For the first time since 2001, the candle factory at Holy Dormition Convent "Novo-Diveevo" in Nanuet, NY fired up its wax melting stoves. The sisters and their helpers have been able to produce over 11,000 candles since February.

This process has been several years in the making. The convent’s candle factory ceased operation in 2001 due to lack of personnel, and in the intervened decade and a half, the facility became a storage closet for unused items, while the equipment was slowly buried behind the detritus.

Eventually, it was resolved to reopen the factory. The sisters worked on getting sponsors to help clean the space; a new roof was put on in 2016, and a new floor followed in 2017. Sister Catherine began playing with wax and making small batches of candles by the end of the year.

With the closure of the Synodal St. Zosima Candle Factory, the sisters recognized that their work was now time-sensitive, and increased production, meeting a significant portion of the convent’s usage. Unfortunately, much of the equipment is antiquated, or else not compatible with pure wax. (The convent used to use paraffin, and many old supplies needed to be thrown away). This limits sizes which can be produced.

The sisters pray that, through the prayers of Venerable Seraphim of Sarov (the convent’s Heavenly patron), the candle factory will flourish.

In this God-pleasing endeavor, Novo-Diveevo joins its fellow diocesan monasteries – Holy Trinity in Jordanville, NY; Holy Cross in Wayne, WV; and St. Dionysios the Areopagite in St. James, NY.