With God’s help, the community and brethren of the Monastery of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God in North Port, FL have found a new place for prayer and divine service. The new address of the church is:

3393 Ulman Avenue
North Port, FL 34286.

On Friday, March 21, the brethren and parishioners organized a clean-up day: they tidied the church, washed the floors and windows, decorated the premises, installed the kliros space, and equipped the refectory.

On the very day of the feast of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste ‒ Saturday, March 22 ‒ the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated. The divine service was led by the rector of the church, Archimandrite Stefan (Khilchuk), co-served by Deacon Alexander Khartoniuk. The brethren sang in the choir: Hieromonk Arkadii (Polishchuk), Hierodeacon Paisius (Alexeevets), and other singers under the direction of Natalia Klyusov.

This Liturgy was especially reverent and universal, since years of labor, effort, prayers, and sacrifice of parishioners and benefactors made this event possible. Great spiritual support for the brotherhood was provided by the ever-memorable Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral; +2022), former First Hierarch of the Church Abroad, Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York. It was he who initiated and inspired the new life of the monastery after the expulsion of the brotherhood from St. Nicholas Monastery in North Fort Myers.

At Liturgy, the name of Metropolitan Hilarion was proclaimed at the Litany for the Departed and the Great Entrance. Special prayers were also offered for Metropolitan Nephon (Solodukh) of Volhynia & Lutsk on the eighth anniversary of his death. Metropolitan Nephon was a famous preacher, spiritual father and zealot of Orthodoxy in Ukraine.

At the end of Liturgy, a prayer to the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste was read.

After the service, Fr. Stefan congratulated everyone on the feast and on the new page in the history of the church and monastery, wishing for all God’s help, the prayerful protection of the Theotokos, and the intercession of the Martyrs of Sebaste.

The feast day ended with a common meal and warm fraternal fellowship in the new refectory building.

The brethren also express special gratitude to His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad and diocesan ruling bishop, for his prayers, spiritual support, wise pastoral advice, and suggestions.