On August 18/31 the Holy Church celebrates the memory of the holy Martyrs Florus and Laurus.  This was the name’s day of the ever-memorable Metropolitan Laurus and Archimandrite Flor.  Metropolitan Laurus was abbot of the Holy Trinity Monasery for 32 years and was one of the group of monastics from the St. Job of Pochaev Monastery in Slovakia, who immigrated to the United States after World War II to join the brotherhood already established here by Archimandrite Panteleimon.  Fr. Flor was also part of this group.

Both fathers played a very important role in the life of the monastery.  Fr. Flor worked many years in the maintenance of the monastery, whereas Metropolitan Laurus became abbot of the monastery upon the repose of Archbishop Averky, in 1976.  Of course, Vladyka Laurus is well known as the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, during whose leadership of our church the healing of the schism with the Church in Russia was achieved.

After lunch on this day, His Grace Bishop Luke, the present abbot of the monastery, along with the monastery clergy, served a pannikhida for the repose of both much beloved fathers in our faith.   May their memory be eternal for their countless struggles for the sake of the Church and the monastery.