On Saturday the 27th and Sunday the 28th of October, the annual pilgrimage (performed since 1998) was held to Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY. The trip was planned for the weekend closest to the 15th anniversary of the murder of Brother Joseph Muñoz-Cortes, the faithful guardian of the myrrh-streaming Iveron Icon of the Mother of God of Montreal.

Parishioners of St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Washington, DC prepared well ahead of time for the pilgrimage. A large quantity of food needed to be bought and prepared not only for the trip, but for the brethren of Holy Trinity Monastery, so that the monks might not be overburdened worrying for them and for other pilgrims. On the eve of their departure, over the course of several hours, the parish priests confessed all those desiring to partake of Christ’s Holy Mysteries at Holy Trinity Monastery.

On Saturday, October 27, several hours before dawn, 155 pilgrims departed on two large buses and in 14 cars on their seven-hour voyage. Along the way, the pilgrims prayed and listened to stories about the monastery, the Montreal Icon of the Mother of God, the life and death of Brother Joseph, and the newly appeared Hawaiian Iveron Icon.

At 1:30 PM, the pilgrims had arrived. After a short, half-hour break at the two hotels (one adjacent to the monastery and one in a nearby town) they arrived at the monastery cemetery, where they were greeted by His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, Holy Trinity Monastery abbot Archimandrite Luke (Murianka), and a multitude of pilgrims from other towns across America and Canada. Not long after, the myrrh-streaming Hawaiian Iveron Icon arrived, accompanied by her guardian, Reader Nectarios. The Icon was placed on an analogion to the right of Bother Joseph’s grave, which was adorned with red roses, arranged in the form of the three-bar cross. The grave was ablaze with an array of candles and lamps – gifts from the faithful pilgrims to the chosen of the Mother of God. At the center of the grave was located a metallic lamp, a gift from the Optina Hermitage. Over the course of the entire year, a monk carefully and laboriously gathers oil from this lamp, to be distributed to those who honor Brother Joseph’s memory.

The weather was warm – cloudy, but without rain. At 3:30 PM, the Most Reverend Metropolitan Hilarion, Primate of ROCOR, led a solemn panihida for the martyred Brother Joseph. His Eminence was co-served by Archimandrite Luke, Archpriest Victor Potapov (rector of St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Washington), Priest John Johnson (cleric of the same), Hieromonk Gabriel (Astrakhankine; cleric of Holy Trinity Monastery), Hierodeacon Tikhon (Gayfudinov; cleric of the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign), and Deacon Damian Dantinne (cleric of the Washington cathedral). The pilgrims sang the service. After the service for the departed, Fr. Victor Potapov reminded those gathered that, this year, we celebrate three momentous anniversaries: the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the Montreal-Iveron Icon of the Mother of God streaming myrrh (November 24, 1982), the 15th anniversary of the murder of Brother Joseph (October 31, 1997), and the fifth anniversary of the finding of the Hawaiian Iveron Icon of the Mother of God (October 6, 2007). Fr. Victor further explained that the Hawaiian Icon (produced in Russia as an exact copy of the Montreal Icon, only smaller in size) is a radiant confirmation that the Act of Canonical Communion, signed five years ago in 2007 by the two great hierarchs – His Holiness, Patriarch Alexey II, and His Eminence, Metropolitan Laurus – was truly a God-pleased endeavor; it was for this event that the murder Brother Joseph prayed, as well.

After the panihida, prayerful interaction continued at the martyr’s gravesite and in the presence of the Hawaiian Icon. Various hymns were sung to the Most Holy Theotokos, as well as a "Canon and Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos before her wonderworking Iveron-Montreal Icon," published in Russia in 2007 with the blessing of His Holiness, Patriarch Alexey II. Every pilgrim was able to receive a booklet with the akathist, as well as various pamphlets about Brother Joseph, an akathist to the martyr composed in Russia, dirt and oil from his grave, and copies of the Hawaiian Icon, with a piece of cotton soaked in myrrh attached.

On the evening of the pilgrimage’s first day, His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, led the All-Night Vigil in the monastery cathedral, which was filled to capacity. The Metropolitan anointed all of the worshippers present with holy myrrh. The seminary choir, under the skilled direction of its young conductor, Nicholas Kotar, sang gracefully, steeped in prayer. Many of the pilgrims told the author of these words that in church they felt themselves separated from the earth, not even noticing that the service continued for over three hours…

On Sunday, October 28, 215 people communed from three chalices at the triumphal Liturgy, celebrated by Metropolitan Hilarion, who was co-served by ten priests and five deacons. After the Communion of the clergy, Fr. Victor Potapov reminded the faithful in his sermon that, in that Liturgy’s Gospel reading on the Sower, Christ the Savior twice spoke the words, "He who hath ears to hear, let him hear!" (Luke 8:8,15). This means that Christ wanted His audience to pay special attention to the truth He wished to impart upon them. Fr. Victor further invited all those "who have ears to hear" to heed the important words of ROCOR’s hierarchs in 2002 in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the Montreal Icon:

"This icon, which abundantly streamed holy myrrh, comforted our Russian Church Abroad for 15 years as a visible and palpable sign of the Mother of God’s kindhearted intercession for us sinners… Did we conduct ourselves worthily during the period when our Church was graced with the presence of this clearly miraculous icon? Did we make the most of the period of our Lord’s Mother’s visitation for the benefit of our souls ‒ and is not our shared and common sin of allowing our hearts to cool toward this holy image and to prayer, to good and charitable works and to the witnessing of the Orthodox faith, the real reason that God allowed this icon to be taken away from us?

"With trembling gratitude let us prayerfully remember the time when this wondrous myrrh-streaming icon remained in our Church, and with repentance let us pray to the Most Holy Theotokos for the remission of our sins, and for the establishment of peace in our Orthodox Church..."

Father Victor further noted that the decade-old appeal by the hierarchs is just as relevant to us today. In 1997, the Montreal Icon was hidden from us, and her guardian murdered. We had grown accustomed to the Miracle then; some had become indifferent to this undeniable manifestation of God’s mercy – but, in the words of Brother Joseph, "we must not grow accustomed to miracles." With the appearance of a new wonderworking icon, the Hawaiian Icon, the Lord is giving us an opportunity to right ourselves.

"For what reason was the icon returned?" asked Fr. Victor rhetorically. "Was it not because the Lord is moving us in the direction of glorifying the Martyr Joseph and numbering him among the saints of our Church? Brother Joseph and the Montreal Icon were inseparable. They left us together. The Icon has returned; Brother Joseph’s memory must likewise be restored, and this martyr’s veneration accepted by the whole Church."

After the Liturgy, a moleben was served before the Hawaiian Icon, asking for deliverance from destructive force of Hurricane Sandy, which was bearing down on the East Coast.

Upon completion of the luncheon, pilgrims gathered in the main hall of Holy Trinity Seminary for an exhibition of Brother Joseph’s personal belongings, among which were photographs, journals, prayer ropes, sketches, prayer books, and other items.

A short seminar, dedicated to Brother Joseph’s memory, was held in the seminary hall in the presence of the Hawaiian Icon. The first speaker was Yury Popovsky, a doctor from Geneva, who came to Jordanville with his 15-year-old daughter Xenia – the last goddaughter of the chosen of the Mother of God. Brother Joseph met his martyric death only 20 days after her baptism. With visible emotion, the speaker shared his memories of Brother Joseph, and about how myrrh from the Montreal Icon rendered miraculous healing to some of his hopelessly ill patients.

The next speaker was Henri Macuque, who flew from France for the third time to participate in the pilgrimage to Brother Joseph’s grave. He spoke of his meeting with Brother Joseph at the monastery in Lesna on October 3, 1997, and of the deep marks their conversation left on his heart. Speaking to Henri, Brother Joseph said that he could foresee coming sufferings and death for Christ. "In our days we are expected to witness our faith through martyrdom. Perhaps this will not be expected of you (Henri), but of me." Henri is preparing to convert to Holy Orthodoxy, and hopes to be baptized on the Greek isle of Andros, in St. Nicholas Monastery – the same monastery that Brother Joseph visited on the eve of his sufferings, and where, upon Brother Joseph’s arrival in the church, an icon of the Theotokos began to weep...

Jorge (George) Hernandez, an Orthodox Cuban living in New York City, comes to Brother Joseph’s grave every year with his wife. He told those gathered that he first heard of Brother Joseph on the religious radio program "Voice of America" in the 1980s, when he lived in Moscow. Listening to the broadcast through the frightful static caused by Soviet radio jamming, he was deeply touched by the fact that it was an Orthodox Latino that had been chosen for the obedience of guarding the wonderworking icon. Jorge also noted that all of his trips to the martyr’s grave were linked with every sort of obstacle and temptation – but, overcoming them through God’s grace, he always received spiritual comfort by visiting it. Jorge Hernandez called on everyone to visit the grave of the chosen of the Mother of God, and to ask his prayerful intercession. "You will be comforted," he said unwaveringly.

The seminar’s final speaker was Reader Nectarios, guardian of the myrrh-streaming Hawiian Iveron Icon of the Mother of God. He said that his personal experience had convinced him of the weighty cross borne by Brother Joseph who, despite everything, was faithful to the Queen of Heaven, even unto death. Nectarios underscored that the children of the Church Abroad must be unceasingly grateful to the Lord for sending such righteous ones as St. John of Shanghai, Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose), Brother Joseph, and others to comfort them.

The seminar’s participants listened to the words of Reader Nectarios and the other speakers with rapt attention...

At 3:30 PM, the pilgrims gathered once more at Brother Joseph’s grave to pray at a farewell panihida. The Hawaiian Icon was brought to the cemetery. To the great joy and comfort of those gathered, after the panihida, Reader Nectarios removed the Icon from its kiot and gave everyone an opportunity to touch the myrrh flowing abundantly from the wonderworking image of the Mother of God.

No one wished to depart. The martyr’s grave, ablaze with countless candles, warmed us as the grace-filled warmth of the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God. To Him be honor and glory unto the ages.

Archpriest Victor Potapov
October 31, 2012
The Day of Bother Joseph Muñoz-Cortes’ Murder