On June 20, the great feast of Pentecost was celebrated at Holy Trinity Monastery with the usual solemnity. Last year, due to the Covid pandemic, the monastery celebrated this feast with much less pomp, although with great joy. On the day before, on Saturday, being the Pentecost Ancestral Saturday, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the cemetery church of the Dormition. At the end of the liturgy, a general pannikhida was served by His Grace Bishop Luke together with the monastery clergy.
In preparation for the feast, the church was decorated with green saplings and bouquets of flowers. At 3:30 PM, the Rule for Communion was served with the reading of the Akathist to the Holy Trinity. At 7 PM, the All-Night Vigil commenced, which included a Litya which processed around the church during the chanting of the litanies.
At 6 AM, an early liturgy was served in the basement church of St. Job while the hierarchal liturgy began after the meeting of the bishop at 9 AM, with compunctionate singing of the monastery-seminary choir under the direction of Deacon Nicholas Kotar. Having no idea how many pilgrims might attend due to the recent reopening of the monastery, the brethren were pleased to see many of our old pilgrims as well as many new faces from all over. Many of the faithful availed themselves of the Holy Mysteries. Great Vespers for Holy Spirit Day immediately followed the Divine Liturgy. The three prayers to the Holy Spirit were read by Vladyka Luke, Archimandrite Nektarios and Archpriest Sergei Kotar.
Immediately following the services, the monastery refectory welcomed the pilgrims with the traditional Pentecost meal of monastery borscht, buckwheat kasha, macaroni tuna-fish salad, monastery bread and milk.
The actual altar feast of the monastery is considered to be the following day, the day of the Holy Spirit.
Homily on the Day of the Holy Trinity by Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)
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