On Sunday, November 23, celebrations were held at the New Kursk Root Hermitage in Mahopac, NY, to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Hermitage and the consecration of the church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, which took place on November 19, 1950. Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America & New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, celebrated the festal Divine Liturgy.

Concelebrating with His Eminence were Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal & Canada, Bishop Jerome (Shaw), Archpriests Alexander Donchenko (rector of St. Nicholas Church in Poughkeepsie, NY) and George Temidis (rector of the Hermitage), Priest Gregory Patsis (rector of St. Luke the Evangelist Mission in Highland, NY), Protodeacons Serge Arlievsky (cleric of the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York City) and Serguei Mikhailov (cleric of Holy Virgin Intercession in Glen Cove, NY), and parish Deacons Konstantin Aleshin and Theodotus Conrad.

At the Little Entrance, Fr. Konstantin Aleshin was awarded the right to wear the double orarion for his zealous labors at the New Kursk Root Hermitage.

The choir sang prayerfully, led by parish choirmaster Elizaveta Pnev, with singers from the Synod, Poughkeepsie, Connecticut, and New Jersey.

In his sermon, Bishop Jerome said: "All who are present in our church today can also say that they are present today in Jerusalem, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, San Francisco, Chicago, and Australia, because our Church is one and the same everywhere: a single, universal (catholic) Church. Jesus Christ is one, and all of us who are members of the Holy Church are one. Christ is not divided, therefore we are all here together. And at all times, for Christ is not in time, as we are, but Christ always is and always will be. And all the saints are here with us, the Most Holy Theotokos is always present. Our Church does not bless schisms: neither nationality, nor politics, nor personal animosity toward any one person – none of this has any place in the Church. Jesus Christ is the same – yesterday, and today, and forever."

His Grace also delivered a sermon in English, in which he spoke on the Gospel words, "Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?", illustrated by an anecdote from the life of the newly departed Protodeacon Nicolas Mokhoff: his three children, left home when their parents were out, washed and dried the dishes, breaking some, which one of them glued back together. Our sins are like broken dishes, which we try to repair, since life eternal is based not so much on individual good or bad deeds, as by what we have become.

Most of the worshippers communed of Christ’s Holy Mysteries.

At the end of Liturgy, a lively cross procession took place around the church. Reader Maxim Needlman, a longtime resident of the Hermitage, rang the bells in the bell tower, which had been newly built two years earlier. The clear autumn day brought calm weather, and the clouds, which graced the sky, added a special solemnity to the atmosphere. After the procession, a group photo was taken on the high steps of the church.

In his address, Metropolitan Nicholas said, in part: "Seventy-five years is no small length of time. Prayer here has continued and continues, and we are grateful to God for this mercy. Our ancestors lost everything, fled [Russia], wandered throughout the world. And here is such an undertaking – to create a place to remember that Root Hermitage, that Russia, that prayer, that culture, that faith, that love. And – they created it. Today we have much, but for some reason we create little, and especially in our spiritual life. Let us be strengthened in prayer. And just as they were able to create a house of prayer here, a house of the Mother of God, I wish for everyone to create within themselves, in their lives, a house of God, a house of the Most Holy Theotokos, a house of unceasing prayer. It is possible. It is necessary. It is salvific.

"Something or someone always hinders us, but we must remember the feats and difficulties that our parents, our ancestors, our loved ones endured – and we will work harder… Our duty is to pass this on to the youth, so that they can pray and remain Orthodox here and throughout the world… We will tell each other that [in Mahopac] there is such a sacred place, and that one can come from the noisy city, away from the cares of life, and visit the house of the Mother of God, where a beautiful copy of our beloved Kursk Root Icon is kept."

The parish presented Metropolitan Nicholas with funds raised for the renovation of the Synodal Building.

After venerating the cross at the end of the service, everyone received a commemorative magnet as a souvenir, after which all were invited to an abundant home-cooked luncheon, prepared by the sisterhood. On the last Sunday before the beginning of the Nativity Fast, the sisterhood prepared a dinner in the tradition of the Thanksgiving holiday.

In honor of the feast, a book of the sisterhood’s favorite recipes, Angela za trapezoy ("May the Angel grace this meal," a common Russian saying before sitting down to eat – ed.), was published. The Mahopac tradition of gathering around the table to share a meal with parishioners, friends, guests, and pilgrims dates back to the very founding of the church. The New Kursk Root Hermitage was founded 75 years ago. Over the years, patronal feasts attracted anywhere from a few dozen to 2,000 people, and everyone found a place at the table, and everyone was welcomed and fed. Archpriest Alexis Dmitrieff (+2003) blessed the compilation of the recipe book almost 25 years ago.

Informational photo panels in the parish hall, dedicated to the history of the New Kursk Root Hermitage, mark the main milestones of this place’s history.

History

Archbishop Seraphim (Ivanov; +1987), originally from Kursk, founded a small monastery in the hamlet of Mahopac with the blessing of First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, Metropolitan Anastassy (Gribanovsky; +1965), naming it the New Kursk Root Hermitage in honor of the ancient and glorious Kursk Root Hermitage in Russia, which had been destroyed by the communists. The land and estate were donated by Prince Sergei & Princess Florence Beloselsky-Belozersky. It was decided to establish a stavropegial Synodal metochion on the estate, which, upon the arrival of the ROCOR Synod in the United States, would become the Synodal residence and home of the wonderworking Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God "of the Sign." Russian engineer V.I. Vishnevsky and his assistants undertook the repair and restoration work. The house was repaired in just 10-12 days after a recent fire. A small chapel was built on the veranda.

On January 29, 1950, after the consecration of the renovated house and chapel, Archbishop Seraphim celebrated the first Liturgy. Sergei N. Lyabakh undertook construction of the church based on a drawing by S.S. Bogdanovich and an architectural plan by M.N. Kritsky. I.P. Dvornichenko, Chairman of the Society of Russian Engineers, oversaw the construction. Archbishop Seraphim also particularly recognized V.M. Tokarev, I.I. Nikonenko, the brothers Mikhail and Maxim Mikheev, and P.I. Sanin as the builders of the Hermitage Church.

The minor consecration of the church took place on Sunday, November 19, 1950. A week later, on November 27, 1950, the Council of Bishops arrived in Mahopac for a meeting, approving the New Kursk Root Hermitage as the temporary residence of Metropolitan Anastassy and the Synod of Bishops. The Kursk Root Icon arrived at the Hermitage from Europe on February 5, 1951. The Great Consecration of the church took place on November 11, 1951.

The Hermitage flourished between 1950 and 1957. Archbishop Seraphim brought back approximately 50 relics from trips to Mount Athos and the Holy Land, established a library, a bakery, and an apiary, and organized the "Azure Sisterhood" for girls aged 6 to 15 who spent the summer with their families at the Hermitage and helped in the church. A hotel for guests and pilgrims was built through the efforts of V.M. Tokarev. St. Vladimir Orthodox Youth Congresses and children’s camps were held, along with exhibitions and sales of paintings by Russian émigré artists.

The Kursk Root Icon remained for about a year in the Hermitage built for it. In February 1952, the Synod of Bishops, along with the Kursk Root Icon, moved to a new location in Manhattan: first to a house on 77th Street donated by Prince Beloselsky, and then, in the summer of 1958, to a more spacious and prestigious house on 93rd Street, a gift to the Church from S. Semenenko, which is today known to all as the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.

In October 1957, Archbishop Seraphim was tasked with assuming the administration of the Chicago Diocese. His Eminence’s devoted friend and assistant, Archimandrite Innocent (Bystrov; +1981), remained in charge of the Hermitage: a new chapel was built on the lake in honor of the weeping icon of the Mother of God "of the Passion," and a summer chapel was built next to the church. A large number of guests and pilgrims continue to gather for the monastery’s patronal feasts, Synod meetings were held, and the First Hierarch, Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky; +1985), was a frequent visitor. However, in the late 1970s, hard times came to the Hermitage: the premises needed repairs, the grounds needed maintenance, yet there were few ready hands, few helpers, and few donors; but the prayer life continued.

In 1977, Archimandrite Innocent was transferred to serve in the Holy Land, but in 1981, after a long and serious illness, he died and was buried behind the cathedral church of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY. He was succeeded as abbot by Fr. Alexander Safronov (+1999). Quiet times arrived at the Hermitage. In 1987, the already ailing Archbishop Seraphim returned to his monastery for his retirement. It was painful and saddening for him to see the decline of his beloved Hermitage but, most importantly, services continued, and church prayer continued uninterrupted. Archbishop Seraphim died at the Hermitage on July 25, 1987, and is buried in the monastery cemetery. The Kingdom of Heaven and memory eternal to the founder and builder of the New Kursk Root Hermitage, dear Archbishop Seraphim.

While up to 2,000 pilgrims would come in the 1970s, in 1990 only 150 people came for the patronal feast, in 1991 – 100 people, and in 1992 (on a weekday) – only 30 people. In January 1994, after the celebration of Nativity, a terrible disaster befell the Hermitage: a fire broke out. By God’s grace, no one was injured and the fire was extinguished, but the damage was estimated at $100,000, which neither the monastery nor the Synod had. The monastery also had no insurance. The rector, Fr. Konstantin Fedorov (+2019), in an interview with a local newspaper, spoke of plans, with God’s help, to restore the iconostasis and carry out repairs. Under Fr. Alexis Dmitrieff, and after his death, under Fr. Ilya Gun (+2020) and then under Fr. Victor Tseshkovsky (+2021), the number of parishioners began to increase, parish luncheons resumed, and people began to travel from other parishes for feasts. The New Kursk Root Hermitage bore its prayerful intercession before the Mother of God for the suffering Russian land and the Russian people in faraway America, continuing even during the most difficult years for the small hermitage, until the seemingly impossible happened—the revival and restoration of the glorious ancient Kursk Root Hermitage began in Russia, with which a prayerful and spiritual connection would subsequently be established.

In the late 2000s, due to the dilapidated state of the main building of the New Kursk Root Hermitage, the entire community began raising funds and undertaking major renovations, in which Vyacheslav and Olga Maltsev played a major role. Despite the cold and dire conditions, services at the New Kursk Root Hermitage never ceased.

More and more people are learning about the Hermitage and coming for feasts and visits, including the First Hierarchs of the Russian Church Abroad: Metropolitan Laurus (Škurla; +2008), Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral; +2022), and Metropolitan Nicholas (Olhovsky). Patronal feasts have once again begun to attract hundreds of worshippers. The parish is growing; people are getting married, baptizing their children, and performing funeral services for their loved ones. As Archbishop Seraphim (Ivanov) wrote half a century ago, back in 1975: "The mercy of God and the Protection of the Queen of Heaven are felt over the monastery. In difficult times, help has always appeared from somewhere. Kind people are found and come to its aid. We believe that the Mother of God will never abandon it. May God’s will be done in all things!"

On the evening of the 75th anniversary of the New Kursk Root Hermitage, Metropolitan Nicholas and the clergy visited the monastery cemetery and prayed at the graves of the Hermitage’s founder, Archbishop Seraphim, and his faithful cell attendant, Schema-Archimandrite Theophan (Shishmanov; +1987). In gratitude for their service, the Chicago Diocese raised funds and erected granite monuments to them in 2024.

On this quiet autumn evening, guests and pilgrims departed the Hermitage, carrying with them the joy and warmth of fellowship and shared prayer. Glory to God for all things!