Hermitage of the Holy Cross: a monastic community of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad

Request a Moleben or Pannykhida

The monastery receives frequent requests for the service of molebens and pannykhidas. This page is intended to provide a convenient way of submitting these requests along with your offerings. You may use the web form below to request one of these services, or if you prefer you may download one of the commemoration slips at the bottom of this page, print and complete it, and mail it to us.

A moleben is an intercessory service conducted by a priest, asking our Saviour, the Mother of God, or one of the saints for assistance with a specific matter (e.g. illness, family difficulties, employment, travel, etc.). This service can be offered in behalf of the living (Orthodox and non-Orthodox). This type of supplicatory service is known as a paraklisis in the Greek Orthodox Church.

A pannykhida is a prayer service offered by a priest for the repose of the soul of an Orthodox Christian who has departed this life. Customarily a pannykhida is served on the third, ninth, and fortieth day after the repose of the Orthodox Christian, and every year on the anniversary of the repose. The pannykhida is essentially the same as memorial services offered in Orthodox Churches outside the Russian tradition, known variously as the parastas, pannychis, or in abbreviated form as the “Trisagion for the Dead.” Only departed Orthodox Christians may be commemorated at a pannykhida.

Upon making a request for a moleben or pannykhida, it is customary in the Russian Orthodox Church to bring an offering to God and His Church from the fruit of one's labor. The suggested donation to the monastery is $20. The moleben or pannykhida will be served on the earliest date possible following our reception of your request and donation, unless you specify a particular date in the “Additional Information” field below.

Request Form

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   Your name

   Your e-mail address

   Your e-mail address again (this field should NOT be filled in)

I would like to request a (select one)      Moleben      Pannykhida

The requested moleben should be served in supplication to:

•   Our Lord Jesus Christ
•   The Mother of God

  If you like, you may select a particular icon of the Mother of God, before which the moleben will be served:

  •   The Vladimir Icon
  •   The Kazan Icon
  •   The Mother of God Enthroned, “Healer of Cancer”
  •   The Icon “Joy of All Who Sorrow”
  •   The “Inexhaustible Cup” Icon (especially for those struggling with addiction)
  •   The Myrtle Tree Icon
  •   The Port Arthur Icon
•   Holy Greatmartyr and Healer Panteleimon (especially for the sick)
•   St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
•   St. John the Wonderworker of Shanghai and San Francisco
•   Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg (especially for family and employment troubles)

Please submit proper first names (not nicknames or diminutives) for commemoration below (e.g. “Alexander,” not “Alex” or “Sasha;” “Patricia,” not “Patsy” or “Trish”). For Orthodox Christians, this means a baptismal name or the name used when receiving Holy Communion.

Orthodox Christian clergy and monastics should be identified by their proper formal rather than familiar titles (e.g. “Bishop,” “Metropolitan,” etc., not “Vladyka” or “Sayedna;” “Priest,” “Deacon,” “Archpriest,” “Hieromonk,” “Monk,” etc., not “Fr.” or “Father;” “Nun,” “Abbess,” etc., not “Mother”).

Courtesy titles for clergymen's wives, such as “Matushka,” “Presvytera,” “Khouria,” etc., are not used in formal commemorations and should not be submitted. Last names and patronymics are also not necessary.

Name 1   

Name 2   

Name 3   

Name 4   

Name 5   

Name 6   

Name 7   

Name 8   

Name 9   

Name 10  

Additional information:

Commemoration Slips in PDF Format

If you prefer, you may download and print a commemoration slip in pdf format. After you have completed it, you may send it along with your donation to:

Holy Cross Monastery
505 Holy Cross Road
Wayne, WV 25570-5403

Please keep in mind the instructions given above concerning the proper way of writing the names for commemoration, and submit no more than ten names per request.

Moleben
Pannykhida