On Saturday the 26th and Sunday the 27th of May, the great feast of Holy Pentecost, Eastern American Diocesan vicar Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan paid an archpastoral visit to Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY, where he led the divine services for the monastery’s patronal feast day.

Although the monastery – popularly known as the "Diasporan Lavra" – is dedicated to the Most Holy Trinity, the patronal feast day is celebrated the following Monday, on the Day of the Holy Spirit. This permits more clergy to attend after serving for Pentecost in their own parishes, and this year – as the feast coincided with the civil holiday of Memorial Day – hundreds of pilgrims were able to be in attendance, as well.

On the Saturday morning, according to the rubrics, services were held to commemorate the departed (Pentecostal Soul Saturday). In keeping with monastery tradition, Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the cemetery Church of the Dormition, which is also dedicated to the Holy Royal Martyrs. Since the church is rather small, the faithful stood also in front of the church with its doors open. Following the service, a general panihida was served, in which all of the commemoration books kept in the altar of the cathedral were read.

That evening, the All-Night Vigil in Holy Trinity Cathedral was served with special solemnity. The Litia was served outside with a procession circling the church, with stops on all four sides for the prescribed litanies.

The following morning, early Liturgy was celebrated in the lower St. Job of Pochaev Church, followed by hierarchal Liturgy. Bishop Nicholas was greeted at the entrance to the catehdral by monastery and visiting clergy. Divine Liturgy was also sung by two choirs antiphonally, on the left and right kliroi. This gave a more solemn and traditional monastic spirit to the services, and the brethren expressed their gratitude to the many young men from neighboring parishes who joined their voices in prayer.

Over two hundred of the faithful received of Christ’s Holy Mysteries. Archpriest Peter Heers (professor at Holy Trinity Seminary) delivered a moving sermon on the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Orthodox Christian.

Following Liturgy and the Great Vespers service with the Pentecost Kneeling Prayers, all proceeded to the traditional monastery luncheon of borscht, buckwheat kasha, and tuna and macaroni salad.

That evening, Small Compline was served with the reading of the Canon to the Holy Spirit, and the following morning, the Lesser Blessing of Water was performed before the celebration of Divine Liturgy. The festal divine services concluded with a moleben to the Most Holy Trinity with a procession around the cathedral.