The Celebration of Pentecost in Jordanville

Pentecost is the feast day of the "Lavra" (large monastery) of the Church Abroad, Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY. Every year during the days of Pentecost (the first three days of the Holy Pentecost), Orthodox people come from many regions of America and Canada, as well as other corners of the Russian diaspora, even the Holy Land and Australia. This year the celebration was on Sunday, 23 June until Tuesday the 25th and was marked by a special ceremonious spirit thanks to the officiating of the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus, Superior of the Monastery and the Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary.

Pious pilgrims began to assemble as early as two days before the start of the celebrations. On the Saturday before Pentecost, a universal commemorative Liturgy was performed at the Dormition Church at the cemetery with a panikhida for all who had died before. That evening, there were Little Vespers with the prayer rule of preparation for Communion for those serving and those preparing for confession, during which a steady stream of churchgoers made confesseion to the spiritual fathers of the Monastery, Archimandrite Luke and Heguman George. All-night Vigil on the eve of Pentecost began at 7 p.m., after an evening trapeza. The main cathedral monastery, consecrated in the Name of the Life-Giving Trinity, was adorned with greenery and flowers by the monks. Two kliroses sang during service: the choirs of the monastery and of the seminary, under the direction of Hieromonk Roman (Krassovsky) and Brother Mark Grebinka. The litany of the feast, which was performed outside before the doors to the church, was headed by the Abba of the Monastery himself--Metropolitan Laurus. During the litany and the multiple singing of "Lord have mercy," all the worshipers, in the Jordanville tradition, circled the cathedral and returned inside for the blessing of the loaves. An especially ceremonious moment of the service began when, during the singing of the aposticha, the hieromonk-director emerged and directed all to sing "O Heavenly King," and the people as one sang the moving hymn to the Holy Spirit, which had not been heard in church since Great Saturday. The other special moment of the All-night Vigil was the inspiring singing of the inspiring "Praise the Name of the Lord" by G. Lvovsky, during which both choirs joined, and also, the singing by the clergy of the glorification of the Most-Holy Trinity. Vigil ended at eleven o'clock (because the kathisma was shortened for the benefit of the tired pilgrims) with a great pealing of the monastery bells.

On Sunday (the first day of Pentecost), at six o'clock in the morning, two hieromonks, with the aid of two deacons, served an early liturgy in the lower church of St. Job of Pochaev. Despite the early time of day, the church was overfilled with worshipers. The later liturgy, scheduled for 9:00 a.m., began with a grand pealing of all the bells, ringing throughout the whole area of the monastery, heard for miles around. The Metropolitan was greeted by about 15 clergy from among the monastics and visitors, with a splendid singing of “Rejoice, O Queen!" by the unified choirs. At the Minor Entrance, Priest Nikita Grigoriev, an alumnus and now teacher at Holy Trinity Seminary, was awarded the kamilavka. When the moment to sing the Creed arrived, the monastic choir descended from the kliros and joined the worshipers, gathering at the center around the cathedra. The singing of the Creed by the whole church, and then of the entire Eucharistic canon, imparted a sense of unity of spirit and conciliarity (sobornost’) to the service. The church was filled on this magnificent day, and the Eucharist was administered from two chalices.

At the end of liturgy, Vladyka Metropolitan congratulated all the worshipers and gave a sermon on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, noting that obtaining them could only be achieved within the Church. Liturgy was followed by vespers with the reading of the Kneeling Prayers.

After the services, which only ended at two o'clock in the afternoon, the pilgrims were offered a festive trapeza, for which additional tables were set up in the building across the street. By evening of the first day of Pentecost, the ringing of the bells once more gathered the flock to the church for Little Compline, during which Metropolitan Laurus read the canon to the Holy Spirit. An evening trapeza was offered afterwards, and then the Matins for the Day of the Holy Spirit. It was that following day, the second day of Pentecost, that Holy Trinity monastery celebrates its feast day. In honor of this, a minor blessing of the waters was scheduled at 7 a.m. the following day, when the whole Cathedral of the Holy Trinity was sprinkled with holy water. The hierarchal Divine Liturgy commenced at 9 o'clock. Metropolitan Laurus officiated, and was joined by Bishop Michael of Boston. Despite the fact that it was a Monday, a large portion of the pilgrims remained at the monastery and the church was once again filled. The clergy included 13 priests and 6 deacons, among whom were mitred Protopriests Roman Lukianov and John Sorochka, Hegumen Andronik (Kotlyarov) from the Holy Land and Protopriest Gregory Kotliaroff, who on that day celebrated the 20th anniversary of his priesthood.
The ceremonial service, through the efforts of the participants, was grand and orderly. Bishop Michael, in his sermon, remembered the words of Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of blessed memory, calling all to unity, and emphasizing that it is in conciliarity (sobornost') that the Holy Spirit acts. After liturgy a series of "Many Years'" was sung to Metropolitan Laurus and the Synod of Bishops, the brethren of the Holy Trinity Monastery and all Orthodox Christians. By the Mercy of God, the weather permitted a Procession of the Cross, with prayers of supplication around the Holy Trinity Cathedral, which is the usual practice on feast days. (It is worth noting that the good, sunny weather the Lord sent continued through all three days of Pentecost).
At the end of the trapeza, Vladyka Metropolitan enumerated the many calls and letters he had received congratulating the Monastery on it feast day, from bishops, clergymen and laymen of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and from all points on the globe, including Russia, Australia, Argentina, Brazil and the Holy Land. The Superior of the Monastery himself added his congratulations to the brethren, wishing them to always live and labor to the Glory of God.

That evening in the cathedral, vespers and matins were served for the third day of Pentecost, with the polyeleos in honor of the holy Apostles Bartholomew and Varnava, and on Tuesday morning another hierarchal Divine Liturgy was performed with three attending bishops: Metropolitan Laurus, Bishop Michael and Bishop Gabriel. Subdeacon Seraphim Chemodakov, a graduate of the Seminary, was ordained a deacon. His Grace Bishop Gabriel read a sermon calling all faithful, in these difficult times, to kindle the Grace of the Holy Spirit within themselves through the frequent partaking of the Holy Mysteries. At the end of service, after the greeting of the newly-ordained Deacon Seraphim by Metropolitan Laurus, “Many Years” was sung to the new cleric. At the trapeza that followed, Vladyka Metropolitan announced that with God’s help, the ceremonies of Pentecost are ending and that the usual monastic order of life is to resume. And so ended the Pentecostal days in Jordanville. Glory to God, worshipped in His Trinity!

Reader Vitaly Efimenkov