North Port, Florida, November 5, 2026
Photo: synod.com
A reliquary holding particles of the relics of St. Job and St. Amphilochius of Pochaev was recently gifted to the ROCOR Monastery of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God in North Port, Florida,
The precious gift was sent by the famous Holy Dormition-Pochaev Lavra in western Ukraine, whose monks have become acquainted with the life and service of the Florida monastery, which is led by the Volyn native Archimandrite Stefan (Khilchuk), ROCOR reports.
The reliquary, which arrived on Sunday, November 1, is a large, decorated wooden chest with a painted icon of St. Job and St. Amphilochius on top. Small reliquaries containing particles of their relics are set into the icon.
This isn’t the first gift the monastery has received from the Lavra. Five years ago, His Eminence Metropolitan Vladimir, abbot of the Pochaev Lavra, presented the North Port monastery with panels depicting the feet of the Mother of God. The panels once covered the site of the appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Dormition Cathedral of Pochaev.
Photo: synod.com
In the announcement, the monastery says the Most Holy Theotokos, the “Abbess” of both the Pochaev Lavra and the North Port community, doesn’t abandon her flock and cares for her people.
The monastery’s parishioners include many refugees from Ukraine, some originally from Pochaev itself.
“A special spiritual comfort for the monastery's parishioners will also be the presence among us of the holy relics of Venerable Job and Amphilochius of Pochaev. After all, these great ascetics and confessors of the Orthodox faith also lived in difficult times, experienced trials and sorrows, but remained faithful to God and the Holy Orthodox Church to the very end,” the announcement states.
The monastery brethren thank Metropolitan Vladimir and all the brethren of the Pochaev Lavra for their love, support, prayerful help and fraternal friendship with the Pochaev Monastery in Florida.
***
Photo: synod.com
Archimandrite Stephan has served in America since March 2017, initially at the St. Nicholas Monastery in Fort Myers. However, when the monastery leadership fled to the Patriarchate of Constantinople to avoid canonical discipline in 2019, Fr. Stephan received a blessing to found the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God Monastery.
The brotherhood originally served in rented premises, but was able to move into a permanent home in 2025 thanks to many generous benefactors.
Today, the brotherhood includes two priests and two deacons.
Follow OrthoChristian on Facebook, Twitter, Vkontakte, Telegram, WhatsApp, and MeWe!
