On Sunday, September 17, the feast of Holy Prophet Moses the God-seer, the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of Holy Trinity Seminary concluded with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy in Holy Trinity Cathedral in Jordanville, NY.

Liturgy was celebrated by Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America & New York, co-served by:

• Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal & Canada
• Archbishop Iriney of Ottawa & Canada (OCA)
• Bishop Isihije of Valjevo (Serbian Patriarchate)
• Bishop Irinej of Eastern America (Serbian Patriarchate) 
• Bishop Irenei of London & Western Europe
• Bishop Luke of Syracuse, vicar of the Eastern American Diocese
• Bishop Job of Stuttgart, vicar of the Diocese of Germany, and 
• Bishop Jerome (Shaw)

Concelebrating with the hierarchs were more than 50 diocesan and guest clergy.

Liturgy was held under the aegis of the wonderworking Kursk Root and myrrh-streaming Hawaiian Iveron Icons of the Mother of God.

An expanded seminary choir sang marvelously under the direction of Deacon Nicholas Kotar. The cathedral was filled to capacity with faithful, many praying outdoors and in the lower church of St. Job of Pochaev, where a live feed was set up. 

Before Holy Communion, Archpriest Peter Perekrestov (dean of Joy of all who Sorrow Cathedral in San Francisco, CA) delivered a sermon on the Sunday Gospel reading.

Upon conclusion of Liturgy, a short moleben was served to the Most Holy Theotokos.

In his remarks, the First Hierarch greeted all those assembled with the diamond anniversary of the seminary. He stressed the important example the memory of the reposed elders of the seminary set for all, including Archbishop Averky (Taushev; +1976), Archbishop Vitaly (Maximenko; +1960), and Metropolitan Laurus (Škurla; +2008). He expressed his support to seminary rector Bishop Luke of Syracuse and ensured him of the prayers of the entire Church Abroad.

A diocesan gramota was presented to monastery laborer Marian Peko in honor of 30 years of dedicated service to the monastery and seminary. 

Bishop Isihije of Valjevo then read aloud greetings of His Holiness, Patriarch Porfirije of the Serbian Orthodox Church, which underlined the inseparable relationship of the Russian Church Abroad and the Church of Serbia.

Archpriest Igor Vyzhanov (rector of St. Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral in New York City) relayed the congratulations of His Eminence Anthony, Metropolitan of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations. 

After a fraternal meal in the monastery refectory, a group photograph of all attendees was taken in front of the cathedral.

A festal banquet was held later that evening in Cooperstown’s historic Otesaga Hotel, where interaction and congratulatory addresses continued through the evening. A Synodal gramota was presented to Bishop Luke, Dean Nicolas Schidlovsky, and the faculty of Holy Trinity Seminary on the occasion of the jubilee. 

Source: https://www.eadiocese.org/news_230918_1