The feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos has always been celebrated in Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY with great solemnity. The Mother of God is greatly beloved by all Orthodox Christians and especially by monastics, who look to her for guidance and aid in their struggles. On Mount Athos, the "garden" of the Most Holy Virgin, she is considered the abbess of all the monasteries. In Jordanville, the brethren have a thread from the precious belt (cincture) of the Theotokos, as well as a miraculous copy of the Pochaev Icon, the Pochaev Lavra being Holy Trinity Monastery’s "mother," so to speak.

Many years ago, in the monastery, the service of the Burial of the Mother of God was served after the Vigil in the cathedral, in the cemetery Church of the Dormition. Two years ago, this practice was renewed by His Grace Luke, Bishop of Syracuse and monastery abbot; only now, it is served on the day before, the forefeast. This was also spurred on in part by the wonderful gift to the monastery by His Grace Nicholas, Bishop of Manhattan, of a beautiful shroud of the Dormition from Kiev.

This year, the Burial service was served during Matins on Thursday evening, at the end of which there was a procession with the shroud around the cathedral. During the second Kathisma, the Lamentations were chanted, much as on Holy Saturday Matins for the Lord.

For the feast itself, His Grace officiated the divine services. Vigil was served Friday evening with all of the special festal melodies being chanted. Divine Liturgy was celebrated with many faithful in attendance besides the monastics, seminarians, and neighbors. Many received Christ’s Holy Mysteries.

Upon conclusion of Liturgy, a moleben was served in the middle of the church, before the icons of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God and the festal icons. It being the feast of the cemetery chapel, after the beginning of the moleben, a procession proceeded to the cemetery with all participating, chanting hymns of the feast.

The procession was met by Archimandrite Nektarios (Harding) and the faithful who had attended Liturgy in the cemetery in honor of its patronal feast. The moleben processed around the church, stopping at all four corners for special petitions and sprinkling with holy water, which had been blessed prior to Liturgy.

The Pochaev Icon had been placed on the altar table in the cemetery church, to stay there until Saturday, September 4 when, as the beginning of the pilgrimage for the feast of Venerable Job of Pochaev, the icon was brought back down to the cathedral in procession.

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