On Monday, March 30, in the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York City, Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal & Canada and Bishop Jerome (Shaw) officiated the funeral service for Isaiah Trofimenko, a singer in the Hierarchical choir, who reposed on March 23.

Serving alongside the hierarchs were: Archpriests Serafim Gan (chancellor of the Synod of Bishops), Andrei Sommer (cathedral dean), George Zelenin (rector of St. Michael Church in Wayne, NJ), and Paul Ivanov (rector of Holy Myrrhbearers Church in Brooklyn, NY), Protodeacons Serge Arlievsky (cathedral cleric) and Eugene Kallaur (cleric of St. Seraphim Memorial Church in Sea Cliff, NY), and Deacon Stefan Stoyanov (cleric of St. Panteleimon Skete in Coconut Creek, FL).

An expanded choir sang at the service under the direction of conductor Vadim S. Gan.

The church was filled with all those who knew and loved Isaiah – family members, close friends, fellow singers, and musical colleagues.

Fr. George Zelenin, uncle of the departed, thanked everyone who had gathered to pray for the repose of the soul of Isaiah – a son, brother, singer, and assistant choirmaster at the Cathedral of the Sign. In his eulogy, he said, in part:

"We who stand nearby – even in those closest to us – can never know with absolute certainty what is truly taking place within the heart of the one dearest to us…

"A very close friend of ours – when she learned of this death permitted by God’s will (at a time when we did not yet know all the circumstances) – identified the cause with absolute precision. I believe that it was not merely her experience that revealed this to her, but rather that deep intuition one possesses when one truly feels another person and can understand them instantly.

"She said: ‘It is a silent killer.’ Her words struck me deeply. Perhaps this ‘silent killer’ stands right beside us; then, suddenly, the Judge arrives – and only by certain signs can we begin to grasp what lies behind this profound mystery of one being summoned.

"I had no words of consolation for Ksenia – Isaiah’s mother – when we served the panihida. What words of comfort could possibly suffice for a mother? The only thing one can do is point her to the Mother of God: she, too, endured the death of her Son; therefore, it is to her that one must turn during life’s most terrible moments. It is only in her that true consolation can be found.

"But a few moments later, Ksenia – having reflected on Isaiah’s final day, his final hours – spoke words to me that were truly profound. She said that his last day had been spent immersed in the very essence of his life: the morning began with church, followed by a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and then came a meeting and preparations for a concert at Carnegie Hall. He met with his accompanists, and together they discussed upcoming plans. And all of this took place while the day was further warmed by the company of a person for whom he harbored the tenderest and warmest of feelings.

"In other words, effectively, it was one of the happiest days of his life. And in this, one can discern a kind and benevolent sign from God. He granted him this final day of his life – and only the Lord knew that a silent killer already stood at the door. Why did the Lord not stop it? In this lies a ‘great mystery.’ We do not know. We can only accept it with humility…

"I recall my very first meeting with Isaiah – I first met him when he was, perhaps, a year and a half or two years old. Metropolitan Hilarion had brought me to Jordanville. What struck me at the time was that they lived in a very modest apartment in Herkimer. Isaiah’s father, Oleg, was studying at the seminary then, and Ksenia, Valeria, and Isaiah were living in a tiny apartment. The walls were white – or rather, they were white up high; for at the eye-level of a one-and-a-half-year-old child, they were covered in drawings made with felt-tip pens and crayons. And what a blessing it was that his parents understood this, that they allowed their child to be creative!

"How does one nurture a creative spirit? How does one raise an artist? I offer no prescriptions to anyone, but remember this: a child must grow up feeling – and knowing – that he is a creator. When the great King Solomon was building his Temple, whom did he entrust with overseeing its construction? Not architects, not engineers, but musicians! For he understood how vital it is to sense the harmony of this world, and to touch that harmony. And who, if not musicians, feels it so deeply? How does one nurture a musician? How does one raise a human being who possesses such a sense of harmony?

"Now, he is about to embark upon a different kind of encounter. And in these moments, I wish for his family and loved ones to heed the words of the Apostle: ‘Sorrow not.’ Although, in truth, that is all but impossible, we know with Whom he is meeting now. We know that this life, compressed into fewer than 37 years, was leading him toward salvation. And that is the ultimate goal of every human being. I believe, and I pray, that this salvation has indeed come to pass.

"And forgive us. Forgive us for not having given you enough love and attention. It is only now that we begin to truly appreciate just how much that mattered."

That same day, Isaiah was laid to rest at the cemetery at Novo-Diveevo Convent in Nanuet, NY.