On Wednesday the 4th and Thursday the 5th of August, the clergy and faithful of Our Lady of Pochaev Church in North Port, FL celebrated their patronal feast day. On the eve of the feast, the All-Night Vigil and litia were served.

The blessing of the water was performed prior to the start of Liturgy on Thursday morning. Priest Mikhail Mikhailenko (cleric of St. Vladimir Church in Miami) then celebrated Divine Liturgy, co-served by parish rector Archimandrite Stefan (Khilchuk), Priest Daniel Sobolev (cleric of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA), and parish cleric Hieromonk Arkadii (Polishchuk).

Also praying in church was Nun Natalia from Novo-Diveevo Convent in Nanuet, NY.

Upon completion of Liturgy, Fr. Mikhail greeted everyone with the feast, and in his sermon spoke about the deep significance of venerating the Mother of God in the Orthodox Church.

The festal celebrations concluded with a joint luncheon and brotherly interaction.

One of the most important aspects of this year’s feast was that the deputy abbot of Pochaev Lavra, Metropolitan Vladimir of Pochaev, presented the parish with a "footprint" of the Mother of God in brocade, which had been blessed on the actual footprint of the Theotokos in the Lavra.

Everyone present thanked God and the Mother of God for the great mercies and gifts bestowed upon the new parish community.