Since 1930, Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, New York has welcomed Orthodox faithful seeking a place of worship and fellowship.

Central to this experience is the Pilgrim Dining Hall, where pilgrims gather to share a meal after the Divine Liturgy, deepening their sense of prayer and community, but this essential space is in urgent need of transformation.

Outdated, poorly lit, uninviting, dreary, and lacking traditional beauty, the Pilgrim Dining Hall fails to provide the peaceful environment our pilgrims deserve. With your help, we can renovate the dining hall into a true “Second Church,” creating an environment that reflects the beauty and holiness of our Orthodox tradition.

The Dining Hall As A “Second Church”

Did you know that the fellowship meal after the Divine Liturgy is considered a service by the Church, a continuation of the Eucharistic gathering? The service does not conclude until the final prayer is offered after the meal. Therefore, the dining hall (trapeza) of any monastery or parish church should serve as a “Second Church” for the faithful, a spiritual environment that fosters reverence and contemplation, not just a functional space of four walls where food is served.

Regrettably, our current Pilgrim Dining Hall does not meet these essential Church standards. There are multiple weaknesses:

• Lack of Sacred Art: There are no frescoes portraying scenes from the Gospel, only portraits of our monastic fathers that are more suited for corridors or waiting areas. 

• Mismatched Furnishings: The space lacks a cohesive traditional design, with an assortment of worn, mismatched, and lopsided dining tables, sometimes even cheap, plastic folding tables. 

• Harsh Lighting: Instead of warm, inviting lighting, the hall is illuminated by rows of harsh fluorescent office bulbs.

There are also practical challenges that hinder the dining hall’s functionality: 

• Inefficient Layout: The current table arrangement leaves little room for movement, causing frequent spills and making many seats inaccessible. 

• Limited Capacity: Tight spaces prevent the hall from accommodating all pilgrims.

• Difficult Serving Conditions: Parents struggle to attend to their children, and monastic workers find it challenging to properly serve and replenish meals.

To some, the dining hall feels more like an industrial workspace than a space for fellowship, and that’s because it originally served as the monastery’s publishing factory for books that we distributed worldwide.

From Jordanville To Soviet Russia

Up until 2010, a gigantic printing press operated day and night, publishing Orthodox books that brought solace to the faithful in the Soviet Union, where spiritual materials were scarce. With the help of Saint Job of Pochaev, patron saint of Orthodox printing and our monastery, these books provided invaluable aid for persecuted Christians.

After outsourcing our printing to other companies, we converted the factory into a makeshift dining hall. However, we have always envisioned a proper renovation—one that reflects the dignity and reverence of a Second Church, worthy of serving our ever-growing number of pilgrims.

Creating A More Sacred Space

After experiencing the Divine Liturgy, pilgrims entering the dining hall feel a sharp deterioration from the majesty of the church. Before we could remedy this problem, we first made several structural improvements in the past two years:

• Replaced the flooring

• Installed a coffee area for monastics and visitors to enjoy hot and cold beverages

• Replaced the windows to prevent leaks and improve insulation

• Added a new dining hall countertop and large sink to improve meal service and cleanup.

Now we are ready for the complete transformation of the Pilgrim Dining Hall into a sacred space where pilgrims receive not only physical nourishment. Our renovation plan includes:

• Commissioning iconographer Fr. Deacon Paul Drozdowski to paint ten frescoes ($40,000)

• Hiring Amish craftsmen to fabricate 11 traditional trestle oak tables and 22 benches ($24,200)

• Replacing ceiling tiles and fluorescent lighting, repairing wood paneling, and upgrading electrical outlets and conduits ($10,800)

The total cost is estimated at $75,000. These improvements will not only beautify and sanctify the space but also increase seating capacity, making it easier to accommodate more pilgrims, especially on major feast days.

10 Frescoes: The Heart Of Our Renovation

We are blessed to have Father Paul Drozdowski, a deacon at Saint Alexander Nevsky Diocesan Cathedral, leading this project. Trained under Hieromonk Andrei (Erastov), Father Paul is a talented iconographer who has completed frescoes in churches and monasteries across the United States.

Father Paul will paint ten frescoes: 

These holy images, along with the accompanying ornamentation of painted vines and flowers, will not just improve the physical space–they will foster a more meaningful and prayerful experience for all pilgrims who will be able to share meals in a setting that reflects the beauty and holiness of Orthodox Christian tradition

Please Join Our Effort In Transforming The Pilgrim Dining Hall

The monastics at Holy Trinity Monastery are unworthy inheritors of a sacred tradition tracing back to the baptism of Holy Rus by Prince Vladimir in the year 988. Please help us be good stewards of what we did not sow, so that all Orthodox Christians may reap the blessings of our Lord for generations to come.

We humbly ask the entire Orthodox community in the United States to help us complete this long-awaited renovation. Holy Trinity Monastery does not belong to us alone but to all those who confess the One, Holy, Apostolic, Catholic Faith. Please make yourself a part of this sacred communal effort by supporting our renovation.

Your tax-deductible donation will help us transform the Pilgrim Dining Hall into a true haven of prayer and fellowship. Click the link below to donate by credit card or check...

"The support of the faithful is not merely helpful—it is essential. This sacred labor is not for comfort, but for the sake of reverence and order, that pilgrims might find a place fitting for prayer and refreshment of soul. Those who assist in this work share in its spiritual fruits, for what is offered to God is never lost."

Sponsor A Fresco

If you would like to make a more generous contribution, please consider sponsoring an entire fresco for $5,000. As a token of our gratitude, we will do lifetime commemorations of you and your loved ones at every Divine Liturgy (up to 20 Orthodox names). Here are the frescos that are available for sponsorship:

• Christ feeding the 5000 - available

• Christ and the Children - available

• Parable of the Prodigal Son - unavailable

• Parable of the Good Samaritan - available

• Parable of the rich man and Lazarus - available

• Parable of the Lost Sheep - unavailable

• St. Samson and St. Evlogy the Hospitables  - available

• St. Kyril and Maria of Radonezh (with St. Sergius) - unavailable

• St. Euphrosynos the Cook - unavailable

• St. Juliana of Lazarevo - unavailable

If you make a fresco donation, we will contact you after the donation is made

Your Support Matters

We extend our deepest gratitude to all supporters and benefactors for helping us create a space where pilgrims can gather in faith, fellowship, and prayer. On behalf of all the monastics of Holy Trinity Monastery, and our Abbot, His Grace Bishop Luke, may God reward you for your generosity!

For questions about our fundraising project, please email contact@jordanville.org or call 315-858-3817.