It has been the tradition of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY to take advantage of the long Labor Day weekend for the spiritual benefit of the faithful, by holding the popular celebration of the memory of Venerable Job of Pochaev together with the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God.

The traditions of the monastery in large part hark back to the Pochaev Lavra in Volhynia, Ukraine, a great center of Orthodoxy and missionary work in defense of our Holy Faith from the times of its first abbot St. Job. Known for his printing efforts in defense of the Faith against the inroads of Uniatism in the southwestern part of Holy Rus’, the monastery in Slovakia founded by Archimandrite Vitaly (Maximenko; later Archbishop in North America, abbot of the Holy Trinity Monastery and first Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary) was consecrated to his memory. Under his protection, the monastery continued the printing efforts of the famous printing presses of Pochaev for the Church Abroad, as well as smuggling literature into the Soviet Union, during the 70-year communist persecution of the Church.

An exact copy of the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev was gifted by the brotherhood in Pochaev to the monastery in Slovakia, and from there was taken into exile with the brotherhood during World War II, eventually finding its way to the New World. At first the icon was kept in a cathedral in the Bronx, later being brought to stay in Holy Trinity Monastery. From those times, it became the tradition to hold a meeting of the Icon on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, a time when hundreds of pilgrims, taking advantage of the civil holiday, made their way to the monastery. Many of these pilgrims came from what is now Ukraine and were familiar with St. Job, the Pochaev Lavra, and its wonderworking icon.

The monastery brethren continue these traditions until this day, having a meeting of the icon on Saturday afternoon, followed by a moleben to the Mother of God and St. Job with an akathist to the saint, before the All-Night Vigil.

Once again, our shores have filled with many immigrants from the Ukrainian land. And thus, the desire to especially pray to St. Job and the Pochaev Icon continue to be relevant, especially in light of what is going on in Ukraine in our days.

On Sunday, an early Liturgy was celebrated in the lower church of St. Job; later His Grace Luke, Bishop of Syracuse and abbot of the monastery, together with monastery clergy and guests, celebrated a hierarchal Liturgy in Holy Trinity Cathedral, followed by a moleben with a procession around the cathedral with the icons of St. Job and the copy of the Pochaev Icon, which is held by many of the faithful to be wonderworking, having received cures of spiritual and medical problems from it.

At the end of the service, the traditional monastery luncheon was open to all of the pilgrims. On Labor Day Monday, Bishop Luke celebrated Liturgy. After the noon-day meal, His Grace, along with the monastery clergy, served a general panihida for members of the brotherhood, whose anniversaries of death were in recent days, including the ever-memorable Metropolitan Laurus. Thus concluded the celebration.

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