The feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is celebrated very solemnly in Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY. In recent years, the Burial of the Mother of God has been added to the monastery typicon. His Grace Luke, Bishop of Syracuse and abbot of the monastery, instituted the practice of celebrating the Burial Rite. In Russia, there were different practices of how to commemorate this event. Ultimately, the monastery decided to perform this service on the Eve, or the Forefeast, of the Dormition, August 14/27.

On Friday evening, August 26, during the chanting of "The Lord is God…" at Matins, His Grace censed the Burial Shroud of the Mother of God, which had been previously placed on the altar table. As the troparion was chanted, the Shroud was brought to by the celebrating clergy and placed on the tomb which had previously been placed in the center of the cathedral.

Subsequently, the Praises were chanted, as is similarly done during the Matins service for Holy Saturday. Later, at the conclusion of the chanting of the Great Doxology, the Shroud was carried around the church, symbolizing the Burial of the Mother of God.

The following morning, Bishop Luke celebrated the Divine Liturgy, co-served by monastery clergy.

On the feast itself, special hymns are chanted to glorify the Most-Pure Holy Virgin in her Dormition.

It has been the practice for many years to serve two All-Night Vigils simultaneously in English in the cemetery chapel, which is dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos, and in Slavonic in Holy Trinity Cathedral. Holy water is blessed according to tradition, it being a major feast day of the Church.

On Sunday morning, the day of the feast itself, Divine Liturgy was celebrated in English in the cemetery chapel. Meanwhile, Bishop Luke celebrated Liturgy in the cathedral, co-served by monastery clergy. Many pilgrims were in attendance, most of whom communed of Christ’s Holy Mysteries.

Upon conclusion of Liturgy, a moleben to the Most Holy Mother of God commenced, and in procession to the cemetery church, the Pochaev Icon of the Holy Virgin Mary was carried by the clergy, with the choir chanting hymns of the Dormition, accompanied by the peal of bells.

At the same time, the faithful in attendance at the Liturgy in the cemetery chapel awaited the procession also with the ringing of bells. The moleben continued around the chapel, as the clergy blessed the faithful with holy water.

At the end of the moleben, the Pochaev Icon, an exact copy of the original wonderworking Pochaev Icon in Ukraine, was placed on the altar table, to remain there until the following weekend, when the monastery has its annual celebration of Venerable Job of Pochaev and the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God.

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