On Monday the 25th and Tuesday the 26th of May, the brotherhood of the Hermitage of the Holy Cross celebrated the 15th anniversary of their move to Wayne, West Virginia with a special moleben and Divine Liturgy. The monks from the Hermitage’s St. John the Theologian Skete in Hiram, OH joined the rest of the brothers in West Virginia to celebrate in unison this anniversary feast, which has become a tradition at the Hermitage.

After the arrival to the monastery of the Triumph of the Mother of God of Port Arthur Icon in 2008, the monastery began to quickly grow and thrive. The monastery’s abbot, Archimandrite Seraphim (Voepel), has always attributed this growth to the grace of the Mother of God through her Port Arthur Icon. With the blessing of the Hermitage’s former abbot, His Grace, Bishop George, a service to the Port Arthur Icon was composed by one of the Hermitage monks, and the celebration of the feast of the icon was moved in the monastery to coincide with the anniversary of the brotherhood’s move to West Virginia.

On Monday evening, an All-Night Vigil with litiya and an akathist to the Mother of God of Port Arthur was served before the Icon, with all the Hermitage brotherhood in attendance. The following morning, there was a Lesser Blessing of Water, followed by Divine Liturgy, with Fr. Seraphim serving, along with the monastic clergy. After the Liturgy, a special moleben was served, which included petitions for the monastery’s brotherhood, friends, pilgrims, and benefactors. A festal meal for all followed.