On October 18/31 the Holy Church commemorates the memory of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke.  This is the Name’s Day of our abbot, His Grace, Bishop Luke, who is also the rector of our Holy Trinity Seminary.  This year, Vladyka celebrated his first Name’s Day as a bishop.  With great joy, the brotherhood, seminary teachers and students and many neighbors and pilgrims came together to celebrate this feast day together with our dear bishop.

After the usual services of vespers and matins the afternoon before, Vladyka presided at the pontifical divine liturgy, following the midnight office, at 6AM.  Liturgy was completed with a small moleben and the traditional Many Years.  Vladyka gave the Cross to all those assembled. 

Vladyka treated all to a bountiful lunch at noon.  At the end of the meal, Igumen Theophylact, on behalf of the brotherhood and the seminary, congratulated Vladyka with his first Name’s Day as our bishop and expressed the desire that the Lord strengthen him in his many faceted obediences as our abbot, our rector, and spiritual father. 

These days it is not easy to be a true Orthodox bishop.  Vladyka spends countless hours in all the appointed church services, being a guide to both the monastics and the seminary teachers and seminarians, himself teaching in the seminary, serving all the feast day services besides serving as a priest frequent services in English for our growing English speaking community, and finding the time to counsel all of our residents, besides our many neighbors and pilgrims.  Vladyka continues in the tradition of our previous abbots, directing the community with simplicity, with spiritual strictness but full of Christian love.

Many Years to our Vladyka!