the faithful of all ages who gathered for the Liturgy received the Holy Mysteries from three chalices and listened to the homily delivered by Bishop Nicholas, who exhorted the faithful to exert themselves and take the narrow path of salvation, keeping their connection with God alive through prayer, attendance of the divine services, participation in the life of the Church, and the partaking of the Holy Mysteries.

Their Graces were co-served by monastery and visiting clergy:

- Archpriest Roman Star (Dean of the Central States – Patriarchal Parishes in the USA);
- Abbot Seraphim (Voepel; Deputy Abbot);
- Hieromonk Theophylact (Clapper-DeWell; Cleric, Holy Trinity Monastery – Jordanville);
- Hieromonk Alexander (Frizzell; monastery dean);
- Archpriest John Moses (Rector, All Saints of North America Mission in Natural Bridge Station, VA);
- Archpriest Onouphry Keith (Rector Emeritus, St. Nicholas Church – Fletcher, NC);
- Priest Michael Furry (Rector, St. Innocent of Alaska Bulgarian Mission – Roanoke, VA);
- Hieromonk Andrew (O’Leary; monastery cleric);
- Priest Paul Akmolin (Cleric, St. George Church – Cincinnati, OH);
- Priest Daniel Marshall (Rector, St. George Church – Cincinnati, OH);
- Priest Jonah Campbell(Rector, Christ the Savior Church – Wayne, WV);
- Priest Gabriel Weller (Rector, Holy Myrrhbearers Church – Harrisonburg, VA);
- Hieromonk Hilarion (Heagy; monastery cleric);
- Hieromonk Gabriel (Hooten; monastery cleric);
- Hierodeacon Sergius (Wilson; monastery cleric); and
- Deacon Jeremiah Davis (monastery cleric).

Also praying at the divine services were Archpriest John Dixon (rector of Holy Spirit Antiochian Church in Huntington, WV) and Priest Antony Alekseyenko (rector of St. Panteleimon Church in Minneapolis, MN).

After the hymn "Before Thy Cross" was sung a final time, Bishop George thanked Bishop Nicholas for traveling to celebrate with the monastic brotherhood, and presented the new Bishop of Manhattan with a hand-painted copy of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, beautifully framed by Damascene Gallery in memory of his first archpastoral visit to West Virginia. The Polychronion was intoned for His Holiness, Patriarch Kyrill; His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion; His Grace, Bishop George; His Grace, Bishop Nicholas; and the brethren, pilgrims, and benefactors of Holy Cross Monastery.

The faithful then departed and reassembled at the banquet hall of Holy Spirit Antiochian Church in nearby Huntington for a festal meal, prepared by Susie Roth and her family, as well as several parishioners of Holy Spirit Church.

Photos by Anton Shelepov http://www.shelantphotomuse.com/

Media Office of the Eastern American Diocese