From way back, it has been the tradition of the monastery to hold a special All-People’s Feast commemorating our Venerable and God-bearing Father Job of Pochaev, the heavenly protector of our publishing efforts and also the Pochaev Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, taking advantage of the long weekend.
So it was this year that crowds of the faithful came to the monastery to spend piously their holiday. A busload of pilgrims came from our parish in Hartford, Connecticut, the parish of St. Panteleimon. Others came from all over the northeast.
At 3PM on Saturday, a Cross procession left the cathedral to go up to the cemetery chapel of the Dormition to retrieve the Pochaev Icon and bring it back to the cathedral, singing hymns of the Dormition. A moleben and Akathist were then sung to St. Job.
The usual Sunday Vigil was served with additions to the service, commemorating St. Job. A litya was served with a procession going around the church.
The next day, Vladyka Luke presided at the hierarchal liturgy in the cathedral along with the monastery clergy, while in the lower church of St. Job, an earlier liturgy was served. At the end of the services a moleben was served to St. Job with a procession around the cathedral.
This was followed by trapeza which was open to all of the pilgrims. The next day, Labor Day, Vladyka again served a hierarchal liturgy for the benefit of the pilgrims.
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