On June 11, 2004, at 5.30 am., Hieromonk Averky Moreno of the Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, fell asleep in the Lord.

Averky was born in Pocatello, Idaho, and baptized in San Francisco. While studying in the Roman Catholic Seminary, one of his teachers, who happed to be a Uniate, when leaving for vacation once, gave him an Orthodox icon for safe-keeping. Fr. Averky, by nature gifted with a refined aesthetic sense, was moved by the beauty of the Orthodox painting. Having become interested in Orthodoxy, he went to the library and checked out recordings of Russian ecclesiastical chant and again was moved. Then he had the thought: "If the Orthodox paint such beautiful icons and sing with such feeling, then they must be a special people with special Christianity!"

Fr. Averky remained assiduously devoted to this beauty: he continually ordered many icons from various iconographers, in this way glorifying the Saviour, the Theotokos, the angels and the saints. Incidentally, among the icons which he had painted was the icon of the Theotokos, the Surety of Sinners. It was probably not a coincidence that Fr. Averky was granted to end his earthly journey on the feast day of this icon.

Fr. Averky not only accepted Orthodoxy, but with his whole being he became Russian Orthodox, a member of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. Just like Fr. Seraphim Rose, he learned the Russian language and knew well the Russian culture. He used to recall how in earlier times, when Russian emigrants invited him as a guest for dinner, besides the traditional hospitality, they would recite verses from Pushkin, Lermontov, and Yessenin, play the guitar, concertina, and the balalaika, and carry on interesting conversation. At the same time he was very zealous in the helping of the Orthodox mission among the Americans. He loved to serve molebens, pannykhidas and liturgy in the English language.

It must be said that Fr. Averky was distinguished by a rather sharp character and he was not always mild-mannered in his relations with people. However, the Lord granted him a Christian death, shameless and peaceful. In preparing for death, he asked everyone for forgiveness, confessed his sins, and communed of the Holy Mysteries. In the final days, up to 20 people would come to visit him daily in the hospital, where he lay. He remained conscious until the very end. There was no evidence of his sufferings on his face, and his attention was focused as he passed on to a new life.

His Eminence, Metropolitan Laurus of Eastern America and New York, the superior of Holy Trinity Monastery, was the main celebrant at the monastic funeral of Hieromonk Averky, on Saturday, June 12th. Six priests and two deacons also concelebrated. At the funeral, Metropolitan Laurus said a brief word in memory of Fr. Averky, how he arrived at the monastery thirty years before, studied at Holy Trinity Seminary, after which he became the cell attendant of the ever-memorable Archbishop Seraphim of Chicago and Detroit and of Archbishop Alypy. He also served in various parishes in the US.: in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Cleveland, Ohio; St. Louis, Missouri; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; San Diego, California. After this he returned to the monastery and fulfilled various obediences here, including serving in parishes.