The two-day celebration of Pentecost and Holy Spirit Day at Holy Trinity Seminary & Monastery in Jordanville, NY, on June 15-17 included significant personal moments for one current seminarian and two alumni.

During the Sixth Hour preceding the festal hierarchal Liturgy for Pentecost on Sunday, June 16, His Grace, Bishop Luke, tonsured seminarian Ananias Ananievski from Australia as a reader. God-willing, Reader Ananias will transfer this fall from the seminary’s undergraduate degree program to the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program.

At the Little Entrance, His Grace elevated Deacon Peter Markevich to the rank of protodeacon in recognition of his dedicated service to the Church. Fr. Peter graduated with the seminary’s Bachelor of Theology (B.Th.) with the Class of 2013. In addition, he serves on the faculty of the seminary as part-time lecturer in Liturgics and works for Holy Trinity Publications as Sales & Marketing Manager.

Holy Spirit Day, the patronal feast of the monastery and seminary, customarily draws many visiting clergy and pilgrims to Jordanville, after they celebrate Pentecost Sunday in their home parishes. On Monday, June 17, 30 priests and 16 deacons greeted Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal & Canada who, along with Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan, joined Bishop Luke for the hierarchal Divine Liturgy. This year was particularly festive, marking the 50th anniversary of the ordination of Protodeacon Joseph Jarostchuk to the diaconate.

Fr. Joseph graduated from the Seminary’s Bachelor of Theology (B.Th.) with the Class of 1964. Assigned to St. John of Kronstadt Memorial Church in nearby Utica, NY, he has been a beloved, regular, and dependable presence at Holy Trinity Monastery for various liturgical services for all 50 of his years of service.

In recognition of that milestone, the bishops, clergy, and some laity of the Eastern American Diocese gave Fr. Joseph new green and blue vestments, a purple kamilavka, and a large hand-painted icon of the Mother of God from the Kiev Caves Lavra. The excess of donations was donated to the St. John of Kronstadt Memorial Fund in Utica in honor of Fr. Joseph and Matushka Irina.

The commemorative gifts continued. The ROCOR Synod of Bishops also bestowed upon Fr. Joseph the Order of the Kursk Mother of God, 2nd Class. The EAD awarded Matushka Irina a diocesan gramota for her diligent service to the Church. Holy Trinity Monastery gave the Jarostchuks a beautiful icon of the Mother of God, and Camp NORR gave them a commemorative plaque.

A reception in the Protopresbyter Valery Lukianov Hall in the Seminary building followed the luncheon in the refectory that had been organized by Fr. Joseph’s family, including his three sons: Protodeacon Alexander, Reader Basil, and Reader Ilia. Besides the exquisite food and drink, attendees enjoyed a slideshow of photos spanning Protodeacon Joseph’s 50 years of diaconal service.