September 9, 2015
Jordanville, NY: Annual Labor Day Celebrations in Honor of St. Job of Pochaev were held at Holy Trinity Monastery

Every year in September, on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY triumphally celebrates the memory of its heavenly intercessor, Venerable Job of Pochaev. This year, the celebration of St. Job took place on September 5-7^th and was led by His Grace, Eastern American Diocesan vicar Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan. Pilgrims from across the Diocese traveled to Jordanville to continue the tradition of the Labor Day pilgrimage.

The festivities began on Saturday afternoon, when the monastics, clergy, and pilgrims gathered at Holy Trinity Cathedral and performed a procession to the monastery cemetery, to Holy Dormition Church, to greet a miraculous copy of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God. Upon returning to the main cathedral, the icon was greeted by Bishop Nicholas, who then led the faithful in singing the akathist to the great God-pleaser St. Job before the icons of the Pochaev Mother of God, the Kursk Root Mother of God, and St. Job. That evening, the All-Night Vigil was served.

On Sunday morning, the early Liturgy was celebrated in Holy Trinity Cathedral’s lower Church of St. Job of Pochaev. The festal Divine Liturgy in the upper church was celebrated by Bishop Nicholas, co-served by monastery and visiting clergy.

Upon completion of the Liturgy, His Grace addressed the faithful with a sermon on the Gospel reading of the day, which related the parable of the wedding feast.

"The Lord summons all of us to the wedding feast of His Son, where the Divine Liturgy is celebrated, and the Holy Gifts – the Body and Blood of Christ – offered. In order to be with Christ, we must approach this correctly, with preparedness and in a worthy manner. We must prepare for the service. This does not apply to the clergy and monastics only, but to the laity, as well. The divine services must proceed properly, worthily, and triumphally, with prayer and repentance. Confessions should be made prior to the Liturgy, not during its celebration. Prayers, canons, and akathists should be read at home, and in this way we can come to the services radiant, clad in wedding garments. Thus will we truly be great guests of our King and Lord Jesus Christ, and will take active part in the feast, that is, in the Divine Liturgy… May the Lord God help us to hear this invitation. …We find sufficient time for every worldly undertaking, so why can we not find the time to prepare for the service – to make confession, to reflect on our salvation? May the Lord God and our Heavenly intercessor Venerable Job of Pochaev, whom we especially reverence today, aid us in this. He did not merely vest himself in wedding garments, becoming a monastic athlete, but invited many others, as well, and defended the Orthodox Faith. So must we invite others, and explain to them our Faith. By our lives, by our Christian example, we can bring many to the Faith, to salvation. May the Lord God, the Most Pure Mother of God, and St. Job help us to understand, to heed this invitation, to come with joy to the wedding feast – the Divine Liturgy – and to take active part in it."

After the sermon, a moleben with a procession around the cathedral was served. After the service, on behalf of Metropolitan Hilarion, Bishop Nicholas greeted Fr. Luke and his brother clergy and all of the faithful on the occasion of the feast.

"Our First Hierarch, His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, congratulates all of you with the feast, and sends down his archpastoral blessing to you all. I thank the fathers for their participation in the Divine Meal, the singers for their hymnody, the servers for their help in the altar, and you, brothers and sisters, for your prayers. I also personally congratulate the brethren with this marvelous feast. It is always a delight for me to come here on this day, to pray, and to celebrate the Divine Liturgy. And it is so wonderful to see so many pilgrims from far and wide: from Brooklyn, New York, Boston, Canada, and even from Europe. It is so wonderful that we have all gathered here in one place to pray. Let us continue to gather in these days, and glorify Venerable Job, seeking the aid and intercession of the Mother of God, and supporting our Holy Trinity Monastery."

On behalf of the gathered pilgrims, diocesan secretary Archpriest Serge Lukianov greeted His Grace on the occasion of the feast, and thanked Fr. Luke and the brethren for their continued prayers and monastic struggles. Addressing the gathered pilgrims, Fr. Serge urged them to generously support the monastery not only with their prayers, but with alms and monetary donations. A special collection was then undertaken to help the brethren continue working on the much-needed renovations of monastery churches and buildings. Those who wish to participate can donate to the monastery directly through their official website www.jordanville.org.

A festal luncheon was served in the monastic refectory, during which the pilgrims attentively listened to readings from the Lives of the Saints. After lunch, pilgrims had an opportunity to interact with one another on the monastery grounds, where various kiosks were set up, offering handmade products from the monastery and the neighboring St. Elizabeth’s Skete.

The pilgrimage concluded with a Divine Liturgy on Monday morning, September 7, during which many of the pilgrims once again partook of Holy Communion before returning to their homes, glorifying God through His chosen wonder-worker, Ven. Job of Pochaev.

Media Office of the Eastern American Diocese