The second part of the trilogy about the Orthodox monastery in Jordanville, New York, is about its novices, spotlighting how the monastery has changed over time.
Today, you can find both descendants of Russian immigrants and converts to Orthodoxy from the United States among the seminarians. Classes are also held in English now, whereas they were previously only conducted in Russian.
Some things remain unchanged: every year before Easter, the church is cleaned, Easter cakes are baked according to old recipes, and all the monks and parishioners attend services during Holy Week. To avoid being distracted from prayer, the monks renounce modern temptations and forego smartphones.
