As winter sets in, it is an appropriate time to remember this past summer, which is always a very special time for Holy Trinity.
Every year, I repeatedly remind the monastics, staff, and our entire community to take advantage of what locals call the "Adirondack Rainforest." As the season when the forests and farms of Upstate New York are vibrant with their verdant abundance, I encourage everyone to take time to walk around and reflect on how the whole earth is full of the Lord's glory.
Although summer is a quieter time for the monastery and seminary, our educational missions continue, and this year marked another successful Summer Youth Program, which is particularly close to my heart because years ago, before I was ordained to the priesthood, I was assigned to be one of its counselors. It is refreshing and inspiring to see young people (who oftentimes use their vacations for less than salvific activities) dedicate their summer to participating in a rigorous Church life! Not only were these boys guided through the program by a priest and a seminarian, they were also blessed by personal meetings with Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral) of the Eastern American Diocese and Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan (a former Summer Boy himself!).
After the high energy of teenage boys had come and gone, singing started to echo through our grounds with the 25th Annual Summer School of Liturgical Music. From my experience, I cannot stress how important this program is. It is a spiritual and aesthetic pleasure to watch sincere choir singers transform into certified professionals. As the final exam for the program, each graduate must demonstrate his/her ability to conduct a choir, and as a result, our hall was opened to the public for a magnificent concert of traditional Russian liturgical music. This summer school is truly a joy.
I would like to thank all those who organized these programs and all our supporters (both past and present) without whom we could not fulfill our varied missions. We ask God's blessing on your kind generosity and recall the words of Scripture that God loves a cheerful giver.
It was so successful that we filled our dormitory with 17 open-minded young men who made a commitment to learn the truths of God and to explore the life of the Church in the setting of Holy Trinity Monastery! There was so much interest that some applicants, unfortunately, had to be turned away. We are hopeful to be able to expand this unique program that ...
This year marked the 25th Anniversary of our Summer School of Liturgical Music, Holy Trinity Seminary's fully-accredited certificate program in liturgical music. Interested participants came from throughout the country to strengthen their musical skills and scholarship in pursuit of the art of directing choirs in the Russian Orthodox Church. They took courses in ...
Adding to the musicality of this past summer, Holy Trinity Monastery hosted the First Annual Patriarch Tikhon Russian American Music Institute (PaTRAM) Young Singers' Conference to coincide with its Labor Day Pilgrimage of St. Job of Pochaev. This three-day conference focused on two Hierarchical Divine Liturgies under the capable direction of ...
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