The weekend of October 10 and 11, the Kursk Icon was present in the monastery, having been brought here by His Grace, Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan, for the comfort of the monastery and the seminary, as well as the neighbors, for whom the monastery is their spiritual home.  On Saturday, after lunch, the icon was taken around to bless all of the rooms of the monastery as well as the seminary dormitory.  For some of our new seminarians, this was the first time that they had the opportunity to venerate in person this ancient holy relic of the Russian Orthodox Church.

            His Grace, Vladyka Nicholas, served the Vigil as well as the Divine Liturgy on Sunday.  Commemorated on this day were the Holy Fathers of the Kiev Caves Monastery, the birthplace of Orthodoxy in Holy Rus.’  The monastery is blessed with a large reliquary saved from the Dormition Cathedral of the monastery before it was destroyed by the Soviet power, during World War II.  In this reliquary are contained the relics of over eighty venerable fathers as well as the Holy Virgin Princess Juliana Olshansky.  At the end of the Divine Liturgy, a moleben was served to the Mother of God as well as the saints.