Metr. Nicholas Leads 40th Anniversary Celebrations at Holy Cross Monastery

WAYNE, WV — Metr. Nicholas, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), led the annual Pilgrimage Weekend at Holy Cross Monastery in West Virginia from October 2–5, 2026, as the brotherhood celebrated the 40th anniversary of the monastery’s founding. At the request of Abbot Gabriel and the monks, the hierarch brought the wonderworking Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God for the festivities.

The monastery was originally established in House Springs, Missouri, in 1986 before relocating to West Virginia in 2000. Upon Metr. Nicholas’s arrival on Friday, clergy welcomed him and the icon with incense and the ringing of bells. A moleben was served before Vespers, after which the hierarch addressed the brotherhood and pilgrims.

Pilgrims from more than a dozen states and multiple Orthodox jurisdictions arrived throughout Saturday. Metr. Nicholas greeted visitors, offered blessings, and met privately with two groups of Orthodox Christian Fellowship college students. A moleben before the Kursk Root Icon, followed by anointing, was served in the afternoon. The icon remained in the church for veneration throughout the weekend.

On the evening of Saturday, October 3, His Eminence celebrated the Vigil for the Resurrection and the Leave-taking of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, followed by a reception for clergy and pilgrims.

During Sunday’s Divine Liturgy, Monk Ambrose was tonsured a reader and ordained a subdeacon. Metr. Nicholas also bestowed several distinctions: Abbot Gabriel received the right to wear the palitsa, Hieromonk Macarius, the monastery’s deputy dean, received the right to wear the gold cross, and Hieromonk Isaac received the right to wear the nabedrennik.

The faithful received Holy Communion from five chalices. In his homily, Metr. Nicholas emphasized the effort required to prepare to receive God’s grace through the Sacraments and the spiritual life, warning that the grace of Holy Communion can be easily lost. He pointed to the Cross and the Kursk Root Icon in the center of the church, urging the faithful to deny themselves and take up their crosses. With the help of the Mother of God, he said, Christians can resist the fleeting pleasures of the world and find true happiness both in this life and in eternity.

The hierarch congratulated the brotherhood on the monastery’s 40th anniversary and commemorated the 20th anniversaries of the ordinations of Igumen Andrew and Archdeacon Sergius, who were ordained by Metr. Laurus of blessed memory during the 2006 Pilgrimage Weekend. Following the dismissal, clergy, monastics, and faithful gathered for a group photograph and sang "Before Thy Cross (Krestu Tvoyemu)."

A festive banquet followed in the monastery’s trapeza and on the brick plaza outside the church. Abbot Gabriel and Hieromonk Macarius also outlined plans for the construction of a new monastic dormitory, which will provide additional space for men seeking to pursue the monastic life at Holy Cross.

On Monday morning, following the early services, Abbot Gabriel and the brotherhood bade farewell to Metr. Nicholas and the Kursk Root Icon, concluding the anniversary pilgrimage.

A full photo gallery from the anniversary celebrations can be viewed here.

Previously, the UOJ reported that Holy Cross Monastery's new church received crosses and cupolas.