On Tuesday the 8th and Wednesday the 9th of August, His Eminence Nicholas, Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, officiated the feast day celebrations of the Holy Great-Martyr and Healer Panteleimon, patron saint of Holy Cross Monastery in Wayne, WV. Clergy from local ROCOR and Antiochian parishes concelebrated, and many local and out-of-state pilgrims made the journey to prayerfully participate in the divine services.

After the conclusion of the hierarchal Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan Nicholas led the clergy and faithful in the traditional festal moleben to St. Panteleimon, wherein all those were commemorated who had asked the prayers of the saintly Healer for themselves and their loved ones. These festal molebens continue each morning for eight days.

At the end of the moleben, Metropolitan Nicholas preached powerfully about the need to emulate St. Panteleimon’s example, first of all in constantly calling upon the name of God. His Eminence reminded the brethren and faithful that many things are offered today to improve our lives, but apart from God those things can even turn out to be destructive. In all things great or small, we Christians must first call out and seek God’s help, protection, and blessing, and afterward, as we proceed forward, we will be blessed by divine grace.

Before bidding farewell to the brotherhood, the Metropolitan also walked the grounds of the construction site to see all the progress that has been made in the building of the new monastery church.