This summer, from mid June through mid August, 2nd-year Seminarian John Kurr followed through on an invitation to live in the Saint Job of Pochaev monastery in Munich, availing himself of the chance, first, to get to know this Bavarian capital as well as numerous other parishes within the same ROCOR diocese, then to go farther afield and explore parts of ultimately six European countries.  His wide-ranging excursion was part of a larger Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary initiative to encourage students to immerse themselves in Orthodox life in circumstances beneficial precisely because they are unaccustomed to them. His placement in Germany primarily reflected his fluency in German and Russian, which enriched every contact and opened multiple doors.

The first month month he spent in the monastery in Munich, an environment in many ways akin to that of the seminary in Jordanville.  Saint Job's Monastery plays a central role in the life of its diocese, being the residence of Metropolitan Mark of Berlin-and-all-Germany as well as of Bishop Job of Stuttgart. Above and beyond a rigorous cycle of daily services (beginning at 4 AM), monastics perform various obediences, from book publishing and printing to candle making, teaching and gardening in addition to administrative chores, cooking, cleaning, and, last but not least, accommodating the many and various pilgrims staying and working at the monastery for days, months, sometimes even longer.

Though John's primary obedience there was candle-making, he also practiced reading and singing on kliros daily. Beyond these, personally enriching were innumerable conversations with locals and visitors, the latter drawn to the Monastery from every corner of Germany as well as from abroad, bringing and imparting insights into life in vastly different regions and under the most varied of circumstances.

On weekends and feasts, John would often accompany, even chauffeur, the Metropolitan or Bishop to the cathedral in Munich or to another city on Hierarch's visits, using Germany's “Autobahn,” stretches of which famously have no speed limit and allowed him to experience a speed of over 200 km/hr. Driving with Bishop Job and the Kursk-Root Icon of the Theotokos to Darmstadt, then to HTOS graduate Father Alexei Lemmer's parish in Bad Kissingen, completed the first half of John's sojourn.

The second half started with a trip to family near Nuremberg – followed in quick succession by visits to parishes in Berlin, Prague, Stuttgart, and then a flight to Bari, Italy. Once there, surprises came cascading, and God’s Providence, plain-enough to see countless times earlier, grew still more manifest:

First, having left his suitcase on a train, Saint Nicholas’ prayers and cooperative “carabinieri” and local police let him recover it. A warm seminarian's reception at the Moscow Patriarchate's “Podvoriye” pilgrimage center spelled not “just” gratis accommodations, but the rector, Father Vyacheslav, even helped him cover expenses and passed on considerable financial support to Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary. After a liturgy at the Podvoriye, John was surprised to meet a Russian American ROCOR parishioner from HTOS graduate Archpriest Boris Henderson’s parish in Colorado, Michael Tsarevsky, thereby instantly gaining a companion for attending services and exploring Bari. Stand-out crowning highlight was communing at a Divine Liturgy beside the relics of St. Nicholas, which indeed might never have happened, had he not lost and found his suitcase on that first day in the city.

Thanks to Bishop Irinei’s recommendation, Seminarian John turned north to Florence. Several days at Archpriest George Blatynsky’s parish let him deepen insights into ROCOR life in Italy, venerate St. John Chrysostom's skull in one of the city's multiple cathedrals, and further experience Italy as well as learn about nuances and developments in the country with a Moldovan couple he met at the parish.  A few days later, he was on a train, farther north-bound at 00:40 a.m., involving, first, a complicated connection in Pisa at 04:00, then a breath-taking, successful because obviously blessed, foot-and-tram race to catch a bus in Turin, followed by a marvelous ride through France till mercifully arriving in Annecy, just south of the destination: Swiss Geneva.

There, as Archpriest Emilyan Pochinok’s parish guest, he again dove into parish life, helped serve a marriage service, sang in the choir, relished an outing and overnight stay high in the Swiss Alps, then sampled city highlights, thanks to the unstinting hospitality accorded by Alexander Romash and family, several key parishioners, and, of course, Fr. Emilyan himself.  The next stop, again unexpectedly, became Frankfurt, where he stayed with a family he had met in Bari, before finally returning to Saint Job's in Munich.  This time, re-entering the Monastery truly felt a bit like coming “home”:  the warm atmosphere, hearty greetings, and familiar rhythm were all joyful! 

The very next morning, however – “alas” seems nearly apposite – John had to leave right after Midnight Office and the beginning of Matins, lest he miss his USA-bound flight. Several hours of overlay in Copenhagen gave time enough for some city sightseeing, including Saint Alexander Nevsky ROCOR parish, the former Russian Imperial embassy chapel. 

These last few days of the journey sent him through many of the same palaces, talking to some of the same people as before, yet now it was different, something had changed:  He had formed bonds with dozens of people in various cities around Europe, had delved into and learned about different ways of life, in- and outside Orthodoxy, with a whole range of new possibilities beginning to come into focus. Without question, this had been a trip both edifying and educational, enjoyable and eminently useful:  Glory be to God!