They came here from different cities, different generations, and with very different stories. A grandmother who has not missed this pilgrimage for several decades. A Ukrainian woman for whom America began after February 2022. A child born here who knows Ukraine from the stories of their parents. A Sister Servant welcoming pilgrims. A priest hearing the confessions of dozens of people today. A family that came with one request — that the person who is now on the front line return home alive.
In ordinary life, they might never have met. But on August 15–16, all these different roads converged in one place — Sloatsburg, New York. It was here that the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate brought Ukrainians together for the traditional Dormition Pilgrimage for the 72nd time. This year, it was held under the theme: “Mary, our Queen and loving Mother, shelter your children in this time of war and injustice.” It is a theme that pains everyone and touches each person, because war has specific names behind it — silent phone calls, waiting for messages from home, and prayers for those who are on the front line today.
During the Divine Liturgy, Bishop Paul Chomnycky, Eparch of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford, delivered this year’s homily, reflecting on the sacrificial life of Mary, whose path was filled with hardship, yet who never grew tired of loving and keeping her heart open. Mary is the example of true faith and hope, the patroness of Christian life. “God calls each of us to trust, following Mary’s example. To trust Him as Mary trusted.”
A special place in this year’s pilgrimage was given to two figures from the Congregation of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate — Blessed Josaphata Hordashevska and Blessed Martyr Tarsykia Matskiv. This year marks 25 years since June 27, 2001, when Pope John Paul II proclaimed them blessed in Lviv.
Their stories are very different, yet they echo one another in a remarkable way. Josaphata, born Mykhailyna Hordashevska, became a co-founder of the Congregation and helped shape its central mission — to remain close to people: educating children, caring for the sick, and supporting the poor. Tarsykia Matskiv belonged to a different generation of Sisters. She was born in 1919 — the same year Josaphata passed into eternity — which is why the Sisters themselves call Tarsykia her spiritual daughter. She entered the Congregation in 1938, despite her mother’s opposition. Her contemporaries remembered her as an open and friendly young woman, and shortly before her death, she privately expressed her willingness to sacrifice her life for the Church. On July 18, 1944, when Soviet troops were already in Krystynopil, the Sisters were hiding in the basement. When someone rang the monastery doorbell, they thought a priest had arrived to celebrate the Liturgy. Tarsykia opened the door — and was fatally shot. She was only 25. According to testimony cited in the Congregation’s materials, she was killed precisely because she was a nun.
Thus, two forms of faithfulness came together in the lives of these two women: Josaphata built and served throughout her life, while Tarsykia bore witness to her faith in a single tragic moment. And perhaps that is why their shared presence at this year’s pilgrimage resonated so powerfully: one reminds us how faith is lived every day, while the other reminds us how costly that faithfulness can sometimes be.
There is another interesting fact. The pilgrimage takes place amid forests and hills, on land that was once part of the private Table Rock estate of the Hamilton and Morgan families and later became home to the Sisters Servants. In the 1960s, a grotto dedicated to the Mother of God and an outdoor prayer space were created here, along with a small waterfall flowing directly from the rock. They say that if you want to stay healthy, you should wash your face with this water.
The two days in Sloatsburg had their own special rhythm. Confessions were heard, a Panakhyda memorial service and a Moleben to the Mother of God were celebrated, pilgrims walked in a candlelight procession, and prayed during the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy and the Stations of the Cross. Special prayers for healing were also offered. Water, flowers, and religious items were blessed, and visitors enjoyed Ukrainian cuisine.
Personally, this is not my first time here either, yet the feelings are new and fresh. They are already filled with memories and focused hopes, so I am certain that the pilgrimage in Sloatsburg means something different to everyone. For some, it is a tradition once begun by their parents and grandparents. For others, it is a small piece of Ukraine in America. And for someone this year, it was simply a place where they could ask aloud for what mattered most.
Background
According to materials from the official website of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate monastery, before the Sisters Servants arrived, this land belonged to one of the most prominent families in the United States. The estate’s main residence was called Table Rock. It was built in the early 20th century for William Pierson Hamilton and his wife, Juliet Pierpont Morgan. He was a descendant of Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, while she was the daughter of financier J. P. Morgan. In other words, two of America’s best-known dynasties — the Hamiltons and the Morgans — literally came together in one place.
The house itself was also far from monastic in origin. It was a vast country residence in the English Gothic style — approximately 40,000 square feet, four stories, and 52 rooms. According to the historical description, even the bathrooms had their own fireplaces. There were wine and coal cellars, servants’ quarters, stables, and several other buildings. The stone used for construction was quarried directly on the estate.
The Sisters Servants purchased part of the Table Rock estate in 1941, marking the beginning of a new chapter in its history.
Author: Tamara Zayats
