Brotherhood Serves Special Moleben with Procession to Overcome Obstacles in Church Construction
Ever since we resumed work on our new church in March, progress has been extremely slow with various difficulties and complications arising on a regular basis. Wet weather has frequently hampered progress, and in addition during the process of pouring the footers we discovered not one but two springs in the earth along the south side of the church site, requiring the help of an engineer in order to be properly redirected. In addition to these issues, there has also been a quite unusual amount of turnover amongst both the supervisors as well as the work crews assigned to the job, and other serious logistical difficulties have presented themselves over the past month as well. All these things have led to the footers only now being finished after more than two months have passed since they were begun.
While our remote location no doubt has played a part in all this, it also seems clear that the enemy has also been working assiduously to prevent this new church from becoming a reality. This is hardly unexpected, as here at the Holy Cross we have become accustomed to temptations of all kinds whenever we try to build up the monastery. And now as we set out to construct our permanent temple, the heart of the monastery and the center of our spiritual life, it would be more surprising if temptations did not come fast and hard!
Therefore under the direction of our abbot, Archimandrite Seraphim, we resolved to serve this morning a special Moleben with a Cross Procession, beseeching the help of God, the Theotokos, St. Panteleimon and all the saints for this most important and God-pleasing endeavor. After beginning the service in our current chapel, the clergy along with all the monastic brotherhood as well as laypeople from the surrounding area carried forth the holy relics and icons of the monastery in a Cross Procession to the site of the new church, chanting together supplications to the patron saints of our monastery.
After arriving at the site of the future High Place of the new church, Archimandrite Seraphim proclaimed the Gospel and Archdeacon Sergius intoned a litany imploring the Lord to bless the brotherhood and all those participating in this work, and to bring it to a speedy and successful conclusion. After a prayer was read by Fr. Seraphim, "Christ is Risen" was sung three times before everyone processed back to the church while singing the Paschal verses.
Please join us in praying that the difficulties we are facing will be swiftly overcome, and that this church will be successfully completed so that name of God can be worshipped and glorified therein unto the end of the age!
By God's grace we have made much progress towards saving and raising the needed funds to build the new temple, but we are still a long ways off. Please use the button below to contribute to this project and become part of the establishment of monastic life in America. May God reward you for your kindness!
I am going to add the speedy completion of your temple to my prayers and spread the word. Thank you for all of your support and prayers for us!
Satan makes the loudest noise when he sees he is being defeated. Don’t pay any attention to him. Continue in faith.
God and you are the majority. Satan is a defeated foe.
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