On February 11-12, 2009, Holy Trinity Seminary faculty and seminarians, together with the brotherhood of Holy Trinity Monastery, celebrated the feast of the Three Hierarchs, Sts. Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, the heavenly protectors of the Seminary. This year the seminarians were honored with the presence of three Hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, all of whom are alumni of Holy Trinity Seminary – His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, who presided over the festive services; His Grace, Bishop Peter of Cleveland; and His Grace, Bishop George of Mayfield.

During the Vigil, as well as during Divine Liturgy, large parts of the services were read and chanted in Greek. Students were actively involved in the service, serving in the altar, as well as reading and chanting in Greek on kliros under the direction of Hieromonk Cyprian (Alexandrou), Dean of Students and Instructor of New Testament Greek. During the Divine Liturgy, His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, ordained Deacon Alexei Pjawka, Instructor of Church-Slavonic and Russian History at Holy Trinity Seminary, to the Holy Priesthood. Following the Divine Liturgy, a moleben was served to the Three Hierarchs.

After the Divine Liturgy and a meal in the Monastery refectory, faculty, students, and guests gathered for the traditional reception in the Seminary hall. Archimandrite Luke, Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary, opened the reception by introducing guests and thanking them for joining the seminary celebration. His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, addressed the audience with his reflections on the modern challenges of the Church life, his recent participation in the elections of the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, and the life of the Russian Orthodox Church in Australia, encouraging all present for more effort and endurance amidst the temptations of modern life. His Grace, Bishop Peter of Cleveland supplemented the speech of Metropolitan with his impressions of his presence at the patriarchal elections in Moscow, and offered some general comments and observations on life in present day Russia.

Official greetings had been received from Archbishop Evgeny of Vereia, Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary; from the Synodal office in New York a greeting from Bishop Gabriel, Bishop Jerome, Archpriest Andrei Sommer, Archpriest Seraphim Gan, readers Isaac Lambertson, Vladimir Barros, and Eugene Hrihoriak, and from Archpriest Vladimir Vorobiev, Rector of St. Tikhon’s Orthodox University in Moscow.

Archpriest Peter Perekrestov, visiting from San Francisco, presented the Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary, Archimandrite Luke with relics of the New Martyr Fr. Alexei Mechev.

Scholarships from the Koulaeff Fund were awarded to Dmitrii Kiselev, Vladimir Kulik, Nicholas Lochmatow, Fr. Rodion Aragon, and Ivan Denisenko. The Metropolitan Philaret scholarship was awarded to third year seminarian Maksim Abroskin. The Holy Trinity Seminary Scholarship was awarded to fifth year seminarians Arsenii Mikhalev, Vladimir Davydov, Vladimir Nedelkin, Georgii Kaplanov, Sergei Jakubov and Nikolai Fedkiv, and to fourth year seminarians Alexander Ivanov and Sergio Silva. The Helen Smerznak scholarship was awarded to first year seminarian Matthew Romanchak and fourth year seminarian Petr Petrishin.

Special thanks are due above all to Metropolitan Hilarion, Bishop Peter and Bishop George for taking time out of their busy schedules to come and pray with the seminarians on their feast day, to Hieromonk Cyprian (Alexandrou), who led the choir during parts of the service chanted in Greek, and to the students who prepared the reception. The Seminary wishes to express its gratitude and appreciation to all foundations and donors, who provide the necessary and much needed funds for the students to conduct their studies at Holy Trinity Seminary, in particular we wish to thank the Metropolitan Philaret Fund and Matushka Nadia Mokhova, the Ivan Koulaeff Fund, and Helen Smerznak for their generous support.