September 6, 2014
Jordanville, NY: Annual Pilgrimage at Holy Trinity Monastery

A multitude of the faithful from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania marked the traditional pilgrimage to Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY on Labor Day Weekend. Rental buses ferried clergy and parishioners from New York City churches: Holy New Martyrs & Confessors of Russia in Brooklyn, and Our Lady "Unexpected Joy" on Staten Island. This weekend also coincided with the afterfeast of one of the most exalted feasts of the year: the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos – the Pascha of the Mother of God – as well as the feasts in honor of Venerable Job of Pochaev and the Holy Martyrs Florus & Laurus. For this reason, the procession and divine services, moleben, akathist, and litia were all especially spiritually uplifting.

On three o’clock on Saturday, August 30, the clergy and pilgrims gathered with icons and sang hymns to the feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, and processed from the monastery’s Holy Trinity Cathedral to Holy Dormition Church, nestled in the monastery cemetery on an adjacent hilltop.

At the church, the procession was greeted by the monastery abbot, Archimandrite Luke (Murianka), and other clergy. The much-revered, wonderworking copy of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God was taken into the church and placed next to the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God, while a large icon of St. Job was placed in the center of the church.

The clergy, led by His Grace, Eastern American Diocesan vicar Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan, served a moleben and sang the akathist to St. Job, Abbot & Wonderworker of Pochaev. The prayer rule for the penitents and for serving clergy were then read in the monastery, and many of the pilgrims confessed their sins, so that they might commune of Christ’s Holy Mysteries at the Sunday Liturgy.

On Sunday, August 31, the feast day of the Holy Martyrs Florus & Laurus, the early Liturgy was celebrated in the lower, St. Job Church, and at 9:00 o’clock the festal Divine Liturgy began, during which Hierodeacon Sylvester (Kozhin) was ordained to the priesthood.

His Grace, Bishop Nicholas, led the All-Night Vigil and festal Liturgy, co-served by diocesan clergy:

- Archimandrite Luke (Murianka; monastery abbot)
- Archpriest Serge Lukianov (diocesan secretary)
- Archpriest George Kallaur (rector of our Lady “Unexpected Joy” Church on Staten Island, NY)
- Archpriest Serafim Gan (chancellor of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops)
- Archpriest Michael Taratuchin (rector of St. John of Kronstadt Memorial Church in Utica, NY)
- Hieromonk Theophylact (Clapper-DeWell; monastery cleric)
- Archpriest Petro Kunitsky (cleric of Holy New Martyrs of Russia Church in Brooklyn, NY)
- Priest Matthew Williams (rector of St. Tikhon’s Church in Bristol, VA)
- Hieromonk Moses (Borges; monastery cleric)
- Hieromonk Gabriel (Astrahankine; monastery cleric)
- Priest Georges Machtalere (cleric of Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Luxembourg)
- Hieromonk Alexander (Riechert; rector of Sts. Sergius & Herman of Valaam Church in Atlantic Mine, MI)
- Hieromonk Sylvester (Kozhin)
- Protodeacon Joseph Jarostchuk (cleric of St. John of Kronstadt Memorial Church in Utica, NY)
- Protodeacon Alexander Jarostchuk (cleric of Holy Epiphany Church in Boston, MA)
- Deacon Victor Ganson (cleric of Holy Epiphany Church in Boston, MA)
- Deacon Andrei Psarev (monastery cleric)
- Deacon Peter Markevich (monastery cleric)
- Deacon Alexey Zhukov

Special commemorations were held during the divine services for the ever-memorable Metropolitan Laurus (Skurla, +2008), Archimandrite Flor (Vanko, +2013), and the monastery’s acolyte (ustavschik), Archimandrite Sergius (Romberg), who reposed on this day in 1992. Upon completion of the Liturgy, a moleben was served to the Most Holy Theotokos, followed by a memorial litia for the reposed First Hierarch and brethren of the monastery. Bishop Nicholas thanked Archimandrite Luke and the monastery brethren for their hospitality, and all of those who in attendance for their prayerful and financial aid to the monastery.

After the luncheon, lovingly prepared by the monastery brethren, a tour of the habitation and the new Russian History Museum was organized for the pilgrims.

On Monday, September 1, the early Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Eastern American Diocesan secretary Archpriest Serge Lukianov. Once more, a multitude of pilgrims communed at the service. Upon completion of the luncheon, Fr. Serge expressed his gratitude to Fr. Luke and the brethren for their warm welcome of the pilgrims – many of whom were visiting Holy Trinity Monastery for the first time – and for the delicious meal, and noted the significance of preserving this longtime tradition – performing the annual pilgrimage and supporting the Diasporan Lavra. Before departing for home, Fr. Serge and the pilgrims proceeded to the monastery cemetery, where they served a panihida at the grave of Brother Joseph Muñoz-Cortes.

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