Holy Trinity Monastery and Seminary celebrate
the 40 th anniversary of Metropolitan Laurus' episcopacy

The festivities commemorating the 40 th anniversary of Metropolitan Laurus' consecration to the bishopric started on Friday, August 31 st . That day, on which the Church celebrates the memory of the Holy Martyrs Florus and Laurus, Metropolitan Laurus celebrated an early Divine Liturgy at the monastery's main church, Holy Trinity Cathedral. Co-celebrating with him were His Grace Bishop Michael of the Diocese of Geneva and Western Europe and His Grace Bishop Peter, Vicar-Bishop of the Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America as well as a number of visiting clergymen who came to honor the Metropolitan on his namesday.

On Saturday, September 1 st , an Akafist was served before the icons of the Mother of God of Pochaev and of Saint Job of Pochaev, the heavenly patrons of the Monastery. The Akafist was served by His Grace Bishop Peter and many visiting clergymen. Seminarians assisted in the altar and sang on kliros, and many pilgrims were in attendance. Later that day, Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany, and Bishop Gabriel of Manhattan, served the All-Night Vigil together with Metropolitan Laurus and the other bishops, priests and deacons.

On Sunday, September 2nd, Holy Trinity Monastery welcomed His Eminence Onuphry, Metropolitan of Chernovitsa and Bukovina and abbot of the Pochaev Lavra; and Archbishop Evgenii of Vereia, Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary, and Chair of the Synodal Educational Commission. Archbishop Evgenii has visited Holy Trinity Seminary in the past on several occasions, and has been crucial in laying the foundation for the fruitful cooperation between the Moscow Theological Academy and Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary.

The festivities at the Monastery on Labor Day Weekend also marked the restoration of brotherly communion between the two parts of the Russian Orthodox Church. On Sunday afternoon, an official delegation of the Moscow Patriarchate, led by Metropolitan Isidore of Ekaterinodar and Kuban arrived at the Monastery with the wonderworking "Reigning" Icon of the Mother of God. They were accompanied by Archimandrite Tikhon Shevkunov, prior of Sretensky Monastery, and the Sretensky Monastery Choir. An akafist was served before the Reigning Icon of the Mother of God, in which all the faithful sang and prayed together with arch-pastors, clergymen and choir. Archbishop Hilarion of Australia and New Zealand, Bishop Agapit of Stuttgart and Bishop Merkurii of Zaraisk also arrived to join Metropolitan Laurus in his anniversary celebrations.

On Monday, September 3rd, Labor Day, the Divine Liturgy was served jointly by the clergy of the Russian Church Abroad and the Moscow Patriarchate. The festivities of the entire day were dedicated to the commemoration of the 40 th anniversary of Metropolitan Laurus' episcopacy, The Liturgy was sung, jointly by the choir of Stretensky Monastery and the Holy Trinity Monastery and Seminary Choir. A great multitude of pilgrims were in attendance to join the celebrations.

The Seminary and Monastery communities are grateful to Metropolitans Isodore and Onuphry, Archbishop Evgeny, Archimandrite Tikhon, the Monastery choir of the Sretensky monastery, and all pilgrims for having joined us in celebrating this very significant anniversary celebration.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•