New Pavilion Project – St. Dumitru Romanian Orthodox Monastery

Completion of Project (30 October 2022)

By God’s mercy, after many weeks of hard work and after surpassing many unforeseen challenges, the pavilion construction project was completed just in time for our monastery’s fall feast day. We hope and pray that this pavilion will continue to allow us to host feast days, retreats, and other community events for the benefit of our Christian brothers and sisters.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who contributed to this project by their direct efforts, donations, and prayers. We would like to offer special thanks to Mr. Ștefan Cosmin Rizea, who was the general contractor of the project, and Mr. Sergiu Moraru, who completed the entire project with great devotion and skill together with his team of workers. Both men were given the distinction of the American Metropolitan Cross, offered by His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae, “As a sign of appreciation and gratitude for the sacrifice and love shown toward St. Dumitru Monastery in Middletown, NY”.

Glory to God for all things!

Update (26 August 2022)

With God’s help, the first stage has been finalized. We thank everyone who supported us with donations, prayers, and their direct efforts.

The second stage, by the grace of God, will begin in mid-September. It will consist in the construction of the wooden structure, made from Douglas Fir. We ask all of our monastery’s friends and supporters to continue helping us with prayers and, according to the means of each, with donations. Thank you!

Original Announcement (27 July 2022)

It is with great joy that we announce to our brothers and sisters in Christ that, with the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae, our monastery has begun constructing a multifunctional pavilion behind the guest house. This pavilion will be built with a summer altar, where we will host our feast days as well as Sunday Divine Liturgies in a beautiful outdoor setting. It will also serve as a communal space for pilgrims to participate in retreats, interact with other pilgrims, and receive pastoral guidance.

We are grateful for the support we have received so far from our many brothers and sisters who visit the monastery regularly. We encourage you to spread the word among your family and friends who could help us accomplish our goal of finishing this project before our feast day in late October.

May our Good Lord reward your generosity!

In our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Father Abbot Jeremiah

Construction

We began construction in mid-July. Below you will find more details about the construction plan.

Building Permit Number: 22-5145 (Town of Mount Hope, Orange County, NY)
General Contractor: Ștefan Cosmin Rizea (Xenon Construction Corp.)
Architect: Stephen Whalen (Whalen Architecture, PLLC)

Construction will occur in three phases:

1) Foundation. We began preparing to pour the concrete foundation and slab in mid-July. This phase involves excavating the perimeter, assembling the formwork, and pumping the concrete. With God’s help, the slab was finalized in late August.

2) Structure. We have sourced a large amount of Douglas Fir timbers, which are known for their stability and rustic look. These will arrive at our monastery in early September. The roof will be adorned with a traditional Romanian cupola.

3) Decoration. After the structure is built, we plan to carve traditional designs into the posts. Additionally, in the altar area, we will mount a set of five large icons (three for Deisis and two for our patron saints), which have already been painted at the Great and Holy Putna Monastery in Romania.

Each phase requires us to purchase the necessary materials, pay skilled workers, and rent appropriate machinery. Our goal is to raise $50,000.