Just like their ancestors a hundred years ago… Just like the first Christians…

The annual St. Herman Youth Conference for the Diocese of Chicago & Mid-America convened in Chicago...

When a member of our Church needs help, they approach the Fund for Assistance...

One of our ROCOR missions was about to be thrown out on the street...

Decades of strife in the Holy Land have resulted in terrible levels of poverty...

Fr. Aleksander Kobesi is a ROCOR priest in Bali, Indonesia...

Benevolent Concert to benefit Those Suffering from the War in Ukraine held at Synodal Headquarters

...so they come to our Mission

“There is no legitimate power at the moment in Haiti, power is in the hands of groups who resort to violence and materially occupy the spaces of power.”

Remember Fr. Nektariy from Mexico City? 

Turns out he’s "a traitor and a murderer…"

By supporting the Fund for Assistance, you’re supporting our youth!

Sometimes in our work here at the FFA, we come across simply unbelievable cases...

Your mercy and heartfelt support of the Ukrainian people has made a HUGE difference.

A desperate situation in the cradle of our Church...

By now, everyone’s heard of the horrific earthquake in Turkey and Syria...

Unfortunately, Amazon is discontinuing its AmazonSmile program to benefit charities of your choice

Thanks to the generous response from our donors, the Fund for Assistance was able to help the Ukrainian Orthodox Church...

GREETINGS WITH THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST!

In these days of great joy...

On Friday, December 23, the 43rd Annual St. Herman’s Youth Conference opened at Holy Trinity Church in Vineland, NJ.

I just heard a completely unbelievable story...

In this short video, Mother Theodora of Holy Cross Monastery, WV, explains what she loves about the Fund for Assistance Calendar! Get your now while supplies last!

Because you opened your heart when she had nowhere to go.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are over... Today is Giving Tuesday!

In a world gone mad, your assistance is an answer to their prayers!

When their world fell apart, you didn’t remain indifferent.

Flooding in Pakistan caused a massive damage to crops and vegetables...

NEW PHOTOS! On Wednesday, September 28, Hurricane Ian struck Florida. The most significant damage was done on the state’s Gulf Coast... including Our Lady of Pochaev Church in North Port.

On Tuesday, 13 September, the election of His Grace Nicholas, Bishop of Manhattan, as the new First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia by its Council of Bishops took place.

Your donations have had REAL results and helped REAL people ‒ buying food, clothes, and supplies for people driven from their homes by this terrible war.

There's a lot going on in the world right now. Here's how the FFA is helping!

Thanks to you, we’ve collected over $257,000 for our suffering brothers and sisters!

Today we want to tell you a pretty strange story. It’s about Mike.

A circular directive from the Chancery of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia expresses thanks to the parishes, monasteries, and Synodal departments for the humanitarian and material aid provided to Ukrainian refugees...

Fr. Victor Potapov on the Death of Metropolitan Hilarion

of His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion

"When we see this battlefield in the world, we must look for inner peace, which can come only from God."

We know that you haven’t forgotten our brothers and sisters in Haiti!

In the Ukrainian crisis, the Russian Church Abroad’s Diocese of Berlin & Germany has found itself at the very epicenter of events.

The small Russian mission and monastery in Mexico are reacting to the current situation between Russia and Ukraine.

The tragedy taking place these days in Ukraine resonates with living pain in the heart of the Russian Orthodox Diaspora

We’re turning our drive to help the victims of the crisis in Ukraine into a matching appeal!

I’m writing to you because of what’s going on in Ukraine... to appeal to your mercy.

See how you can help during the global pandemic.

Your gift will DOUBLE in Impact with Matching Funds! 

HAITI – URGENT CRISIS APPEAL

This could solve so much!

The letter is about yet another match we're giving for Haiti ‒ an extra $15,000!

I've heard from Matushka Rose in Haiti...

On Saturday morning, August 14, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the southwest of Haiti

Mexico has been hard-hit by the pandemic

How You Helped Orthodox Choir Directors during COVID

And the result is

We're doing a 72-hour challenge to support our Church!

You mean the world to Fr. Aleksander. Here's why...

Before you came into their lives, Marie and her children felt unwanted and unloved.

Because you've been absolutely INCREDIBLY generous...

His family can’t afford to bury him. What are they supposed to do?

Two extreme ice storms have caused severe damage to our beloved Holy Cross Monastery in West Virginia.

In the midst of COVID-19 turmoil, I know you are deeply concerned about protecting your health and that of your loved ones. On behalf of everyone at FFA, I hope you stay safe and healthy during this unprecedented time.

If you were a business owner, I’m sure you’d love to have him on your team.

He is highly educated.

He lives for his work.

Never takes vacations.

Never says “no” to new projects.

Is supremely efficient and dedicated.

Is always ready to help.

He inspires others.

Have you noticed what’s been happening in the Church during the Coronavirus pandemic? While the entire world is gripped by fear and uncertainty, our bishops and clergy remain calm. Fr. Nectarios Yangson is the guardian of the myrrh-streaming Hawaiian Iveron icon of the Mother of God. He spoke to Peter S. Lukianov from the Fund for Assistance to ROCOR on March 19th about how we should respond as Orthodox Christians to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Back in October we asked you to help the widowed Matushka Alexandra pay for the funeral expenses of Fr. John Moses. You heard the call for help and you answered. Not only were you able to cover the costs, but thanks to your generosity, we now have the Fr. John Moses Funeral Grant for clergy families faced with similar situations. Matushka Alexandra was extremely touched by your kindheartedness. Here's what she had to say:

If you ever wanted to know more about FFA and how it came to be, now you can thanks to Deacon Andrei Psarev (Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary) who wrote it all down for you! Read below to learn more about the history of FFA.

Recently, as you may know, we had a campaign to raise funds for Fr. Aleksander Kobesi in Bali. We were so pleased when many of you answered the call for help. But not as pleased as Fr. Aleksander. He literally relies on your generosity for food and Liturgical supplies. When I first had the pleasure to share the news of the fundraiser success Fr. Aleksander was speechless. He was so moved that generous donors like you raised enough funds for over a year's worth of food and Liturgical supplies for an unknown priest. Thank you for supporting hard working clergy like Fr. Aleksander. It brings us so much joy to work with kindhearted donors like yourself! A few days later I followed up with Fr. Aleksander and here's what he had to say.

One time, a priest in Virginia named Fr. John Moses, gave a sermon at his church about being a servant. You can watch it here. A servant is a person who helps other people. Fr. John said, “Servanthood is woven into the very fabric of our daily lives.” He talked about all the people who serve us every day: monastics who pray for us, priests who serve church services, and teachers who give us knowledge. And he gave the example of Jesus being a servant to us for his whole life on earth.

Ten years ago, when Fr. Aleksander first began serving in Bali there was no money for a church. So he held services in his home. But the government shut that down. Told him it’s illegal.

I had the pleasure to speak with Fr. Aleksander Kobesi about the St. Nicholas of Myra mission that he serves at in Bali. He is a quiet, soft spoken man. He took the time to answer each question I asked. I was fascinated to learn more about Orthodoxy in Bali and Fr. Aleksander's experiences there. I hope you find it to be so as well!

In our last activity we talked about missionaries. Do you remember how the apostles traveled throughout the world to spread Christianity? Today we are going to learn about another missionary who is spreading the Faith. His name is Fr. Aleksander.

This summer your generosity made it possible for the 2019 Summer Youth Program, at Holy Trinity Monastery, to accept a record number of 31 young men. These young men came from as far south as Florida, and as far west as Michigan. Over the course of two weeks, at the monastery, the young men were able to grow in their faith and experience the joys of monastery living.

For over a decade our very own Fr. Dcn. Andrei Psarev, of Holy Trinity Seminary, has been not only instructing seminarians but also working diligently to expand his knowledge of Church History. Fr. Andrei began continuing his education at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, writing his masters thesis on the historical evaluation of the attitude of the Russian Church Abroad towards non-Orthodox Christians and the ecumenical movement between 1920-1964.

I recently interviewed two people who have gotten to know Fr. Rafael over the years. One was Fr. George Lagodich, senior priest at St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Montreal, and other Arthur Shtrevensky, a parishioner there. Read on what they have to say about this wonderful man!

We're trying something new! We think it's important to start having conversations with our little ones about Orthodoxy, giving to the needy, and missionary work from an early age. That's why today we're sharing with you something you can do with your children. A short story first, conversational questions, and an activity. Let us know what you think in comments and if you'd like to see more posts like this!

Welcome! After last week’s post, “Introducing the Vibrant Orthodox Community of the Dominican Republic,” we are excited to share more about Fr. Rafael, Orthodoxy in the Dominican Republic, and how we wrote this appeal.

Welcome back to our new blog! This week we are so excited to be sharing with you more about our latest appeal, on behalf of Priest Rafael Martinez Gonzales and the Orthodoxy community of the Dominican Republic. Fr. Rafael reached out to the Fund for Assistance a few months ago in great need for help financing a new van, for himself and his mission, because his current car is on its last leg. Over the last few months we have worked with Fr. Rafael, to learn more about him, his missionary work, and the Orthodox communities of the Dominican Republic. Today, we are finally able to share more about this amazing community and how you can help them continue to strive!

In the Serene Sea of August

“Open the gates and receive Her who bore the Maker of Heaven and earth. Let us in hymns praise the revered and holy body which held the Lord, upon whom no one can gaze” (Dormition of the Theotokos, Great Vespers)

We are so excited to introduce you to the Fund for Assistance blog! Here we will share updates from the people who you've given hope, through your generosity. Sign up to receive our updates, in your inbox! Please read on to learn more about our first mission update from Fr. Boris, in Buenos Aires, Argentina:

I know that you love our First Hierarch and care about his physical and spiritual wellbeing. Metropolitan Hilarion never asks for anything. But today - Vladyka needs your help.

Hi, my name is “Baby ROCOR.” I’m 11 months old. You don’t know it, but you saved my life by giving me my papa when I needed him most. After I was born, my mama got really sick. It was really scary because I didn’t get to see her for the first month of my life. But you made it possible for my papa to take care of me while mama was sick.

You have no idea how excited we were to share the photos of the new van with you. But considering how incredible your response was to this appeal, we knew that you would want something more than just photos. So we made a video.

They farm if they have land, they run errands for others, they wash other people’s clothes and floors... They survive as best they can - in a country that is too crippled by political instability and poverty to help. In a world that doesn’t seem to care. But you can make the difference between life and death - literally. 

Donors like you are helping arm our priests to battle the relativism in the world and the rising renovationism in the Orthodox Church!

It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad world out there. And it would take a special kind of naiveté to think that the madness is not touching our beloved Orthodox world. For example, there are professors in Orthodox seminaries actually say that saints like St. Mary of Egypt never lived. Concelebration with Catholics in some circles is considered all but a foregone conclusion. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

“People think the war is over in Kosovo…. It’s not!” – said Fr Nektarios, almost crying on the phone. This conversation happened a few weeks after Fr Nektarios’s return from his latest trip to Kosovo. He went there to deliver the aid you sent to your starving brothers and sisters.

I’m used to being around the secular world during the school year. Used to having to explain my faith, who I am, and why I live the life I do. But there’s one place where I never have to explain anything, because here everyone understands me without me having to say anything. Here everything I cherish and hold dear to my soul is exactly what those around me feel.  This wonderful place is the St. Herman Youth Conference.

Your gift will change the lives of the most vulnerable members of ROCOR - your brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Though a tourist paradise, Bali is an expensive place to live in. Especially when there is no health insurance, and if you don’t pay up front, no one will treat you. Even when your life is at risk…

"We lived a moment of true terror, which adversely affected my health..."

A teenager comes to her priest because her friend just came out as transgender. The priest knows that this is tricky territory. If he says the wrong thing - she might think the Orthodox Church is behind the times, irrelevant or bigoted, and may leave the faith. But he doesn't know how to respond. What is he to do?

You paid the rent. You provided shelter, food, and water. You made sure the light of Orthodoxy kept shining in the unlikeliest of places.

Take a look at our annual report 2017: see what you have done for our Church here.

I am excited to share with you our 2017 annual report. It has been a pleasure working with you to ensure that our Church is stronger, vulnerable Church members are taken care of, and the light of Orthodoxy continues to shine even in far-off countries.

Thank you for all you have done to help our Church in 2017. It’s because of you that someone survived, someone persevered, and our Church became stronger: one member at a time.  

It would have been impossible without you!

Please take a look at some highlights of what your kindness has achieved in 2017 and join me in being spiritually grateful for the things we have done in 2017 – together!

In Christ,

Your grateful friend

Mark Selawry
FFA President

When war broke out in Ukraine, Baba Irina’s family had to flee to a safer city. There was no way they could bring Babushka with them. She would not have made the trip alive.

I just got an email from Fr Aleksander about Mary Grace.

 Here it is: "I let you know that on Monday 23rd April at 19:00 Mary Grace has been undergoing CT Scan at the Hospital in Singaraja Bali.

The result is a true collision in the left side of her head when the accident in February, no visible bleeding in the inner brain, but there is inner injury (traumatic) in the left side of her head, the point of a hard collision...

Today I got some disturbing news from the ROCOR mission in Bali, Indonesia. 

A young girl – a ROCOR priest’s daughter - is suffering a serious medical emergency. I pray you can help her now. 

Here's what you have accomplished lately. Take a look inside our newsletter!

FFA supporters save Orthodox community in Bali from rent closure. Thanks to your unflagging support, the Orthodox Church is continuing to grow in the far East!
"With gratitude to God Almighty, on behalf of the ROCOR congregation in Bali, I say many thanks for the financial support from FFA." (Fr. Alexander Kobesi, ROCOR priest of Bali) 

A few months ago, we wrote to you about Sister Martha, the head of the Bethany school for girls. More than that, she’s the unofficially adopted mother to the orphans.

The orphans need a new van. Their old workhorse is on its last legs. Your response has been unbelievable – we collected over $40K! Now we have more than we need for the 9-seater van that Sister Martha was looking at. The surplus will be used to provide for the daily needs of the orphans: food, clothing, doctors’ bills.

Orthodox Mission trains poverty-stricken Haitians life skills to help defeat poverty for the long term.

Remembering our first president Vladimir Galitzine who has reposed in the Lord on February 22, 2018. Here is an interview with him from a few years ago.

The princely line of the Galitzines is one of the most ancient aristocratic families of Russia and exists for almost 600 years. Representatives of this family have included ministers, ambassadors, governors, leaders of the nobility, scholars, musicians, writers, patrons of the arts and collectors… The October Revolution scattered them throughout many nations and continents, but wherever they may be, the Galitzines continue to serve their Homeland and Church, God and the people.

On February 22nd, 2018, following a prolonged illness, Prince Vladimir Kirillovich Galitzine reposed in the Lord. Vladimir Kirillovich served as long time FFA president, as well as warden of the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York for 38 years.

Little Eve’s big brown eyes were swollen from crying. She hugged her teddy bear and cried for her mother. Little did she know that she had just been abandoned…

I had a fascinating meeting at the end of August. A little girl fascinated by spiritual singing and the French language. She lives with her parents south of Port-au-Prince, in the city of Léogâne. Her name is Beltude. She's a beautiful 12-year-old girl. With her slender build, she has smooth, glistening black skin and beautiful black eyes that illuminate her face. I was struck to see a child singing this much. Besides, she takes school very seriously. When it comes to defend herself, which often happens to her, this child is able to handle words until you get exhausted.

Listen to a special report from the Orthodox Christian Network interviews Archimandrite Nektariy, of Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Monastery in Mexico City, about the effects of the recent earthquakes.

Just like any other 8 y.o., Juliana from Ladysmith, BC, loves presents and parties. For her own birthday this year, she asked her mother if she could do something special.

A few months ago we wrote to you about an absolutely terrible situation one of our priests ended up in when he started serving in Buenos Aires. Fr Boris and Matushka Ksenia Gladyshev moved to Argentina from Russia, where they had a good life – because they felt called to serve. They were supposed to receive a small stipend, but things did not work out. By the time their Bishop John of Caracass appealed to us for help, they had been through poverty, debt, and even a life-threatening situation. 

Read the newsletter here.

The third earthquake to hit Mexico on Saturday, September 23, 2017, sent residents of Mexico City into the streets in the morning - some half dressed  - in new fears for their lives. The brethren of the Holy Trinity Monastery are unharmed, but the level of stress all over the country is extremely high. 
Schema archimandrite Nektariy - abbot of the Holy Trinity Monastery (ROCOR) in Mexico City - saw two people die of heart attacks in the streets following the third quake.
"People are breaking into tears, having nervous breakdowns," - he texted on Sunday.

Two days after a second earthquake devastated Mexico, the brethren of Holy Trinity Monastery are helping their neghbors survive any way they can. Although the monastery suffered a lot of damage, the monks continue praying and serving the people of the city.

"We have been very busy trying to provide some help to the victims; specially clothes, medicines and our own professional knowledge and skills wherever we can.  Tragedies are devastating.

Today we received this email from Matushka Rose Legoute, widow of Fr Gregoire Legoute, one of the senior priests of the Mission.

 “Thank God, we did not suffer the catastrophe that was predicted to occur in the wake of Hurricane Irma here in Haiti, but there were considerable damages in...

Schema Archimandrite Nektariy wrote to FFA after the 8.4 earthquake in Mexico: "You could only hear the cracking of walls and furniture and things falling down; our bells were ringing... it seemed that our time had come... we just kneel down in the confusion and darkness in deep prayer... after an eternity we realized that God was very merciful...  Slava Bogu !!!  we all are fine, scared but no tragedies, nor pain in our communities, so far."

Annual Report 2016 is out! Take a look at what you helped us accomplish!

Concert season in Moscow this fall will include an event which can hardly be expected to pass without the widespread media coverage and publicity.

Take a look at all your good work here!

Right before the feast of the Nativity the Fund for Assistance to ROCOR sent more aid to help refugees from the Ukrainian conflict at Svyatogorsk Lavra (Svyatogorsk, Donetsk People’s Republic).

Treat yourself to unique products with a true Russian rustic feel and support your Church at the same time!

In the lead up to Giving Tuesday (29 November), Dacha Designs is kicking off its charity drive.  20% of your purchases will be donated to the Fund for Assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (FFA).  This drive will last until Monday 28 November 11:59PM PST.  On Giving Tuesday, they will submit all funds raised to the FFA. 

Read our newest newsletter

The plight of our Orthodox brothers and sisters isn’t limited to desecration of historic churches and cemeteries. Daily in Kosovo, chickens and cows are being stolen. A barn full of hay for the livestock the Serbs have been collecting for two years was burned down by Muslims.

A few months ago we were terrified to hear that Fr Alexei Aedo Villugron of the ROCOR mission in Chile was in a very difficult financial situation. He couldn’t even pay for heating and water during the winter months in South America.

Our beneficiaries tell us - sometimes with tears in their eyes - how grateful they are to you – who daily turn their lives around. Because very often without you, there wouldn’t have been anybody there to help them.

My name is Joel Derolus. Hurricane Matthew took everything we owned. The house where I lived with my family (my two sisters and my widow mother) is seriously damaged.

Reader Urbain’s motto in life has always been: “Just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise” (Luke 6:31). Since he became Orthodox in 2001, he has devoted his life to the Lord, His Church, and his family. Urbain and his wife raise two of his nephews in addition to their own two daughters, tithe to their parish in Jacmel, and share with those less fortunate than them.

Recently Holy Trinity monastery’s rent in Mexico City has been DOUBLED. Again. Illegally. In a private conversation Abbot Archimandrite Nektariy shared that he doesn’t know how he will go on.

This case is a matter of life and death. Both for Fr. Nektariy and the ROCOR mission he heads in Mexico City.

In the course of a lifetime you may be fortunate enough to be inspired by someone who is truly making a difference. Someone whose only goal in life is to help others. Someone who works selflessly, tirelessly and against all odds, to make the world a better place.

Fr Alexei Aedo from the Russian Orthodox Mission in Chile is in dire financial trouble. 

Thanks to your incredible support, we have collected over $23,000 for our Orthodox brothers and sisters in Kosovo! Thank you! Spasibo! Hvala! The money was used to provide food and livestock to Orthodox families, so they would enough to eat and share with their neighbors on the feast of Holy Pascha.
Here's a very short video "thank you" from Archimandrite Sava, the Archimandrite of the Decani Monastery.

If you love shopping on Amazon.com, you'll be happy to know that the Fund for Assistance to ROCOR is now on Amazon Smile. Now, you can enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices, and convenience, plus donate 0.5 percent of your purchase to the Fund for Assistance to ROCOR.

A few weeks before his untimely death, Fr Gregoire sent FFA an email. He was a modest man and never asked for help for himself.

“Words cannot express how relieved we are. Thank you for donations, prayers and continued support to the Fund for Assistance!” said Fr. Thomas.

Thanks to our donors' amazing generosity the Mystery Match was successful, and we collected a total of $14,000! Thank you to all who supported us, so that we can continue working for our Church! Please make sure to take a look at the videos our Board Members recorded just for you! FFA president Mark Selawry reveals who the Mystery Match was in his video!

Every year His Eminence Hilarion Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York helps us out. He very kindly sends out a letter to parishes, asking clergy to take a plate collection for the Fund for Assistance to ROCOR. By this he shows us his support.

This year, on Tuesday, December 1, 2015, Fund for Assistance to the Russian Church Outside of Russia is participating in #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving, for the second year in a row.

Fr. Gregoire Legoute: We would like everyone to know that the Orthodox Mission in Haiti is alive. That the Orthodox in Haiti are very spiritual, they love God. And that the mission does a lot to help children, different parishes - spiritually, morally and economically.

It was all really good news for the Opyoke family: promotions for both deacon Fr. Thomas (Holy Myrrhbearers Mission in Harrisonburg, VA) and Matushka Elizabeth, a down payment on a new house and best of all – a second baby. And then the problems started: Matushka had to be hospitalized seven times during her pregnancy and was put on a...

On Sunday, October 4, the feast of the Leavetaking of the Exaltation of the Previous & Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, His Eminence, Metropolitan Jonah, celebrated the Divine Liturgy in St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Washington, DC. His Eminence was co-served by cathedral clergy. At the Liturgy, in honor of his longtime dedicated service to Christ’s Church and with the blessing of Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, Metropolitan Jonah awarded cathedral rector Archpriest Victor Potapov the right to wear the second cross.

Your compassion allowed a priest to continue serving his church.

We have just one month to collect the money that would enable Fr. Sergio to keep serving at the Holy Resurrection cathedral in Buenos Aires. Can you help save this parish?

On Saturday, June 27, an Orthodox Women’s Conference entitled "Living and Thinking Orthodoxy, Yesterday and Today," was held in Glen Cove, NY. The conference was organized by Holy Virgin Intercession & St. Sergius Parish in Glen Cove. The conference’s main speakers were Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen; former Primate of the Orthodox Church in America), Dr. Valerie A. Karras (adjunct lecturer at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis, MO), and Dr. Sister Vassa (Larin; research fellow at the University of Vienna). Moderating the conference was Dr. Nadieszda Kizenko (associate professor at SUNY Albany). More than 60 people participated in the conference.

By supporting youth events like St. Herman’s conference, you helped Orthodox kids forge lasting friendships – a letter…

Your support allowed a group of volunteers to build a schoolroom in Jacme. 

Thanks to generous donors like you, a group of eight volunteers went to Jacmel to build school furniture and a classroom for students of the school at the St. Augustine parish in Jacmel.

 Nearly every ROCOR parish in Haiti has a school for kids from toddlers to 6^th grade – not only for the children of the parishioners, but for anyone in need.

An update from Fr Demetrio and some other great news!

When Matushka Hanna's cancer came back, it threatened to derail not only her family's life, but also the survival of their parish, and husband Fr. Demetrio's pro bono work at an Orthodox school. 

Fr.Alexander Antchoutine, rector of Holy Protection Church in Glen Cove, NY, accompanied His Emminence Metropolitan, the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad on his archpastoral visit to Haiti. What he had to say after the visit is amazing.

A record number  of young people - 44 -  assembled in Cincinnati on the afternoon of Friday, December 26, coming from 11 states and three different dioceses. The primary events of the conference were held at the YMCA Camp Kern facility, just a few miles away from St. George’s new church in Loveland, Ohio.

Our favorite example of your generosity is the expanding farm at Holy Cross Monastery. As a result of growing their own food and getting much better nutrition, their grocery bills have shrunk, and their health has improved, so much so, that visitors have commented on how much healthier they look! And they use organic and sustainable farming practices.

Four days of non-stop inspired fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ went by as one moment. The conference brought together young people from North America’s western shores (California and Alberta) to the eastern shores (Halifax and Florida) of North America. For some this was a first experience with Orthodox conferences, while for others it was an annual event, awaited with much anticipation from the year before.

Fr Nektariy gave his all to his monastery. The burden nearly killed him. But then you stepped in. 

Take a look at what you have accomplished in the last few months: saved Fr Nektariy's monastery in Mexico City, helped Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY, and Holy Cross Monastery in Wayne, WV, and much more!

Fr Oleg Yarovoy (Royal Martyrs Church in Sparks, NV) gets a small salary from his parish - it's enough for the bare necessities of his family. But there isn’t anything for emergencies.

He was getting along, but then one day this happened.

We've received bad news from Mexico City. Fr Nektariy Haji-Petropoulos - abbot of the Holy Trinity Monastery in Mexico City - says the monastery may need to close its doors before Western Christmas.

Svyatogorsk (Holy Mountain) Holy Dormition Lavra in Eastern Ukraine has admitted 800 refugees from the current warzone. The holy habitation has turned over the monastery guesthouse to the refugees to use as shelter and living quarters, as well as provided free meals, medical assistance, and any required clothing.

How you saved a Jordanville monk from going blind

The last thing you expect to hear when you’re only 30 years old is: “You are losing your eye sight”. Riassophor monk Alexander, candle maker and reader at Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY, has had vision problems for years. And his sight was rapidly deteriorating.

Thanks to your generosity, brethren abandon temporary housing for monastic cells

Brother David entered Holy Cross Monastery as a novice 3 years ago, at a time when Holy Cross Monastery was growing so fast, it was splitting at the seams. There were so many prospective novices, there was a waiting list to enter the monastery.

Click here to read

Thanks to donors like you, Elizaveta and suffering young people like her find a new family at Orthodox Youth Retreats.

Please support our Youth Programs!

Dear brothers and sisters,

May I introduce you to Bogdan?

He’s a cute little guy. He loves playing hide-and-seek and watching cartoons.

He looks like a typical 4 year old. But Bogdan has already witnessed horrors that will likely affect his whole life.

Bogdan is a refugee from Eastern Ukraine. His grandmother was able to scrape enough money to flee the war-torn region with him. Bogdan’s mother and father, his sister Anya and his parrot Plut had to stay back.

When watching TV, Bogdan continually asks his grandmother: “Is he going to be killed? What about her? Is she safe?”

This 4-year old has already experienced grief and death, want and hunger... Night after night he screams with terror and calls for his mother. He may never see her again...

There are thousands stories like this one.

Her family disowned and abused her when she converted to Orthodoxy. But your kindness let her find a new family within the Church.

Your tremendous response to our fundraising drive for Holy Trinity Monastery resulted in over $168,000 in assistance in 2013. Thanks to your generosity, the brethren have been able to make improvements in several areas of their life, which would not have been possible had they not benefited from your financial support.  Our mission prevents us from sponsoring repairs, but there was a lot of interest from our donors to help the monastery, so we agreed to help the brethren with day-to-day expenses, which freed up funds for the needed repairs. Here’s how you helped Holy Trinity Monastery in 2013 in the words of monastery accountant Hieromonk Theophylact.

“Christ is Risen!” – rang Igumen Seraphim’s triumphant voice through the small packed church. “Truly He is Risen!” –replied brethren and parishioners alike, many with tears of joy. Pascha of 2014 was even more joyous for them this year. After months of pain and suffering, months of aggressive treatment for his cancer, Fr Seraphim was finally able to serve again.

Every time you give to FFA, someone like Deacon Andrei Psarev works hard to honor your generosity. Because without you, his story may have been very different.

Jordanville, NY, is not easy place to live — especially if you have a family to support.

There are very few employment opportunities, even for someone as highly educated as Deacon Andrei Psarev, who is

See what your donations have accomplished in 2013! Thank you for keeping our Church strong!

Read the report here.

Dear friends,

The first numbers are in for the monastery matching drive!

Thanks to your great generosity, the ROCOR mission in Costa Rica bought an almost new Toyota Yaris.

We collected over $20,000 for the mission, which allowed them to buy a much better car than they had originally planned.
According to matushka Elena Aragon, when Fr Ignacio, saw the car, he couldn't believe anyone would care so much as to buy this nice of a car for his use.

An anonymous donor has put a $20,000 on the table for two of our most prominent monasteries -  Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY, and Holy Cross Monastery in Wayne, WV.
But there’s one condition before they can claim it...

We’ve had a request from Gregory (Grisha) Levitsky – a third- year student at St Tikhon’s seminary in PA.

He needs your help to pay tuition for his Master of Divinity program. You might wonder why do I need to help him?

Because here we have a talented highly-educated young man (his B.A. is in Political Science and Russian) who is determined to...

"In 2013, my husband of 53 years, Archpriest Alexei Ohotin, died of cancer.

Thanks to the Fund for Assistance, he was able to die in peace, free of worry.  He knew that his family would not be burdened with his astronomical medical bills.

If you are or ever have been a donor to the Fund for Assistance, I would like to offer my deepest thanks for your...

Dear friends, Christ is risen!

Thanks to your incredible generosity, we have collected around $20,000 for the mission in Costa Rica! Members of the mission are actively looking for a good car - the process is taking a little longer than expected, because money is still coming in. This means that they have had to change their plans several times - because each time the sum would grow.  So they would have to start looking for a different and better car!

Thank you so much for your kindness and for giving the members of the small mission so much hope. Your support is so important to them - who live far away from their homeland and in a place with very few Orhtodox Christians. They can now rest assured that their priest will always be able to come to them in their time of need! This would have been impossible without your help. Thank you! May the Lord save you!

Stricken with grief, Lena ran to the only Russian Orthodox church in Costa Rica – the Our Lady of Vladimir Church. Her thoughts were scattered, despair crushed her throat…

Could it really be that Peter, her youngest son, was dead?! Only a few hours earlier, the 20-year-old youth had died in a car accident… But the church was closed. The priest came to serve once a week from several towns away. Lena had to wait several ‒ oh, how painful and never-ending! ‒ days until she could have a comforting talk with him, and attend divine services in church.

For almost a year, Fr. Ignacio Miranda, who cares for the Russian Orthodox community of Costa Rica, has been traveling to church every Sunday with two stops. Each way takes two hours – he takes two buses and a taxi ride. Parishioners serve the All-Night Vigil as laymen, since two such trips per weekend would be too much to handle; moreover, Fr. Ignacio works a secular job on weekdays.

The participants of the conference held in the Mid-America and Chicago Diocese made this wonderful Thank you video for us. Check out the bloopers at the end!:)

Mulino, OR - Your donations in action -  see what future Church leaders: priests, matushkas, choir directors, readers, etc. say about a wonderful annual youth conference! This year the conference, organized by the Western American Diocese and sponsored by the FFA, was held in Mulino, OR, at the parish of New Russian Martyrs in Mulino, OR. 

Please watch this excellent film about the recent St Herman's conference in Sea Cliff, NY, produced by the Eastern-American Diocese Media Office. 

Sea Cliff, NY - In today’s day and age, when evil forces vigorously wage war against the fundamentals of Christianity by giving people false hope through materialism and secularism, the most vulnerable victims of this warfare are the youth. Television programs and social networks bombard young people with images of celebrities and politicians, who proudly live immoral lives and preach messages that go against all of the teachings of the Holy Church. But despite all of these horrors, there are still those among the youth who try not to succumb to the temptations of this world, and for this reason the Russian Church Abroad hosts the annual St. Herman’s Youth Conference during the traditional winter recess during the Gregorian Calendar feast of the Nativity of our Lord. On December 22-26, a group of approximately 75 high school- and college-aged Orthodox Christians gathered in Long Island to continue this tradition. 

Paris: Wonderful news for those whose hearts are touched by our brothers’ plight in Haiti: on Wednesday, February 12, in the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Korsun in Paris, Bishop Nestor of Korsun ordained into the deaconate a Haitian seminarian Augustine Gesnel, who is studying at the Russian Orthodox seminary in France. Until he graduates, the newly-ordained deacon will serve as a deacon as part of the seminary clergy, and after returning to Haiti, he will serve at his home parish of St Augustin in Jacmel.  

"Father Chris is one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. He is always in good spirits and loves to laugh. He welcomes all those that come to him, will give you anything you ask, but will never ask for anything in return."

You are invited to take a pilgrimage to a unique church on Bukasa Island, Uganda. You can click through this amazing panorama and listen to Liturgy served in a local language. The wooden chapel was built by Fr Christopher Walusimbi, who heads the small ROCOR mission there. FFA has been supporting Fr Christopher for several years. 

Fr Mark was one of the biggest contributors to his parish: he devoted endless hours to his parish, often bought necessary items, like vigil lamp oil and incense out of his own resources and tithed back to the parish. “Fr Mark pays us to be our priest,” said parishioner Nell Shaw.

For Fr. Alexei, an umbrella was an essential thing to have. He had lost the last two within a week of purchasing them ­­– both times on a bus, on the way to serve Liturgy. After making sure that his suitcase – which was even more essential – was all right, Fr. Alexei got off the bus. It was getting ready to storm. There was no one there to meet him this time, so he shifted his suitcase into a more comfortable position and set off on foot. A strong wind picked up, and it began to rain. It was awkward carrying a heavy suitcase in one hand and an umbrella in the other: it was also ineffective. A sharp gust of wind tore the umbrella away and carried it off. Fr. Alexei only sighed, without setting his old suitcase down even for an instant: it contained his vestments, liturgical Gospel book, and vessels. “My suitcase is my church,” he would often say. 

At 5 a.m. Brother Lev began to clear the snow off the path to the church – there was just enough time to do it before Liturgy. It was -4°F, and an icy wind was stinging his face. He was frozen to the marrow and was having comforting thoughts about there being just enough time to warm himself in his cell before the service. However, when he got back to his cell the radiator was cold; the old furnaces were not always able to cope with the cold New York winters, but Holy Trinity Monastery did not have the money to repair them. "The monks and visitors complain that it is very cold in some of the rooms. We need to resolve this issue, but at the same time we need to stop using these dangerous radiators in the rooms," says Archimandrite Luke, the monastery's abbot. "We recently replaced the boilers in the basement. Now we need to replace the old pipes and renovate the building so that all the floors are at the same temperature. This is a huge problem for us at present." 

"I had always known that a secular career was not what I wanted. Although I enjoyed my studies, my main interest was always the Church: the services, the Church’s history, Holy Scripture, church music, Church-Slavonic, etc. I always planned to serve the Church in some capacity when I grew up. Taking my father’s advice, I enrolled at Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville when I was 17. There I continued my study of Russian and familiarized myself with Dogmatic Theology, History, Pastoral Theology, Patrology, and much more. I also met many wonderful people there, with whom I hope to remain in touch for the rest of my life, even if service to the Church takes us far apart. Although the seminary’s tuition is fairly inexpensive – especially compared to that of other universities – it was still beyond my means."

Last September when 8 y.o. Ella Campbell was excitedly showing her grandmother how well she learned to ride a bicycle, the unthinkable happened. She fell and hit her head so severely that her skull fractured in three places around her left eye. Her brain suffered no damage, but several complications arose. For over a month the whole family: Fr Jonah, matushka Yelena and Ella’s two brothers, were sick with worry over the fate of their little girl. 

Like hundreds in the Russian Orthodox community in New York, I was horrified to read about the tragic death of 3 year old Kirill.  His father threw him off a high rise, and then jumped himself. Like all my friends, I pray for him and his mother Svetlana. We've neve met, but I, too, have a 3 year old boy, and I cannot imagine what emotional trauma she is experiencing. I also gave a $100 in memory of little Kirill to the Fund for Assistance. Why did I choose to donate to FFA and not to St Jude’s Hospital, where Svetlana created a fund in his name?

Your support this year meant the world to us! We are so thankful for your generosity and wanted to share how the help of donors like you changed the lives of members of our Church this year.
Seminarian Peter Markevich, for example, found it impossible to continue his studies at Holy Trinity Seminary on top of supporting a wife and child. Markevich was one of many seminarians, who were unable to pay for their education.

New York - On this wonderful holiday of Thanksgiving, we Orthodox Christians often list all the things for which we are grateful to the Lord: health, a loving family, employment… This year , we would like to remind you of an old Russian saying: “Glory to Thee, O Lord, for all that I have, and thrice glory to Thee for all that I have not” ‒ the problems and trials facing our neighbors, both here in America and in every country with our parishes. Let us remember those who do not have enough money to live on, or whose families to not share with us the joy of a life in Christ.

This short video compares how much Americans spend during the holiday season in search for a good deal as opposed to how much they donate. What will your choice be?

See just how much good we have done with your support last year! Thank you for supporting our Church!

Port-au-Prince - It’s 7 o’clock in the morning, but the sun is already glaring on Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  Catherine gets off a rickety bus and hitches Philippe, her 6 y.o. son on her back.  It’s another 3 miles to school and Catherine quickly gets tired. People they meet avert their eyes, as if they can’t see the frail young woman and her little son.  A teenage boy throws a small stone at the pair and runs away; someone crosses the street, as if meeting mother and son would cause them bad luck.  Philippe is used this.

Deacon Peter Markevich grew up in a church-going family, but like a lot of young people, he lost interest in Church while in college, but by the mercy of God did not lose his faith altogether.  Before his junior year, Markevich attended a youth pilgrimage to the Holy Land, sponsored by the Fund for Assistance. This trip sparked his desire to attend seminary. Possessed with a new commitment to Christ and His Church, he matriculated at Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY, in the fall of 2009.

New York - Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY, is in the middle of a severe financial crisis. Most of its infrastructure is extremely old and requires urgent repairs. Since October of 2012 the Fund for Assistance to ROCOR has been collecting funds to help the monastery.  To date, over $182,000 has been collected. 

When the last check for $35,000 arrived, FFA received a TY note from monastery treasurer Hieromonk Theophylact.

"Holy Cross Monastery - a story of survival" is now available in Russian.

"Holy Cross Monastery - a story of survival" is a documentary about the life and difficulties of a small English-speaking Russian Orthodox monastic community in the mountains of West Virginia. The film shows daily life at the monastery and the far-reaching effect this small impoverished community has on the monastery's neighbors and pilgrims and even the world.

Russian Orthodox Podcast will donate $1 for every LIKE on their facebook page by Pascha this year (capped at $1,000).
To help raise much needed funds for the Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY, please SHARE this post and encourage your friends to LIKE Russian Orthodox Podcanst's facebook page: facebook.com/RussianOrthodoxPodcast

"Holy Cross Monastery - a story of survival" is a documentary about the life and difficulties of a small English-speaking Russian Orthodox monastic community in the mountains of West Virginia. The film shows daily life at the monastery and the far-reaching effect this small impoverished community has on the monastery's neighbors and pilgrims and even the world, as well as how donations of thousands of people, made through the Fund for Assistance,  have saved the monastery at one of the most difficult times of its history in 2011-2012.

Dear friends and supporters,

So far, thanks to your generosity, we have collected over $200,000 for Holy Trinity Monastery.  $130,000 has already been disbursed. The First Hierarch of ROCOR, His Eminence Hilarion, Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York, expressed his deep concern over the critical condition in which Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY – the oldest monastery in the Russian Church Abroad – finds itself.

Donate to support Holy Trinity Monastery here!

The First Hierarch of ROCOR, His Eminence Hilarion, Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York, expressed his deep concern over the critical condition in which Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY – the oldest monastery in the Russian Church Abroad – finds itself.

Holy Trinity Monastery is facing serious financial difficulties as a result of necessary renovations to the property, which will cost the monastery an estimated three million dollars.

"It was absolutely painful to see how many repairs are needed," said the Metropolitan after surveying the buildings. Deacon Michael Wengrin who came to the moanstery with the Metropolitan, said he was in a state of shock: "What I’ve seen here is just deplorable. I don’t know how the monks survive under these conditions. I wanted to cry."

The civil holiday of Thanksgiving is a wonderful reminder to us of the need to thank God for all that we take for granted; for all that we have had, and all that we think we will have in the future; for our churches, for our priests and matushkas, for our parishioners. This Thanksgiving, I especially thanked the Lord for all of you – the members of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. Thank God for our parishioners! Without the bishop there is no Church, but without the parishioners, there is no parish and no community in which we all might care for one another.

When hurricane Sandy spared his home in NJ with little damage, Fr. Timothy thought that, compared to most people, the situation of his young family of 4 was enviable.  What are a few days without power when you still have each other and all your earthly possessions, minus the perishable food that had to be thrown out?
His happiness turned to anguish when he found out that both he and his matushka’s income was cut off indefinitely, because their employers suffered from Sandy. Like most ROCOR clergy, Fr Timothy’s parish does not provide him with a salary or health insurance. FEMA denied his claim. The family has no place left to turn to.  

In 2009, Priest Gregorio Justiniano moved to San German to found Puerto Rico’s first mission, that of St. John of the Ladder, or San Juan Climaco. Inasmuch as Russians here are a vast minority, the parish decided to serve in Spanish, a language understandable to the locals, in order to better spread Orthodoxy. But here they ran into a problem: how could they serve without liturgical books or musical notes in Spanish? Moreover, how could they worthily perform the Orthodox divine services with only two people in the choir, neither of whom possess any musical training or education, or a knowledge of Church singing?

When one lives in a monastery, one expects to be materially poor.  When a person devotes his whole life to the Lord, he takes vows of chastity, obedience and poverty. The brethren at Holy Cross do everything they can to support themselves: they grow a portion of their own food, they make incense, candles and soap for sale, and they raise chickens and goats. But even a community of people dedicated to live simply need something to survive on.

I was recently asked "why is the Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville so special for you?" In our appeal to raise funds to help this venerable ROCOR institution, the emphasis was made on their financial plight. I, personally, experienced a thought that terrified me: "what if there was no Jordanville!?" I'm sure most readers could share a similar feeling, based on their own experience at the monastery. You see, Jordanville served as a spiritual anchor for my family. My father emigrated to the US in the 1950s. Living in Buffalo, he found a slice of matushka Rossiya in the hills of upstate New York, within striking distance of Buffalo. As a doctor, he treated many fathers on a voluntary basis, including the late Metropolitan Laurus.

When our parish sisterhood heard of the seemingly insurmountable troubles besetting the Holy Trinity Monastery by the NY EPA, we began to consider putting together a quick yard sale to see if we could help. Being a small, financially struggling church in the Protestant South, our fundraisers must inevitably be for our own church's upkeep, flowers, or children's programs. (St. Elizabeth the New Martyr Church - Columbia, SC) This time we were excited and honored to do something for this historic and important monastery in our Diocese.

While all eyes are focused on Hurricane Sandy, another emerging catastrophe calls for our special consideration in helping our fathers and brethren at the Holy Trinity Monastery. This venerable ROCOR institution, founded in 1928, has touched the lives of countless monks, seminarians, pilgrims, and other Orthodox faithful.
I visited the monastery about a month ago in order to review the endowment and scholarship funds provided by the FFA earlier this year. I was shocked to learn that the monastery is now under severe financial difficulty on the back of two major developments:

We are asking you to support the FFA’s effort to provide health insurance to clergy in our church who cannot otherwise obtain it. We often come to our clergy, asking for their prayers and spiritual support when we are ill. Whether before surgery or during a prolonged hospital stay, our clergy pray with us and for us. But is it right that we seek spiritual care for medical illness from a person whose own family may not be able to afford the medical care we are about to get? 

New York  - When one lives in a monastery, one expects to be materially poor.  When a person devotes his whole life to the Lord, he takes vows of chastity, obedience and poverty. The brethren at Holy Cross do everything they can to support themselves: they grow a portion of their own food, they make incense, candles and soap for sale, and they raise chickens and goats. But even a community of people dedicated to live simply need something to survive on. 

Life in Haiti is rarely easy, but for Madeleine Randiche those few years seemed like paradise. She was happily married and had two beautiful children. Her husband, Reader Vladimir, was an active member of the Orthodox Mission in Haiti. He introduced not only Madeleine to Russian Orthodoxy, but catechized scores of believers. In the 11 years that the couple were members of the mission, more and more people started to rely on her husband for teaching, instructing catechumens, doing reader services for the local parish when the two priests – leaders of the mission – were unavailable, traveling to other parishes.

Mexico City - Beginning early Saturday morning and continuously over the course of eight hours, clerics of Holy Trinity Skete (Sagrado Skiti de la Santisima Trinidad) in Mexico City greeted dozens of families coming to have their kulichi, Paschal eggs, paschas, and traditional foods blessed, which they later shared with their friends and relatives.

Miami - Every year, on Great & Holy Saturday, in the parish of Saint Moses the Ethiopian in Fontamara, Haiti, after the Matins service, the Orthodox Mission of the Russian Church Abroad has baptized children, youths, and adults from different parishes throughout Haiti who were ready to receive baptism. This year, thirty-eight catechumens were baptized into the Orthodox faith.

Dear friends,
In these joyous days, we ask you to consider how much Christ’s Holy Church means to us, and how difficult it would be to greet Pascha without being able to attend services in one’s home parish.
This was the situation once faced by our ancestors, who sought to escape the Communist regime in Russia. Through endless tribulations and tears they founded their new parishes where we pray today; they donated their last pennies to their dearly beloved Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and, thanks to them, today there is a Russian parish in nearly every state.

A powerful 7.4 earthquake shook Mexico on Tuesday spared the small ROCOR mission in Mexico City, headed by Archimdnrite Nektariy (Haji-Petropoulos).
“Thanks to God nothing very serious happened,” wrote the abbot to the Fund for Assistance in an email.

“All our religious items fell to the ground, icons, bookshelves, lampadas, candelabra, furniture, kitchenware etc.  Lots of broken glass and loose bricks everywhere; the major damage was in the cupola.  Phone lines, Internet and electricity were interrupted for many hours. But all our parishioners are fine, just very scared.  We have already had 15 aftershocks. “

Every winter, the St. Herman’s Orthodox Youth Conferences are held on the America’s East and West Coasts. There, for their fortification in the faith and the salvation of their souls, pastors of the Church gather members of the younger generation.
This year, the “western” conference was held in Sunnyvale, CA. Over fifty college and high school students were in attendance. All were united by their shared faith, Church, and desire to learn something new. But this gathering also answers one of the most burning questions of youth: where and how to find upstanding peers. Many young people find friends here – those who are older find their sweethearts. “Walk not in the counsel of the wicked,” wrote King David, and for Orthodox youth this conference is a deserving worthy alterative to secular get-togethers.

The Fund for Assistance is launching a new program to support provision of clergy health insurance (ROCOR) in the United States. If your parish clergy do not have health insurance and you would like help in paying for it, please contact Lena Zezulin to discuss a cost-sharing arrangement to purchase a policy in the Orthodox Health Plan, at e-mail address healthinsurance@fundforassistance.org.  
 

Located amongst Appalachian hills at Wayne, WV, the Hermitage of the Holy Cross is an English-speaking monastery under the jurisdiction of ROCOR. The 22 monastics and novices live in the communal setting, following a cenobitic rule, meaning that all things are held in common and the monastics do not keep their own possessions or money once they enter the brotherhood. Sources of income include donations, making incense in the ancient Athonite tradition, and sale of handmade bath & body products, beeswax candles, and other liturgical items and products. 

Dear friend, I greet you with the Feast of Christ’s Nativity!

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your support of the Fund for Assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia in 2011!

It is hard to believe that in a couple of weeks, we will already be celebrating Christmas and the New Year, gathering together with our families around the festal table and giving our children presents.

Just as any other father, I am sincerely concerned and worried for the future of my three children in the New Year, and cannot help but feel similarly for the fate of the FFA – an organization dear to me because for more than 50 years it has supported the worldwide community of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.

New York - True to its tradition of promoting the moral-spiritual education of ROCOR youth, the Fund for Assistance has once again sponsored all 3 St Herman's youth conferences heldthis year.

New York - With support from  the Fund for Assistance to the Russian Church Abroad Deacon Andrei Psarev, instructor of canon law at Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary, attended the only international congress on eastern ecclesiastical law organized by the Society for The Law of Eastern Churches at Vienna University, Austria.

New York - When the fires started in Smithville,TX, Dominica McGinnis told her 4 girls to pack an overnight bag and the family evacuated their home. The next time they came back, the house the family had lived in for eight years would be destroyed together with all their possessions.

New York – In May of this year, the Fund for Assistance announced that it would be raising funds for Matushka Elizabeth Sveshnikov, wife of Fr. Sergei Sveshnikov in Oregon. Matushka had been suffering from avascular necrosis for several years, and the femoral head of her thigh bone was beginning to disintegrate. Matushka urgently needed to undergo surgery, or else she would wind up disabled at only 35 years of age.

"My name is Gary Dippel and I have been an active donor to the Fund for Assistance to ROCOR (FFA) for the last 10 years. I was born Romanian Orthodox but switched to ROCOR believing it to have the fullness of the Truth. Recently the FFA took up a cause that means a lot to me: helping our priests in need. I thought you should know why you should care about this, too."

New York - Mark Selawry was appointed by the Board as Executive Director of the Fund for Assistance, effective August 1st, 2011.  He replaced V.Rev.Victor Potapov who retired from the position but is staying on with the fund as Board member. 

New York - In recent months, Russian media outlets have given much attention to issues pertaining to the well-being of Orthodox clergy, their ability to make a living, and their obligations to their parishioners. One of the tasks of the Fund for Assistance to ROCOR is to provide assistance to clergy of the Church Abroad in material need. Priest Alexandre Antchoutine, a cleric of the Eastern American Diocese and rector of Holy Virgin Protection Church in Glen Cove, NY, shared his thoughts and experiences on some of the difficulties facing Eastern American Diocesan clergy today.

It is difficult to talk without fervor about such an enormous event as the 12th All-Diaspora Russian Orthodox Youth Conference, which was held from July 1-7, 2011, in Paris, one of the most beautiful European capitals. It would take several pages to simply list the number of participating countries, titles of the five participating hierarchs, the divine services, lecture topics, pilgrimages and excursions. And all of that is important. 

Miami, FL -  In this video from Deacon Demetrio Romeo's recent trip to Haiti, you will see Fr. Gregoire and matushka Rose Legoute teaching classes, and arts and crafts to mission members, as well as a choir practice, where singers learned "Our Father" by Nikolai Kedrov.

New York - Recently the FFA granted $5,000 to an ailing young priest in Moscow, Russia. The 34-year old clergyman is a world-renowned liturgist and, until recently, was a very active priest. Until diagnosed with sarcoidosis, a chronic lung disease, he worked several jobs to support his young family of four, and still found time to do research projects in the field of Liturgics, publish articles, and serve, as well as participate in various church projects. 

New York - Last April (18-21) Deacon Demetrio Romeo, cleric of the St. Vladimir Church in Miami, FL, flew to Haiti to meet with Haitian Orthodox who are benefiting from the Haiti Orthodox Family Relief program (HOFR) and to assess their current needs.  Fr. Demetrio shared his impressions of the trip and the state of the mission with the Fund for Assistance. 

Last April Deacon Demetrio Romeo (Miami, FL) visited the Orthodox Mission in Haiti.  His photos show the daily life of the mission members amid the devastation still gripping the country.

New York - Preparations for the 12th All-Diaspora Orthodox Youth Conference, sponsored by the Fund for Assistance to ROCOR (in the amount of $50,000), are heading into the home stretch, scheduled to be held in Paris from July 1-8, 2011. Registration of the young missionaries has closed, and there will be some 150 participants, of them 120 Orthodox youth from 23 dioceses in Russia and abroad, and five hierarchs from Russia, the US, France and Switzerland. Protopriest Andrei Sommer, Vice President of the Synodal Youth Department of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, spoke on this topic. 

Here is an excerpt from Fr. Sergi's email: "My wife has had avascular necrosis for a few years, but no medical insurance (the proverbial pre-existing condition).  The bone has actually begun to crumble, so things were getting bad.  Thanks to Obama, however, my wife qualified this spring for a high-risk pool plan that had recently been organized.  It is not free--$414 a month--but the idea was that it would cover the surgery."  

Fr. Sergei Sveshnikov, rector of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia Church in  Mulino, Oregon, USA, is in need of help. Fr. Sergei's Matushka requires urgent surgery without which she is at risk being in a wheelchair. She is only 35 years old.

Annual report 2010 has been published.

One of the most important goals of the Fund for Assistance is to assist ROCOR clergy in need.  Many clergymen have suffered materially on the back of the global recession.  FFA has stepped up its efforts to provide for our priests.  Reporting on clergy assistance is challenging, as many of our suffering priests do not want to advertise their troubles. 

The Holy Martyr, Russian Tsar Nicolas II practiced a wonderful Easter family tradition - visiting prisoners to celebrate the Rising of Christ. Imagine him calling his aids and asking: whom shall we visit this year, where shall we find a brother in need? The emperor, his wife, daughters and son (who was not in good health) then visited most decrepit and unsightly prisons, greeted the sick prisoners and brought the joy of the Risen Christ to the incarcerated criminals.

Aftershock are still happening three or four times every day, and last night, another magnitude 7 earthquake occurred near Sendai, hitting the damaged building, and causing more suffering in people's hearts.

New York - From March 26 through March 28, a Lenten Retreat and Pastoral Conference for clergy of the Eastern American Diocese was held at St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Washington, DC. The goal of the conferences, which have been held annually for many years, is, in the words of Metropolitan Hilarion, "the fortification and renewal of that internal strength, unto the continuation of your labors in Christ's Holy Church." Conference participants took part in spiritual discussions, concelebrated at church services, confessed and communed, and shared their thoughts with fellow clergy.

New York - Daniel, Archbishop of Tokyo, Metropolitan of All Japan sent the Fund for Assistance a letter of thanks for the support of the victims of the recent earthquake in Japan. 

Dear Orthodox family,

Thanks God, through the prayer of Orthodox family, situation of the suffered places is getting better.

Dear friends,
Tragedy has struck Japan, including many of our Orthodox Christian brothers and sisters in that nation. A powerful earthquake claimed thousands of lives, caused a tsunami and damage with fire, radiation, and blackouts.
As of this writing, it is known that at least 4 out of 150 Orthodox churches in the country have been completely destroyed, some damaged, others severely.  Many parishioners are still missing but fortunately, no clergymen are yet known to have perished.

New York - The Fund for Assistance recently gave a $10,000 grant to the Pastoral School of Chicago and Mid-America - which provides theological education to Orthodox Christians through the media of online distance education. 

When Julianne Martinov, age 25, of Sydney, Australia was offered a chance to participate in a youth pilgrimage to Russia, her first reaction was: “I don’t want to.” Julianne grew up in an Orthodox family, and regularly attended church. But like many ROCOR youth in their late teens, she started wondering, what is the point of leading a life so radically different from that of her non-Orthodox peers. 
Three weeks spent in the company of 80 Orthodox young people during the Third Annual Orthodox Youth Fellowship in Russia this summer changed her life and her thinking. 

Port-au-Prince - Saturday February 12 on the occasion of the first anniversary of the terrible earthquake that has forever changed the lives of every Haitian in the world, members of the ROCOR mission in Haiti sang a requiem at the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin (Port-au-Prince) in memory of all those who have fallen asleep in hope of resurrection on that terrible day, especially the reader Vladimir Randiche who went missing. The ceremony was very moving because everyone had come to mourn a mother, father, sister, brother, husband, wife, children, friends and fellow citizens.

A major earthquake shook southern Chile on Friday.  There have been no casualties reported.  All members of the ROCOR mission in Chile are alive and well, although shaken up.  In an email to the Fund for Assistance, Fr. Alex Aedo Vilugron, the head of the mission,  said there have been 42 aftershocks since Friday.  The earth kept moving on Sunday as the mission celebrated Liturgy.  

Dear donor,
Thank you for supporting the Fund for Assistance in 2010. You have enabled us to help thousands of Orthodox Christians all over the world. We need and appreciate your input in the quest to improve our activities in 2011. Please fill out this short survey to help us understand which causes you are most interested in supporting, and how we can improve. Thank you!



The Stuttgart parish’s family retreat was held from October 30 to November 4, 2010 with the participation of 47 people (from 9 families). All of the participants bravely faced every challenge, difficulty, and joy of our shared outing.

Battling the cholera epidemic in Haiti alongside the ROCOR mission in Haiti involved many difficulties Lars Stuewe, a volunteer and a medical practitioner working with the Fund for Assistance, could not have been prepared for: political unrest in the country, an almost total lack of knowledge about the disease on the part of the locals, and an abundance of rumors circulating in the country. 

On the Eve of the Nativity of Christ, young people from the dioceses of the Russian Diaspora visited the Russian capital of Moscow, where they participated in a youth symposium dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia received the participants in this symposium for the first time.

December 24, 2010 was the first day of the annual St. Herman's Youth Conference, which is being held at Holy Trinity Monastery until December 28. The St. Herman's Conference was started more than three decades ago at Holy Trinity Monastery so that the youth of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad could strengthen their faith and make new friends.

How tempting does this job offer sound: “In high demand, though no salary, no commission, no medical insurance, no vacation, and no pension; needs to be available 24/7?”

On Sunday after a four day delay, the volunteer medical professional working with the ROCOR mission in Haiti, entered Port-au-Prince.  The delay was caused by political unrest in the country – Port-au-Prince airport has been closed until today. 

Please help raise money for the support of  St. Herman's Youth Conferences! 

Dear donors, our site is now offering an option to donate not only to our traditional causes: clergy, youth support and emergency relief for suffering Church members across the world, but also to the headquarters of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia - the Synod of Bishops. Whichever goal you chose to support, please remember that 100% of your donation will be allocated according to your specifications.
If you wish to donate, please click here or go to our donation drop-box in the right-hand column.

New York - The cholera outbreak in Haiti is taking the country by storm.  The outbreak started at the end of October and in the last month has affected nearly 100,000 people and killed over 1600 people.  In the interview below, priest Matthew Williams, assistant administrator of the Orthodox Mission in Haiti, talks about the medical response the mission is preparing  to help our Orthodox brethren.

As you are likely aware, the living conditions in Haiti even before the January earthquake were quite bad. Since then, the conditions have deteriorated further, leaving a vast percentage of the population living in tents with no proper sanitation facilities. These living conditions have contributed to what is becoming a full blown cholera epidemic, with over 1000 confirmed fatalities as of November 16th, 2010.

In three short years, Schema-Igumen Fr. Nektariy (Haji-Petropoulos) founded the first Russian Orthodox monastery in Mexico and created the first Russian Orthodox Community.   A quiet and thoughtful person, the abbot prefers to spend time away from the bustle of the world.  His lifelong dream was to lead the secluded life of a simple monk.  Instead, he found a great responsibility resting on his shoulders: the management of a monastery with two other monks and the care of hundreds of human souls.

On February 27, 2010, an 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit Chile.  Not one member of the ROCOR mission in Chile perished, but one third of the parishioners in Concepción – the earthquake’s epicenter – lost their homes, two families lost everything, and the family of the head of the mission and only ROCOR priest in Chile, Fr. Alexei Aedo Vilugron, lost the majority of their possessions.
Donations began flowing in to the Fund for Assistance several days after the earthquake.  The funds went to pay for food, water, repair of houses, and clothes for the victims, medical costs and education for the children of poverty-stricken families, as well as to support Fr. Alexei’s family.

Summer 2010 saw the successful completion of the third annual Orthodox Youth Fellowship conference. Program participants hailed from more than ten dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Church Abroad - they came from Russia, the USA, Canada, Venezuela, Australia, the Ukraine, Belarus, and other countries, totaling around 100 people. Included in the conference's program were visits to holy sites in Russia, Belarus, and France, obediences in a monastery, a round-table discussion in the Kremlin, presentations on ROCOR church life, tours of historical sites in Russia, and, of course, opportunities for discourse with Orthodox Christian peers.

Accompanying the young people on the trip were Archpriest Yaroslav Belikow (San Francisco) and Archpriest Gabriel Makarov, chairman of Australia's Synodal Youth Committee.

In the interview below, Fr. Gabriel shares some of his impressions of the program's successes.

New York – Members of the Haitian Orthodox Mission have survived hurricane Tomas, but lost the little they had left after the devastating earthquake of Feb. 12.  Torrential rains and gusty winds caused by Tomas severely damaged several regions.  Floods affected Leogane, Petit Goave, Cayes, Baradères, Petite Riviere de Nippes, Jeremie, Gonaives, Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and Port de Paix.  The country's authorities say more than 30 people died and more than 7 are missing.  Although there have been no casualties among mission members, their situation has radically deteriorated.

Phone lines and the Internet are still down in Haiti, as the country is recovering from the aftermath of raging storms caused by hurricane Tomas.  The hurricane, feared to have caused the greatest disaster in Haiti since the January 12th earthquake, passed along the coast of Haiti, causing floods, wind damage, and several casualties. 

To this day, Chile has yet to recover from February’s earthquake – the most severe to have hit Chile since 1960.  The family of ROCOR’s only priest in Chile, Priest Alexis Aedo Vilugron, has found itself in trying circumstances.  The priest’s family lost virtually all of their possessions in the earthquake. Conscious of the family’s need, the Fund for Assistance allocated $2,000 to the family from its general fund.

Over the summer, the Fund for Assistance to ROCOR sponsored a youth pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  Twelve pilgrims, ages 15-24 from the German diocese spent 10 days following the footsteps of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Over the summer the Fund for Assistance sponsored a three-week summer youth program at Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY.  The goal of the program was to introduce young men to spiritual life, to teach discipline and independence and to awaken their interest in the deep life of the Church and the seminary.

Archpriest Ilya Limberger is a cleric of the St. Nicholas Church (ROCOR) in Stuttgart, Germany and a highly active member of the Synodal Youth Committee.  A father of five, he is constantly looking for ways to connect with young people and bring them closer to Church.  In the past several years, together with the Fund for Assistance, Fr. Ilya has initiated several highly successful youth projects in the German Diocese.  In the following interview, Fr. Ilya talks about the joys and challenges of working with youth, some unique projects and his plans for the future.

Jacmel - During his regular visit to the St. Augustine parish (Jacmel) October 9-10, Fr. Gregoire Legoute baptized 53 catechumens at the local beach. Twelve adults and 11 young people were baptized Saturday afternoon, after which they all attended vigil.  On Sunday, October 10, 30 children were also baptized: 19 boys and 11 girls. Divine Liturgy began 30 minutes after the hour because of the number of baptisms.

New York - Moscow Patriarchate’s Chairman of the Department of Church Charity, Bishop Panteleimon of Orekhovo-Zuevo sent the Fund for Assistance a letter of thanks for the support of victims of this summer’s wild fires in Russia.  To date, FFA has sent over $20,000 to the victims.

In May 2010 the Fund for Assistance gave a $3,000 grant to the ROCORstudies.org, a website dedicated to the history of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.  Deacon Andrei Psarev, the founder of the website, teaches Russian Church History at the Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY.  In the interview below Fr. Andrei talks about the importance of the website and his wish to remain a “deacon forever”.

Abbot Nektariy Haji-Petropoulos is an historic figure in the modern Russian Orthodox Church, say the parishioners of Holy Trinity Skete in Mexico City.  In a short period of time, Fr. Nektariy and two other monks, in whose veins flows not one drop of Russian blood, have opened a Russian monastery in the heart of the Mexican capital, around which has formed a sizable Russian community.

On September 13, the Board of Directors of the Fund for Assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia held its annual meeting in the church hall of St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Washington.

On October 2-3, 2010, with the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, and His Eminence Archbishop Justinian, Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, a youth symposium dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Russian Church Abroad was held in New York.  The Fund for Assistance to ROCOR was one of the sponsors of the event.

A $3,000 grant to the official library of the Eastern-American Diocese, All Saints of North America library, allowed the administration to renew subscriptions to Orthodox publications, and to acquire rare and often requested Orthodox documents.  The library hopes to continue to grow so that more clergy can be served by its resources.

In July a $6,000 grant was given to a family of a clergy member who had fallen on hard times.  The money helped pay the family’s emergency medical expenses. “The Fund for Assistance is truly a godsend for families in need, which we never thought we would be in need of,” the family wrote to FFA. “We feel very strongly that once our difficulty is behind us, we plan on reciprocating the kindness and helping this God-pleasing organization so that other families in need can be helped as well.”

In August by His Grace Michael, Bishop of Geneva and Western Europe, conducted an archpastoral visit to Haiti.   Deacon Andrei Rudenko (cleric of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville) accompanied Bishop Michael on this trip.  Recently Fr. Andrei recounted his trip in an interview.

The Fund for Assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia will be holding its annual Board Meeting on Monday, September 13 in Washington, DC, to approve its annual results and determine the Fund’s direction for the future.  The Fund for Assistance was established in 1959 with the purpose of supporting the initiatives of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, especially the support of needy clergy, the moral-spiritual education of youth and the assistance of ROCOR members in dire circumstances.

The first-ever Orthodox spiritual youth retreat was held in Bali, Indonesia July, 23-25. Six local teens, ages 16 to 18 attended the two-day camp fully sponsored by the Fund for Assistance.

This Monday, Ryazan southeast of Moscow became the last Russian region where President Medvedev lifted a state of emergency introduced for dealing with the disaster.

After his recent return from a five-day trip to Haiti, Fr. Matthew Williams, assistant administrator of the ROCOR Mission in Haiti, recounted his impression of the mission’s current situation. The group was lead by His Grace Bishop Michael of Geneva and Western Europe; he was accompanied by Archpriest Daniel McKenzie, administrator of the mission, his wife Sophia, as well as deacon Andrei Roudenko.

Since the beginning of the campaign to raise money for the victims of wildfires in Russia, the Fund for Assistance collected over $20,000.

The Fund for Assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia allocated $5,000 to the wildfire victims in Russia from its general fund.

  The Fund for Assistance to ROCOR opened a campaign to help the victims of forest fires in Russia.

During the week of June 6-12, Holy Cross Monastery, in collaboration with the new Eastern American Diocesan organization "Volunteers in Mission," hosted a week of volunteer labor and spiritual enrichment. Participants ranged in age from four to ninety-four, with a number of youth, young adults, clergy, and matushkas from the Eastern American Diocese.

On February 27, 2010 a powerful earthquake struck Chile. It was the strongest quake in the past 50 years. The Fund for Assistance immediately opened a campaign to raise money for the ROCOR mission in the country. Since then, we have raised and disbursed over $11,000.
Recently the FFA conducted an email interview with the head of the mission, Fr. Alexei Aedo Villugron. 

A taste of monastic life is being offered to teenage boys by Holy Trinity monastery in Jordanville, New York.  Active rest, tasks performed in obedience and daily attendance at divine services – this is the program of the three-week summer camp, designed not only for relaxation, but most importantly, for bettering oneself in a Christian way.

A youth missionary trip to the Solovetzki monastery will take place July 6-16.  The youth will spend six days on the Solovki islands along with a group of students from the Orthodox Saint Tikhon’s Theological University...

New York - The monks of Holy Trinity Skete in Mexico City thought the worst was behind them when the swine-flu epidemic of 2009 subsided in Mexico. The worst was yet to come. Last year’s swine-flu epidemic signaled the start of a most difficult year for Holy Trinity Skete in Mexico City. The flu-quarantine ruined the monastery’s finances, while the abbot’s health took a turn for the worse. A year later, the monastery is struggling to make ends meet.

New York - The Fund for Assistance and the Orthodox Mission in Haiti has launched a new program designed to assist needy families among the members of the mission in Haiti.

Port-au-Prince -Lena Zezulin, an FFA Board Member, works for USAID and went to Haiti to help manage a USAID rule of law program. She recently returned after a month in Haiti and shared her impressions with the Fund for Assistance.

An Orthodox student forum “Faith and Deeds” was held the fourth time at the end of May in Moscow. Among the five thousand participants there were 10 representatives of youth from the Eastern-American, the Western-American and the German Dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.  The forum was organized by the Commission on Youth Affairs of the Diocesan Council of Moscow and the Department of Family and Youth Policy of the city of Moscow.  Protopriest Andrei Sommer described this trip, sponsored by the Fund for Assistance.

New York - Three months after the earthquake in Haiti, phlebotomist Serge McKenzie of New Hartford, NY accompanied his father priest Daniel McKenzie the administrator of the ROCOR mission in Haiti on a trip to the country in order to visit the ROCOR mission in Haiti. The Fund for Assistance to ROCOR asked Mr. McKenzie to relive his experience in Haiti.

Port-au-Prince - Lena Zezulin, an FFA Board Member, works for USAID and went to Haiti to help manage a USAID rule of law program. She recently returned after a month in Haiti and shared her impressions with the Fund for Assistance. I attended liturgy for St. Thomas on Sunday at Notre Dame de Nativite in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It was difficult to get to. The church is in a neighborhood very close to the airport but it is well concealed from large paved roads and the entrance to the airport. 

New York- Four months after Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake, which claimed over 200,000 lives and left 1,000,000 homeless, the mission of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia on the island continues to struggle with the difficult reality of rebuilding their lives torn apart by the disaster.  Recently the mission’s administrator Fr. Daniel McKenzie traveled to Haiti to check on the mission’s progress.

New York-  A trip to Russia changed the lives of two participants of the Concord of Orthodox Faith forever. Vladimir Bigdan  - a 22 y.o. engineer from Brisbane, Australia and Anna Kovaleva – a choir director from Mirniy, Russia married in February 2010 after meeting at a youth conference in Kursk in the summer of 2009. Vladimir shared the story with the Fund for Assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia which sponsored the trip. 

New York - During his recent archpastoral visit to the South-American Diocese, His Eminence +Metropolitan Hilarion First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, held an audience with Fr. Alexei Aedo of Chile in Buenos Aires.

April, 4  - Christ is Risen! Dear friends and donors, we wish you a Blessed Paskha! This holiday season we ask you to remember the needs our Mother Church. Every dollar you give the FFA allows you to make a difference in the lives of needy clergy, our Orthodox youth and our brethren in dire circumstances. The needy cannot wait! Please donate today! Donating through our PayPal system is fast, secure and it goes directly to assist the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. God bless you! Christ is Risen! 

Washington  - Matushka Rose Legoute, wife of the Orthodox priest in Haiti, Fr. Gregoire Legoute, leads a busy life.  She oversees one of only six schools in Haiti for mentally and physically handicapped children, supports her husband in his priestly duties and is heavily involved in the life of the local Orthodox community.

New York  - Registration is announced for young people of the Russian Church Abroad wishing to participate in the Moscow Orthodox Student Forum “Faith and Deeds” and the concurrent celebrations of the Days of Slavic Culture and Literature, scheduled for May 19-25, 2010.

New York - In response to the recent earthquake in Chile, the Fund for Assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia has disbursed $5,000 from its emergency funds to the Chilean ROCOR community.

Washington - At the beginning of March Fr. Gregoire Legoute, one of two priests of the ROCOR mission in Haiti, and his matushka Rose spent 10 days in the United States, giving talks about the hardships of the mission. During the trip, sponsored by the Fund for Assistance, the Legoutes attended and spoke at a pastoral conference of the Eastern American Diocese in Mayfield, PA, as well as at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral and St. John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Washington, DC. 

Concepcion - At daybreak on Saturday February 27, the city was still asleep, although you could still hear scattered sounds of music from the distance: the last of the summer celebrations, before the beginning of academic activities in schools and universities the following week.  All this was violently interrupted: the earth began to shake, electricity was cut off, darkness made it even more difficult to realize what was going on…. An awful noise, all inside the house was crashing down, the ground moved so violently, that it was impossible to keep standing, impossible to walk down the stairs to the ground floor....

A message from +Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad 

Santiago -"An affectionate greeting from Santiago.  We are well into the midst of a major disaster, the Lord has saved our family.  We already celebrated Divine  Liturgy in our Community of St. Nectarios, it was very intimate and beautiful and we felt a strong spiritual communion. The Lord’s words, human and spiritual closeness has been a great comfort to us and has brought to my feelings of relief and gratitude. I felt very strong love for my dear church." 

Moscow -“If you are a priest, and walk along the street in your cassock, then you must always be prepared for the fact that someone may turn to you for help.  You must always have something, which you may give away to someone in need.” ~ As told by Father Gregoire Legoute, on Orthodox life in Haiti.

New York - A youth group of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia returned from St Petersburg after participating in the International St Tatiana Youth Meetings held on January 22-26, coinciding with the feast day of that saint. 

Santiago -To the Most Reverend Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad:
Very respected and beloved Vladika Hilarion: With hearts full of gratitude to our Lord and to our Hierarchs, we want to share with you the latest news from our distressed country: Fr. Alexei is alive and well, and so is Matushka Brenda and all the family!

Moscow -The Haitian Orthodox mission became widely known only after the devastating earthquake in January of this year. Haiti is not only the poorest country in the Western hemisphere and but also in the world.  About nine million people live in this Caribbean island nation. Some 3000 of them are members of five ROCOR parishes led by two priests: Fr. Gregoire Legoute and Fr. Jean Chenier-Dumais. Miloserdie.ru asked the Executive Director of the Fund for Assistance to ROCOR and Development Manager Alena Plavsic how the mission is being helped after the quake, and how Orthodoxy came to be in Haiti.

New York - Priest Fr. Alexis Aedo Vilugron reported missing since the earthquake in Chile early on Saturday, February 27, survived the earthquake. According to Bishop John of Caracas and South America, Fr. Alexis and his family are alright, "their house was not destroyed, but everything breakable was." Their main concerns at this time are looters and lack of provisions in Concepcion. 

New York - Priest Fr. Alexis Aedo Vilugron is missing after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck Chile early on Saturday, February 27. Fr. Alexis lives in Concepcion, which sustained most damage. He oversees the parishes of St. Silouan of Mt. Athos in Concepcion and the parish of St. Nectarios in Santiago.

New York -Beloved in the Lord brothers and sisters, I wish you peace and Divine blessing!  
It is with horror that I follow the events in Chile, I suffer for all those “who sorrow and grieve and look for the comfort of Christ,” praying that the Lord pour His mercy upon all the victims of the earthquake in the country, the parishioners of our churches, and all those who suffer. I pray for the repose of the souls of those who died in this tragedy. May the Lord send His heavenly aid to those in power, to the rescue workers and their helpers, the doctors and clergymen, and grand them wisdom, courage, zeal and Christian love. 

Washington - On Friday, March 5, 2010 at 8:00 PM at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Washington, DC, Fr. Gregoire Legouté of Port-au-Prince and his wife Rose will give eyewitness accounts of the hardships Orthodox Christians in Haiti are facing as a result of the violentearthquake that devastated their poor Caribbean nation. 

New York, NY  - The Fund for Assistance to ROCOR continues disbursing aid to our mission in Haiti one month after a series of earthquakes devastated the island nation. To date, FFA has collected over $90,000 and disbursed $30,000.

Port-au-Prince -  Your Eminence Vladika Hilarion, We ask your blessings while kissing your right hand. We salute you in the Name of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. Three weeks after the violent earthquake that devastated Haiti and, according to the latest bulletin from the Haitian Government, caused 212,000 deaths and injured more than 194,000, 4,000 people have become amputees of one or more limbs and a million have become homeless. We of the Orthodox Mission in Haiti are expressing  our gratitude for your active solidarity to the victims of the earthquake on Jan 12, 2010. 

New York, NY - Less than 24 hours after the first devastating earthquake in Haiti, former administrator of the mission, ROCOR deacon Fr. Matthew Williams of House Springs, MO was on his way there, intending to find out the fate of the ROCOR mission, the priests and parishioners.  The Fund for Assistance, which sponsored the trip, and provided aid for the suffering church members in Haiti through Fr. Matthew, asked him to relive his experience in Haiti for our supporters. 

Deacon Matthew Williams, House Springs, MO -  I have just returned from a week in Haiti following the disastrous earthquake on Jan 12. The condition of the mission in Haiti, along with the population at large, is dire beyond all imagination. While there, I visited three parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church, meeting with the faithful and assessing their needs. I travelled with a paramedic/medical officer from Belfast, Ireland (Lars Stuewe) who was able to treat approximately 50 sick and wounded, including many of our parishioners. There are so many concerns that I hardly know where to begin, but I will mention a few of the issues I believe to be most pressing. 

Port-au-Prince: Church of the Nativity of the Virgin is still standing but damaged.  One reader, Vladimir, is missing and cannot be located. There are no confirmed casualties in the parish. The school operated by Fr. Jean Chenier Dumais was completely destroyed, along with his home and vehicle.

Fontamara: Fr GregoireLegoute`s home withstood both quakes, but the chapel of St Moses sustained some damage. The school operated by Fr Gregoire is damaged as well.

Jacmel: The house where services are held is standing without damage. About thirty of the parishioners are injured, with three admitted to the hospital.

Leogane: The Church of Sts Peter and Paul and many houses were destroyed, but no details regarding the situation of the faithful is available.

The parishes in Cayes, Cap Haitien, and Maissade were unaffected.

New York - According to the ROCOR delegation to Haiti the church building of our ROCOR Sts. Peter & Paul parish in Leogane was completely destroyed in the earthquake. The situation in Jacmel, where there is another mission parish, is "not too bad."

New York - The Fund for Assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) has supported a Russian Orthodox parish in Haiti for some time (see article in our December newsletter).  There are about 2,000 Orthodox Christians in Haiti, and the number constantly increases, owing to the tireless missionary efforts of the island’s two Orthodox priests, Fr. Jean Chenier-Dumais, and Fr. Gregoire Legouté.

Voice of America: Washington, January 20- A week has passed since the world was horrified to learn of the disaster in Haiti. Today's catastrophic situation in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas was increased by the magnitude 6 aftershock. Various countries have sent in rescue workers, doctors and essential provisions to Haiti. According to some sources, the number of victims of the tragedy may reach two hundred thousand. 

New York - Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ, Another 6.0 earthquake struck Haiti today. The situation in that poor country is dire. As of today the Fund for Assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia has collected over $50,000 and disbursed $16,000 of aid to the suffering people of Haiti through trusted clergymen on the ground there. This is an ongoing fundraising effort. 

New York - The Fund for Assistance is happy to inform our supporters that both ROCOR priests in the Haiti mission and their families are alive. "They are staying together and sleeping outdoors - afraid of more tremours," said Matushka Sophia McKenzie who reached Fr. Gregoire Legoute by telephone on Saturday, January 16. The mission's main church of Nativity of the Theotokos in Port-au-Prince suffered some damage, but is still standing with its roof intact; the adjoining school belonging to the mission has been destroyed. There is no news of ROCOR parishioners yet. 

New York - It was with pain in my heart that I learned of the terrible catastrophe that has befallen the people of Haiti, and wish to express my profound empathy with the anguish felt by all the island’s occupants, and especially our brothers and sisters carrying on their service to God and man within the Orthodox Mission of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. I pray for the repose of the souls of those who died during the earthquake, I pray for those who survived, that the Lord bless them with His consolation and heavenly aid. May the Lord bless the rescuers and all those who are going to that country with the aim of helping its occupants!

January, 15, New York - According to Matushka Sophia McKenzie (Miami), Fr. Gregoire Legoute is alive. She spoke with him for a moment before the line dropped. "I only know that he was alive at the moment. He said things are bad and then we were cut off," she said in a telephone interview. Nothing is known about his family or Fr. Jean Chenier-Dumais, the other ROCOR priest in Haiti.

A very powerful earthquake has devastated Haiti, the poorest country in our hemisphere. The media reports that up to 3,000,000 Haitians have been affected by this calamity. Life in Haiti is very difficult under normal circumstances. Now it is on the brink of becoming unbearable. Folks there need our help. We ask you to please pass this information to your friends and families and to urgently help those who are suffering!

New York - Fr. Rodion Aragon, the only ROCOR priest in Costa Rica has died of stomach cancer at 9:20 A.M. today. He was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer in November 2009.  Doctors were unable to operate on him and simply closed the incision. After he awoke, he was in such pain that the doctors put him back to sleep. Fr. Rodion enrolled into the Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville and was planning to continue his education.  He became a priest in January 2009. The large Russian population in Costa Rica is in the process of building a church in the Pskov style and looking forward to a bright future with Fr. Rodion at the helm. He is survived by his wife and a son. Donations for the family can be sent through our website or by check (memo: Costa Rica) to Fund for Assistance to ROCOR, 75 E 93 St, New York, NY

January, 5  - Dear friends and donors, we wish you a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year! This holiday season we ask you to remember the needs our Mother Church. Every dollar you give the FFA allows you to make a difference in the lives of needy clergy, our Orthodox youth and our brethren in dire circumstances. The needy cannot wait! Please donate today! Donating through our PayPal system is fast, secure and it goes directly to assist the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. God bless you! 

His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion recently approached the Fund for Assistance with a request to assist a young priest in his efforts to obtain a Ph.D. in Theology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.  After reviewing the application Fr. Demetrios Harper was granted $3,000.

an interview with Fr. Andrei Sommer, Vice Chair of the Synodal Youth Committee... Over the summer, a youth group representing different ROCOR dioceses participated in a pilgrimage within the framework of the Concord of Orthodox Youth project and under the sponsorship of the Fund for Assistance.

This was a difficult year for the Holy Trinity Monastery in Mexico City. First the swine flu quarantine shut down their bakery and coffee shop, leaving the monastery without its main source of income for many weeks; scores of parishioners lost their jobs and turned to the monastery for help; the monastery car broke down, bills and rent on the church buildings had to be paid. The brethren barely made ends meet.   

New York, NY - Despite a great response from concerned supporters, the Orthodox mission in Haiti is still without guaranteed means of survival.  There are about 3,000 Russian Orthodox Christians in Haiti, most of them indigenous.  The number constantly increases, owing to the tireless missionary efforts of the island’s two Russian Orthodox priests, Fr. Jean Chenier-Dumais, and Fr. Gregoire Legouté.  The faithful gather in tiny rented buildings for services, the priests share one car to travel for hours across the country on unpaved roads across mountainous areas in order for parishioners in five parishes to lead some form of church life.

Last August the Fund for Assistance received a heart-wrenching letter from a ROCOR missionary priest on Bukasa Island, Uganda. “I have almost come to the end of the wall. I sometimes can’t afford to buy the church wine. This means I have to miss the Holy liturgy… I trust in my Lord for everything," wrote Fr. Christopher Walusimbi in an email. Fr. Christopher is the first Black African priest ordained in ROCOR and is under the omophorion of Metropolitan Hilarion. 

New York, NY - His Eminence +Metropolitan Hilarion issued an ukaze to all parishes, monasteries and missions to hold plate collections for the grievously ill Fr. Rodion Aragon (Costa Rica) and his family. 

New York, NY - Fr. Rodion Aragon, only ROCOR priest in Costa Rica was said to be terminally ill with stomach cancer November, 11, wrote Fr. Daniel McKenzie to the Fund for Assistance to ROCOR. He  was hospitalized due to a mysterious illness that kept him in great pain and prevented him from eating.  The doctors couldn’t find out what was wrong with him until November 11, when he was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer. 

New York, NY -A week after being hospitalized for kidney problems Igumen Nektariy abbot of Holy Trinity Monastery in Mexico City was well enough to leave the hospital Sunday, October 19, says schema monk Christophor.

New York, NY - Igumen Nektariy, abbot of Holy Trinity Monastery in Mexico City was hospitalized Monday, October 12 due to kidney problems. According to schema monk Christophor who is a part of the same monastery Fr. Nektariy was in critical condition for 72 hours:  “Even though he is still hemorrhaging, his overall condition has improved,” he wrote. 

“He was one of the pillars of the Russian Diaspora; he was a great patriot, a very church going, and a true believer.  He was an exceptional, cheerful, responsible person, not even to mention his great honesty. When he became head of the Fund for Assistance, he gave over a hundred percent, thanks to him we got more members.  I remember he was always the last one to leave, he would answer every letter.  And it wasn’t just a formulaic letter, it always had heart.  He gave everything he could to the Fund. He put a lot of love into it and he worked constantly.  Everyone loved working with him.  It’s a great loss to the Russian Diaspora.” - Tatiana Speranskaya

Long-time executive director of the Fund for Assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia Yuri Schidlovsky died Saturday September 19 at the age of 82 after a long struggle with cancer.

In an interview in March 2009 the daughter of FFA founder and the Schidlovskys' long-time friend Maria Jordan said that Schidlovsky “was the one who put the Fund for Assistance on its feet,… he did a tremendous job.  It played a colossal role for the Fund.” The funeral was held on Thursday, September 24  at the New Diveyevo convent in Nanuet, New York. FFA offers sincere condolences to his family and friends. Memory Eternal! 

New York, NY - George Schidlovsky, a member of the white Russian emigre community in the U.S., died peacefully in his home in Glen Head, NY on Saturday, September 19 after a long 16 year struggle with cancer. His loving wife Sophie, and two sons Dimitry and George were with him at the time of his passing.

FFA is raising money to assist a suffering ROCOR missionary priest in Uganda. In August FFA received a heart-wrenching letter from a missionary ROCOR priest Fr. Christopher Walusimbi in Lake Victoria, Uganda. “I have almost come to the end of the wall. I sometimes can’t afford to buy the church wine. This means I have to miss the Holy liturgy… I trust in my Lord for everything." A married priest, he has had ten children. Sadly his two eldest sons, Alex and George, drowned in Lake Victoria as one jumped into the lake to save the other.  His wife is very sick; the family has no money for treatment.

The generosity of a private donor has allowed the Fund for Assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia to finance two summer youth events, organized by the Synodal Youth Committee.  The participants represent all ROCOR dioceses.

The program was a response to the dire need of our Haitian brothers and sisters suffering from the aftereffects of three devastating hurricanes that hit the island of Haiti last August. 

The Fund for Assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia welcomes back the fund’s former treasurer – Alexander Kulesha, who had provided expert service to FFA for 13 years before retiring in 2007.

This summer the Holy Trinity in Jordanville, NY hosted a youth program sponsored by the Fund for Assistance to ROCOR. Six boys ages 6-16 from the Western, Eastern and Midwestern Dioceses took part in the retreat. The kids actively participated in monastery life, keeping as much as possible to a monastery schedule; attending daily services and completing obediences, such as working in the garden, cooking, cleaning, and even painting icons.

Following the outbreak of swine flu in Mexico the Fund for Assistance received a desperate letter from the Abbot of Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Monastery in Mexico City, Fr. Nektarios.

Today we have five parishes and two chapels, but only two priests.  It is very difficult to visit our parishioners, to pay rent for the buildings we use for church services.  We need help in acquiring land to build a church.

Interview by Archpriest Victor Potapov, Executive Director of the Fund for Assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia with His Eminence Hilarion, Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York 

Family camps in Germany under the spiritual guidance of priest Sergey Popov from Volgograd have been in operation since 2005, but only in one location – not far from Dortmund.

On May 8-9, 2009, for the first time, young people conducted a procession of the cross from the Orthodox Monastery of St Job of Pochaev in Munich (Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia) to the former concentration camp in Dachau, where there is a Russian Orthodox memorial chapel belonging to the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, as reported by Sedmitza.ru

An intimate Paschal reception was held for the friends of the Fund for Assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia at the Synod of Bishops in Manhattan.

The large Russian population in Costa Rica is in the process of building a church in the Pskov style and was looking forward to a bright future with Fr. Rodion at the helm. Currently the community does not have a priest.

On October 25-26, 2008, with the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion, the Synodal Youth Department held a symposium on the 100th anniversary of the death of St John of Kronstadt. Students from Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville were in attendance, as were young people from New York and other US cities. Each one of them, as a rule, is an active participant in parish life, fulfilling one obligation or another to help their parish. Priests from the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and the Moscow Patriarchate, Fr Joakim Provatakis and Protopriest Alexander Abramov, gave lectures on the life, podvigi and spiritual labors of the saint.

From August 16-27, 2008, a priest and youth group of the Russian Church Abroad made a missionary trip to the Moscow Region.

With the blessing of Metropolitan Hilarion, young pilgrims from all the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia made a pilgrimage to the holy places of Russia and participated in an international conference called "Concord of Orthodox Youth" held at Kursk-Root Hermitage from July 17-August 8, 2008.

How much help do we, the faithful children of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, offer to our own brethren, never mind those who are further afield?  Often, we think that our Christian duty consists solely of prayer, church attendance, observance of fasts and the participation in the sacraments.  However, helping our neighbour is also our direct responsibility. The Lord says that this will be asked of us on the Day of Judgement, “for I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me” (Matt. 25:35)

"The best inheritance you can leave your sons, the richest dowries you can prepare for your daughters, is a truly Christian upbringing."  - Bishop Irenaeus (Orda)
 
These inspired words of Russian19 century writer and preacher Bishop Irenaius (Orda) have never rung more truly in our modern, secular life! Fortunately, there are Orthodox institutions whose mission includes the moral spiritual edification of Orthodox youth - a key area of focus for the FFA. One such beacon is St. John's Academy in San Francisco, who have asked for our support in securing their future, as they are currently facing a financial crisis.