By the grace of God, the myrrh-streaming icon of the Mother of God, named “Softening of Evil Hearts”, arrived at Holy Trinity Monastery late on the evening of Friday, September 25th, 2009.  The day after the icon’s arrival, on the Forefeast of the Elevation of the Precious and Life-giving Cross, Archimandrite Luke and other monastery clergy served a Moleben to the Mother of God following morning Liturgy.  Saturday evening and Sunday morning, a particularly joyous Vigil and Liturgy for the Great Feast took place in the presence of the miraculous image.  On Sunday evening, Fr. Luke served a Moleben and a special Akathist to the Mother of God.  An English Akathist was served Monday evening in the monastery’s lower Church. 

A large number of faithful, both regular parishioners and visitors from the surrounding area, joined the monastic community for the weekend’s special services.  Students at the Holy Trinity Seminary had many opportunities to venerate and pray before the Icon and participated in the feast by singing and reading on kliros, serving in the altar, and preparing meals for the brotherhood and visitors.  Fr. Cyprian, the Dean of Students at Holy Trinity Seminary, blessed the Dormitory with the miraculous icon by visiting students at their rooms and singing prayers to Mother of God. The icon left the monastery on Tuesday morning, Sept. 29th following a brief moleben.

The Icon first began streaming myrrh in 1999. It was present at the Council of Bishops at Christ the Savior Church in Moscow during the election of His Holiness Kyrill as Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and streamed myrh abundantly at that time.  With the blessings of His Holiness and His Eminence Metropolitan Hillarion, it has been visiting parishes in the United States since the 18th of September. After its departure of Jordanville, the Icon will continue visiting Orthodox parishes in upstate New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, DC, and California.  It is scheduled to return to Russia on October 12th. The community of Holy Trinity Monastery and Seminary would like to thank all who made possible the visit of this miraculous Icon.