On Sunday the 18th and Monday the 19th of January, the great feast of the Theophany of our Lord, His Grace George, Bishop of Mayfield, led the divine services in Holy Cross Monastery in Wayne, WV. On Saturday morning, Theophany Eve, His Grace celebrated the Divine Liturgy, followed by Great Vespers and the Great Blessing of the Water. That evening, His Grace led the festal All-Night Vigil, after which he tonsured a new rassophore monk for the monastery: novice Theophan (Matthews).

The following morning, on the very day of the feast, His Grace celebrated the Divine Liturgy and once more performed the Blessing of the Water.

At the divine services, Bishop George was co-served by monastery clergy: deputy abbot Abbot Seraphim (Voepel), dean Hieromonk Alexander (Frizzell), Hieromonks Andrew (O’Leary), Hilarion (Heagy), and Gabriel (Hooten), Hierodeacon Sergius (Wilson), and Deacon Jeremiah Davis. Joining monastery clergy was Priest John Zboyovski (rector of Sts. Joseph & Andrew Carpatho-Russian Church in Ashville, NC), who wished to be present for the monastic tonsure of his former parishioner: Rassophore Monk Theophan.

The monastery brethren and local faithful gathered in the church to pray.

On Monday evening, after the divine services for the feast of the Synaxis of St. John the Forerunner, the vicar of the Eastern American Diocese tonsured Rassophore Monk Jason (Laiblin) to the Lesser Schema. The new monk received the name Paisios, in honor of the recently glorified Elder Paisios of Mount Athos.

On the Sunday after Theophany, January 25, Monk Paisios was tonsured a reader and then ordained a subdeacon.