On December 8 and 9, the Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary and the HTS Choir traveled to the Nativity of the Mother of God Parish in Albany, NY to participate in the Resurrectional divine services, also in honor of the great missionary St. Innocent of Irkutsk, in an effort to strengthen existing ties between the clergy and faithful of this long-established parish and Holy Trinity Monastery and Seminary.  The former rector, Mitered Archpriest Vsevolod Drobot, (HTS 1965), lived next to Holy Trinity Monastery and raised his family there.  Many of the parishioners have been regular pilgrims for many years. The new rector, Archpriest Alexis Duncan, also a graduate of Holy Trinity Seminary (1988), invited Fr. Luke and the Choir to participate in the All-Night Vigil and Divine Liturgy of that weekend. 

On Saturday evening, the HTS Choir joined with the Albany Parish’s own men’s choir to chant the All-Night Vigil antiphonally, in Church Slavonic and English.   At the Divine Liturgy, the two choirs joined together.  Fr. Luke concelebrated with Fr. Alexis and Archpriest Michael Fritz (HTS 1981), Protodeacon Michael Soloviev, who has a longstanding personal connection with Holy Trinity Monastery and Seminary, and Deacon Ephraim Willmarth(HTS 2011), Administrative Assistant of the seminary.

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, Fr. Luke presented a holy relic of St. Innocent of Irkutsk to Fr. Alexis and the parish, in hopes that their faith and labors may be strengthened through his holy prayers. 
The parish provided an excellent fasting meal for all those present.   At the end, Fr. Luke gave a presentation about the monastery and its connection to the Albany parish.  

On behalf of Holy Trinity Seminary and Monastery, we would like to thank Fr. Alexis, the clergy and faithful of the Nativity of the Mother of God Parish for their warm hospitality and show of support.