On Friday, October 3, nine seminarians from Holy Trinity Seminary drove the seven-hundred-mile journey to Holy Cross Monastery in West Virginia for the pilgrimage weekend following their patronal feast day, the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-giving Cross. They joined Metropolitan Hilarion and many pilgrims who had come from the Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest. All were blessed with the presence of the Myrrh-Streaming Icon of St. Anna, the Port Arthur Icon of the Mother of God, and the relics of the Holy Great-Martyr Panteleimon.

The festivities began with a procession from the Monastery Church to the outdoor chapel dedicated to the Mother of God of the Sign. The procession was immediately followed by a moleben. All the pilgrims enjoyed an outdoor supper in the sunny and mild afternoon followed by the All-night Vigil.

HTS was well represented among the servers. Metropolitan Hilarion, a graduate of HTS and brother of Holy Trintiy Monastery, officiated. Several clergymen were HTS graduates including Archimandrite George Schaefer, the spiritual father of Holy Cross Monastery, Priest Iliya Marzev, Priest Daniel Marshall, and Deacon Eugene Kallaur. Seminarians Eduardo Volkov, Sergio Silva, and Alexander Sandoval were serving with recent graduates Felipe Olivera and Dionisiy Lvov. After the service, the seminarians were invited for tea with some of the brotherhood, visiting clergy, and pilgrims.

The following morning, Liturgy was served, followed by a banquet at Beech Fork State Park. The seminarians attended and many stayed to the end to help clean up. Some of the seminarians had just come from Russia. This was their first excursion in the USA. One commented on the many Americans who approached the chalice. He was impressed to see so many Americans who had received Orthodoxy in full.

All were grateful for the warm and generous hospitality of the brotherhood of Holy Cross Monastery. One of the highlights of the trip was the opportunity to speak informally with Metropolitan Hilarion. Brothers of the monastery helped to fix one car belonging to the seminarians so they could return home safely.