Jordanville, NY—The Russian History Museum is thrilled to announce the completion of a major digitization project, now accessible through the New York Heritage Digital Collections website. 358 historical photographs documenting the life and work of the Brotherhood of St. Job of Pochaev at their monastery in Ladomirová have been digitized and are now available to the public.

Vladyka Luke reminded us that in a special way, the feast of the Archangel Michael and all the Bodiless Hosts is a feast for all of us, as our Guardian Angels are commemorated on this day.  Vladyka has also emphasized that we need to turn to our guardian angels more frequently for help in our path to salvation and to avoid temptations.

The latest slanderous and misleading attacks on our bishops and flock are particularly disturbing to me, considering that my grandparents came to America having endured nearly three hundred years of persecution  under Austrian- Hungarian rule. They were able to  freely practice their Orthodox Christian Faith in the United States with my father having fought for this country on Iwo Jima.

In the past two years, Holy Trinity Monastery has addressed the important work of restoring its church cupolas and outdoor mosaics. This work has been met with considerable obstacles and financial difficulties. Most notably, one cupola was accidently taken down and the installation fee of two mosaics were estimated to cost as much as the mosaics themselves.

On October 31, 1997, the guardian of the Montreal Myrrh-streaming Iveron Icon of the Mother of God was brutally murdered in Athens, Greece.  Every year on the anniversary, the St. John the Baptist Parish of ROCOR in Washington, DC organizes a pilgrimage to the monastery to have memorial services at his grave.  

When Rassophore Monk Mark Murianka was tonsured into the Small Schema, he was given the name of Luke, after the Apostle and Evangellist Luke, with the hope that he would emulate his new saint writing icons.  The future Bishop Luke did paint icons.  However, as time went on, he had less and less time to devote to this, but he did fulfill other attributes of his saint up until this date by being a successor of the apostles, evangelizing countless new converts to Orthodoxy, by being a healer of souls and educating his flock, specifically monastics and seminarians at the Holy Trinity Monastery and Seminary.

One of the most loved feasts of the Russian Orthodox Church is that of the Protection of the Theotokos.  This feast commemorates when the Most Holy Virgin appeared in Her church in Blachernae in Constantinople to the people, who were keeping vigil, praying for Her protection against the Scythian tribes, which were attacking the imperial city.

23 September/October 6 2025 The Conception of Saint John the Baptist

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Issues concerning abortion and contraception are of continuing pastoral concern. We have addressed the issue of abortion here. The question of contraception also needs clarity. Therefore, we offer this book by Priestmonk Kosmas, which has the blessing of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand and my endorsement. Included below is a statement from Archpriest Gregory Naumenko (Lecturer Emeritus) who for many years taught Pastoral Theology at Holy Trinity Seminary.

The Lord protect and save us!

+ Bishop Luke

Abbot of Holy Trinity Monastery

Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary

Among the many precious relics that the monastery has been blessed to have in safekeeping is a piece of the Life-Giving and Precious Cross of the Lord.  This relic is contained in a pectoral cross which belonged to the ever-memorable Archbishop Averky, the well-known former abbot bishop of the Holy Trinity Monastery.  This cross in contained within a larger cross, which is kept in the sanctuary of the cathedral of the monastery and brought out for certain feasts of the Cross.

His Grace Bishop Luke officiated at the Divine Liturgy today together with the monastery and seminary clergy.  During the Hours, Vladyka tonsured the 3rd Year seminarian, Thomas Lyall, to be a Reader.  We congratulate Reader Thomas, along with his wife Stefani and their two children, John and Isidore.  May he continue with zeal in service to the Holy Church.

Due to the harsh climate in our area, over the years, the cupolas suffered structural damage necessitating replacement. 

Last week the cupolas were placed on top of the cathedral church, and this accomplishes one more step of the renovation of our cathedral. We thank all our donors for your support and remind you to continue assisting us in the various projects that are yet to be completed. 

Our Lord called the Forerunner the greatest of all men that had ever lived.  And so the Holy Church celebrates several feasts connected with his life.  Although not among the twelve great feasts, nevertheless these feasts are considered among the greater feast days of the Church.

The feast of the Opening of the Relics of St. Job of Pochaev ia an important feast for the brotherhood of the Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY.  Much of our traditions are connected with the famous Lavra of St. Job of Pochaev in present-day Ukraine.  

​On the civil holiday of Labor Day, it has been our tradition to celebrate a general feast and pilgrimage  in honor of St. Job of Pochaev and the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God.  St. Job, the Pochaev Icon and the Pochaev monastery in present-day Ukraine have played a central role in the history of our monastery.  Many of our traditions come from there, and the brethren chant everyday hymns to St. Job and the Pochaev Icon, asking for their intercession.

On the afterfeast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, when the Church commemorates the Image of Christ Not Made by Hands, Bishop Luke tonsured Deacon John to the Small Schema.  He was given the name of Joseph in honor of St. Joseph the Hesychast.  Hierodeacon Joseph has joined our brotherhood, and we wish him God’s help in his monastic struggles.

The feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God is celebrated with great solemnity in the monastery.  In the recent past, Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan, now our First Hierarch, gifted the monastery with a beautiful shroud of the Falling Asleep of the Most Holy Virgin. The burial serve was served in the distant past in the cemetery church then discontinued. 

On the great feast of the Lord’s Transfiguration, His Eminence Archbishop Gabriel, presided at the Divine Liturgy along with the monastery abbot, Bishop Luke and the monastery and seminary clergy.  After the Great Entrance, Deacon Maximos from the Canadian diocese was ordained by Vladyka Gabriel to the priesthood.  Many years to Priest Maximos and his large family.

            On this day, His Grace Bishop Luke presided at the Divine Liturgy along with the monastery and seminary clergy.

On this feast, His Grace Bishop Luke served the Divine Liturgy, at the end of which there was a Cross procession to the well for a water blessing, followed by the traditional blessing of our honey then the blessing of the new crosses and cupolas for the cathedral.

The last tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, along with his family, were brutally murdered by the communists in Ekaterinburg on July 17, 1918.  The atheist and God-hating regime tried to depict him as a bloody tyrant and guilty of killing many of his subjects.

The feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul falls on June 29 (July 12 New Calendar).  It is at the end of one of the fasts prescribed by the Church, the fast of the Apostles, or the Peter Fast.  This fast is not so much just a preparation for the feast of the Holy Apostles, but a fast fixed by the Church so as to provide a time for spiritual cleansing after the great feasts of Pascha and Pentecost.

St. John (Maximovich) is a contemporary saint of the Russian Orthodox Church, and more particularly of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.  Through him, we see that the Lord does not desert us in these evil times, and we have a great intercessor for us before the Lord Almighty.

Terra-Gen Energy, a renewable energy developer, is surrounding the properties of Holy Trinity Monastery and Seminary, a National Historic Site registered on the National Register of Historic Places.
 

In 1918, at the council of the Russian Orthodox Church, it was decided to institute the feast of All of the Saints Who Shone Forth in the Russian Land.  This feast was created during the communist takeover of Russia and was for the purpose of strengthening the piety of the Russian faithful during the times of grave trails. 

The last day of the Pentecostalarion is the commemoration of All Saints, which is a reminder of the significance of cycle of the Triodion, and is the fruition of repentance, the Resurrection, the descent of the Holy Spirit, the flowering of sanctity in the Church of Christ.

As is known, Pentecost is the feast of the monastery.  On the forefeast, Trinity Saturday, the Diviine Liturgy was served in the monastery cemetery.  At the end of the Liturgy, His Grace Bishop Luke, together with the monastery clergy, served a general pannikhida, commemorating all those buried in the cemetery as well as all other reposed, whose names are prayed for in the monastery.

In the evening, the All-Night Vigil was solemnly served with a litya at the end of the Great Vespers part of the service, with a procession around the church, stopping at all sides for the petitions.  Vladyka also served the polyleos during matins.

On Sunday itself, our abbot, His Grace Bishop Luke, was greeted “with glory,” that is, the clergy processed to the main entrance of the monastery to greet our bishop and then process to the cathedral, chanting the troparion of the feast. 

During the hours, Vladyka tonsured the newly tonsured Monk Constantine, first to be a reader, then a subdeacon of the Church.  Fr. Constantine is being prepared to be an Orthodox missionary in his native Jamaica. 

At the end of Liturgy, the 9th Hour was read, whereupon Great Vespers was served, commencing with the chanting of “O Heavenly King.”  Bouquets of fresh flowers were handed out to the clergy by Vladyka.  

During this service, three special prayers are read to the Holy Trinity.  The clergy and all of the faithful are on their knees during these prayers, the first time since Holy Thursday, when kneeling in church is allowed. 

At the end of the vespers service, all were invited to the traditional Pentecost meal of the monastery

The actual patronal feast of the monastery is Holy Spirit Day, the 2nd day of the feast.  For this we had the grace of the presence and service of our First Hierarch, Metropolitan Nicholas.  He presided at the Divine Liturgy on this feast and also on the 3rd day of Holy Trinity, together with our abbot, Bishop Luke.  On Holy Spirit Day, there was a large gathering of the faithful in attendance. 

 After the consecration of the Holy Gifts, His Grace Bishop Luke ordained Subdeacon Monk Constantine to the hierodeaconate.  May the Lord come to Fr. Constantine’s aid in his new obedience to the Holy Church.

At the end of the liturgy, a moleben with prayers to the Holy Trinity was served.  Later, all were invited to the monastery luncheon, which was followed by a reception outside, during which the faithful could socialize with our hierarchs and the clergy and each other.

Forty days after His Resurrection, our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven to sit at the right hand of His Father.

On this great feast, one of the twelve major feasts of the Church, His Grace Bishop Luke served the Divine Liturgy after a festive All-Nigh Vigil.  He was joined in celebration by the monastery clergy. 

On this feast, we glorify Our Lord, Who has taken our human nature and glorified it by raising it to Heaven, to the right hand of His Father, from whence He shall come again to judge the living and the dead.

On May 16, 2025 the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad commemorated the third anniversary of the repose of the every-memorable Metropolitan Hilarion, the 6th First Hierarch of the Church.

The fourth Sunday after Pascha is the Sunday of the Paralytic.  On this day, His Grace Bishop Luke ordained to the deaconate Subdeacon Nicholas Wildman, a seminarian of our seminary graduate program.  May the Lord grant Fr. Nicholas and Matushka Rachel His great mercy and give him strength in his new obedience for the Holy Church.

On the Second Sunday of Pascha during  the liturgy, Vladyka Luke ordained to the priesthood Deacon Vyacheslav Purdik.  He will be assisting in pastoral work at the Church of St. John of Shanghai in Calgary, Alberta.

  Following the Church typicon, the monastery celebrates the first three days of Pascha as feast days with hierarchical services.  This year, His Eminence Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada joined His Grace Bishop Luke in concelebrating on Bright Tuesday with the monastery.

Western Easter coincided with Orthodox Pascha this year and precipitated a larger number of pilgrims here. Despite the long services of Holy Week, the clergy were inspired to sing the Paschal canon joyfully along with the choir.  Over 250 of the faithful and clergy received the Holy Mysteries this sacred evening,  As per tradition the Paschal Gospel reading from the first chapter of St. John, was read in Greek, English, Spanish and Church Slavonic.  This reading expresses the theological significance of the coming into the world of the Son of God.

            The fathers of our Church Abroad blessed Fr. Panteleimon to found our monastery almost one hundred years ago with the provision that we celebrate the full typicon of the Russian Orthodox Church.  Therefore, the monastery has always done its utmost to preserve the traditions of the Church concerning the divine services.  This is no different for Holy Week.  Whereas in parishes, frequently services have to be abbreviated due to the requirements of present day circumstance, in the monastery, we are able to have the spiritual enjoyment of the fullness of the Church typicon.

   Palm Sunday leads us into Holy Week, but in contrast to the somber days ahead, Palm Sunday is full of joy, as after raising Lazarus from the dead, the Lord now enters the holy city of Jerusalem to suffer His Passion and proclaim His Resurrection.

The main event of the Vigil of this feast is the blessing and distribution of pussy willows and palm branches to the faithful so we can share in this solemn  victory.

Lazarus Saturday is a joyous feast leading into Holy Week.  This year it was even more special as after the matins service, Novice David (Wood) was tonsured a rassophore monk by our abbot, Bishop Luke.   May the Lord assist him on his path to monasticism.

 It is also traditional after breakfast, following Liturgy, that the palms and pussy willow are prepared for distribution during the evening vigil for Palm Sunday.  All participate – monastics, seminarians,  parishioners, and pilgrims.  

For many recent years the monastery has had General Unction before the feast of Pascha.  Due to the long and frequent services of Holy Week, it was formerly felt to be too difficult for the monastery, but in 1988 several of the fathers of the time were visited with serious illnesses, so the ever-memorable Vladyka Laurus decided to celebrate this service. Now we serve Holy Unction the week before. 

This year as usual, the church was filled with many of the faithful, some of whom came from neighboring parishes to be able to partake of the Mystery. 

            What a wonderful opportunity for our diocesan clergy to congregate together for spiritual strengthening and mutual support during Great Lent.  These retreats have been held in various parishes.  However, last year and this year the retreats have been held on the sacred grounds of Holy Trinity Monastery, regarded by many as the spiritual center of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad.

 The traditions of Holy Trinity Monastery provide for the monastics, seminarians and all those in our local community with the opportunity to adhere to the ancient Orthodox tradition of spending the first week of Great Lent in a spiritual retreat.  All obediences are set aside, and everyone is able to attend the complete cycle of Great Lenten services.

Pravoslavnaia Rus' was a phenomenon of the Russian ecclesiastical diaspora. Founded in 1928 by then-Archimandrite (future Archbishop) Vitaly (Maximenko, 1873–1960), a Pochaev printer, the bi-weekly publication in the mid-1930s became an organ of the entire Russian Orthodox diaspora transcending “jurisdictional boundaries.” From 1928 to the present, this periodical has been published without significant interruption (except for closure by Slovak authorities during World War II and during the move from Ladomirova in Slovakia to Jordanville in America).

The feast of the Meeting of the Lord comes  as a service  of spiritual joy just before the beginning of Great Lent. This year, the feast was especially joyous as there were two ordinations.  Before the Eucharistic Canon, after the Great Entrance, Vladyka Luke ordained to the priesthood the recently-ordained Deacon John Rosner.  After the consecration of the Holy Gifts, Vladyka thereupon ordained Sub-deacon Noah Reeves to the deaconate.

This year’s seminary celebration of its patronal feast of the Three Hierarchs was especially joyous as we were blessed with the presence of the Hawaiian Myrrh-Streaming Icon of Iveron.  Added to this was the presence of three of our bishops, who thus symbolized the patron saints, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom.  Our bishops who presided at the services were His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas, His Eminence Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada and our own Bishop Luke.

This year, the two commemorations fell on the same Sunday.  Thus starts the Lenten Triodion this year.

The rubrics for the celebration of Theophany mirror those for the feast of the Lord’s Nativity.  In the ancient Church there was one feast which celebrated the Lord’s appearance into the world.  Later, the Church thought it beneficial for the faithful to celebrate these two events in sacred history separately. 

As is fitting, the Nativity of our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ is celebrated with great solemnity, adhering to all of the traditions of the Church typicon.