112th Pilgrimage to St. Tikhon’s Monastery opens Friday, May 27
The 112th Annual Pilgrimage to Saint Tikhon’s Monastery here will open officially on Friday, May 27 at 3:30 p.m. with the greeting of the Hawaiian Myrrh Streaming Icon of the Mother of God at the entrance arch and the celebration of a Molieben, followed by Vespers and Matins, in the Monastery Church of Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk. The icon will be available for veneration throughout the Pilgrimage, which formally ends on Memorial Day—Monday, May 30.
The 74th annual Commencement of Saint Tikhon’s Seminary will be held on Saturday, May 28. The day will open with the celebration of the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy in the Monastery Church at 9:00 a.m., followed by a meal in the dining hall. Commencement Exercises will begin at 1:00 p.m. His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America will deliver the commencement address, after which he will be awarded a Doctor of Divinity degree, Honoris Causa, in recognition of his yeoman service to Orthodox Christian theological education, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the USA, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, and world Orthodoxy in general. [See related story.] The Resurrection Vigil will be celebrated at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, followed by dinner in the dining hall.
The Hierarchical Divine Liturgy will be celebrated at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 29, followed by a meal in the dining hall. Vespers and Matins will be celebrated at 4:00 p.m.
On Memorial Day, May 30, the Divine Liturgy will be celebrated in the Monastery Church at 7:30 a.m. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, will preside at the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m., followed by a Panikhida for Veterans at All Saints Bell Tower at 12:15 p.m. The Akathistos Hymn to Saint Alexis will be celebrated in the Monastery Church at 1:30 p.m., while the Molieben to the Most Holy Theotokos with the Anointing of the Sick, Infirm and All Pilgrims will be celebrated at the Monastery Bell Tower at 2:30 p.m. The Pilgrimage will close with the celebration of Vespers and Matins at 4:00 p.m.
A highlight of this year’s Pilgrimage will be the historical exhibition, “Russian America: The Alaskan Native Spiritual Legacy,” which pilgrims are invited to view at the Monastery Museum. Organized in conjunction with the 45th Anniversary of the Glorification of Saint Herman of Alaska and offering a glimpse into Orthodox Christianity’s spiritual legacy in Alaska, the exhibition opened on January 22, 2016 at Villanova University, where it ran through May 16. [See related story.]
Concurrent with the Pilgrimage, the Patriarch Tikhon Russian-American Music Institute [PaTRAM] will hold its First Annual Memorial Day Young Singers’ Conference at the Monastery. Under the direction of Maestro Vladimir Gorbik, the 30-voice mixed choir includes vocalists and choral musicians from the US, Canada and Russia. Conference participants will sing the liturgical responses during the Pilgrimage. In addition, the Saint Tikhon’s Monastery Chamber Choir will be presenting a benefit concert featuring works by American composers at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 29. The concert will be held at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Pro-Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre, PA. Details and additional information are available.