On December 27, 2011/January 9, 2012, Holy Trinity Monastery and Seminary celebrated the Third Day of the Nativity of our Lord.  Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral) officiated the Divine Liturgy.  Most of the clergy and servers were HTS graduates, including Archpriest Vsevolod Drobit, Hieromonk Seraphim (Baltic), Archpriest Michael Taratuchin, Priest Pavel Ivanov, Archdeacon Joesph Jarostchuk, Archdeacon Victor Lochmatow, and Deacon Andrei Psarev.  During the Hours, Fifth-Year seminarian Sergiy Tuygin was tonsured a reader.  Later, three priests (also graduates of HTS) received the award of the Palitsa:  Hieromonk Roman, Professor of Liturgics, Director of Right Kliros and Monastery Prosfora Baker; Hieromonk Theophylact, Professor of Biblical Archaeology and the monastery’s bookkeeper; and Archpriest Vladimir Tsurikov, Curator of Library, Museum, and Archives of Holy Trinity Seminary.

Deacon Igor Grytsina, a fourth-year seminarian, having served daily since his ordination on the feast of the Entry of the Theotokos, was ordained to the Holy Priesthood.  Father Igor will serve yet another forty days for the purpose of completely fulfilling his canonical obligation and obtaining excellent liturgical experience.

The Nativity Epistle from Patriarch Kyrill of Moscow and All Russia was read in place of a sermon. 

After the Divine Liturgy, a festal luncheon was served in the Monastery Trapeza.  Immediately following, Archimandrite Luke hosted a reception in his office.  Those in attendance sang Christmas carols, in Russian and English.

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