Church Construction Update - July 2025

With God’s help, we have made substantial progress this year towards finally completing the new church. The most exciting news is that we officially moved into the new kitchen and trapeza during the final week of Great Lent. The monastic brothers (especially the cooks) have been extremely pleased with how everything turned out, and we are sure that all the pilgrims who have shared a meal with us in the new space are likewise quite happy not to be forced to endure the extreme overcrowding of our old double-wide trailer. The beautiful icon of the Hospitality of Abraham is a fitting centerpiece for the new trapeza, and as we pray before it each day we thank God for the opportunity to share our own small hospitality with those whom He sends to us.

We are also very happy to announce that after literally years of temptations, the cupolas have finally arrived on our property. We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to our good friend Yuriy Varvashenya, who labored tirelessly to overcome countless obstacles in the manufacture and shipping of these beautiful capstones to the church’s exterior. We are currently scheduling a date for the roofers to return to install the cupolas atop the domes and complete the last remaining tilework connecting them.

Meanwhile, the monastery gardeners and our hired workers have been diligently beautifying the exterior of the church. There is now a large plaza in front of the entrance to the trapeza (which has already been put to good use during the memorial meal for Schema-Archimandrite Panteleimon), and much landscaping has been done to transform the area around the church from a construction site into a beautiful garden.

One of the final tasks that Schema-Archimandrite Panteleimon completed before his repose was the design of the flooring for the church itself. The stone tiles are nearly finished being cut, and God willing they will be delivered by the Feast of St. Panteleimon at the beginning of August. Most of the interior woodwork for the new church has been designed, and our attention is now turned to the iconostasis — the last major remaining element of the church aside from the frescoed iconography.

God’s grace  — through the generosity of our benefactors — has continued to provide the financial resources necessary to keep the project moving forward. At this point our most important remaining needs are the iconostasis, the iconography, monastic stasidi, as well as shrines and sacred vessels, etc. Once the design for the iconostasis is completed, we plan to make a list of the icons to be mounted on it available for individual sponsorship. We are extraordinarily grateful for the immense generosity that so many of you have already displayed, and we ask that you continue your support in order for us to complete this work unto the glory of God. All gifts are greatly appreciated, but recurring monthly donations are by far the most helpful way to support us in our work. May God reward you!

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