Dear Friends,
This is urgent.
Fr. Roman and ROCOR monastics in the Holy Land are in trouble.
BIG trouble.
And I so hope that you can help.
I was talking to Archimandrite Roman (Krassovsky), who oversees the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem. He heads the mission, the monastics, and the world’s largest spiritual treasures: monasteries and church properties in the Holy Land.
Between the risk of daily whizzing bullets, the political instability, the poverty, and the constant spiritual battles, this is already one of the hardest jobs in the world.
And then Fr Roman tells me this:
“We’re this close to losing everything...”
But before you leave this page in despair or disbelief, there’s something very important you need to know, because Fr. Roman also said this:
“We’re also this close to completely turning the situation around.”
But ONLY if you help.
Fortunately, you don’t have to do it alone. You can DOUBLE your impact for Fr. Roman and other monastics in the Holy Land.
Because there’s $20,000 in the pool from generous donors who have agreed to match every dollar you give to help this cause until we’ve raised this sum.
Please allow me to explain what’s going on.
For the Orthodox, life in the holiest of places is difficult even in the best of times. Historically, the monasteries and monastics have always survived on donations from pilgrims. But the last five years have been absolutely brutal.
First COVID dried up the flow of pilgrims.
Then Russian and Ukrainian pilgrims stopped coming because of the conflict...
And now war is happening in the Holy Land itself...
The truth is, our monastics are barely surviving.
If life is so difficult, you may wonder, why doesn’t Fr. Roman just tell the monastics to go home? It’s safer and they can come back to Jerusalem once it’s all over.
The simple truth is: they won’t do it. Because that would be tantamount to betraying their Church.
You see, Fr. Roman and the handful of people belonging to our Church are doing much more than simply defending the world with their prayers (as if that
weren’t enough).
They are also defending Christian holy places in the Holy Land from what Jesus called “abomination of desolation” (Matthew 24:15).
Won’t you, please, help?
Ever since the first Christian times, believers have strived to buy up the lands associated with our Savior ‒ to preserve them from desecration and disappearance.
St. Empress Helen devoted years into discovering the Holy Cross of Christ.
St Sava the Serbian bought the room where Jesus Christ held the Last Supper by filling the room with gold.
For centuries, Russian emperors did the same thing: they used their own money to buy Christian holy places and build churches, so that every Christian can come to pray and partake in the Mysteries of the Church.
They knew how important it was to save Christian shrines. Because these are places where Christ Himself stepped foot. And they needed to save them from those who would value it only for the income it would bring them. That’s how ROCOR came to own these holy places.
Many tens of thousands of Orthodox Christians have enjoyed this gift of the tsars and the people of the Russian Empire (as have I several times in my own life).
And I will never be the same.
But today, these holy places are in danger.
And no, it’s not because of the war. As Fr. Roman says, there’s always a war here. They barely pay attention to it, because life ‒ and Church life ‒ must go on. But with no funding coming in for the last five years, it’s getting harder and harder by the day...
And here’s the problem.
If our monastics are unable to survive there, they will have to go back home: to the US, Russia, Australia, Romania, etc.
If this happens, our Church will lose EVERYTHING.
That’s why Fr. Roman desperately needs your help today.
Because ill-disposed neighbors have been hankering after our holy places for a long time. They use the same strategy century after century: watch, wait, and pounce.
They are already rubbing their hands in glee ‒ anticipating ROCOR’s downfall.
Will you let this happen?! Do we want to be the generation who has left the Holy Land go?
Do we want to be of the generation who gave “that which is holy unto the dogs?” (Matthew 7:6).
Because if ROCOR monastics leave, the unfriendly neighbors will swoop in to take over our churches and monasteries. They will desecrate and destroy your heritage. They will obliterate our holy places, squabbling over their profit, and sell the property off: piece by piece to the highest bidder...
All that stands between our Church and this horrific scenario are people like you.
When you send a donation today, your gift to Fr Roman will have twice the impact thanks to matching funds!
There are lots of “entrepreneurs” in the Holy Land who are DYING to get their hands on this and other ROCOR property. And as soon as your back is turned ‒ they will swoop in and grab what they can, leaving you and our Church ‒ with nothing.
If you belong to the Russian Church Abroad or even simply consider yourself an Orthodox Christian, this is happening to YOUR property. And you should be outraged.
Will you let them take your holy places? Do you want to belong to the generation who LOST the Holy Land to unbelievers?
“But what can I do?” You might ask.
A WHOLE LOT.
You can pray to God to not let this abomination of desolation happen! And you can send a gift, so that the monastics have your strong arm to lean on. Please give today and your (matched!) donation will go directly to support Fr. Roman and the heroic nuns and monks of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission who will defend these holy places to their last breath!
· Your gift of $50 will be doubled by matching funds to $100
· If you can give $75, that’s $150 to do so much more for our
Church!
· And if you can give $150, matching funds will turn your donation into $300 for supporting Fr. Roman and the monastics of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission.
Any amount you can give will be matched until we reach $20,000.
Dear friends, your support is crucial. Because when you give today, you will not just be saving Fr. Roman and the monastics of the Holy Land.
You will be ensuring the future of Orthodox Christian presence there, as well as setting the monasteries and the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission on the road to self-sufficiency.
Your gift will be used to support the monastics so that they can get food, water, and medicine, so that our warriors are able to uphold our bastion of faith which is being threatened from so many sides.
Your gift will also help Fr. Roman fight for your heritage before the civil authorities, claiming back and keeping ROCOR treasures that are being stolen or threatened.
When you give today, you will help turn this situation around. If the monastics can lead a more or less normal life, our enemies will see that they are not alone and they will back off.
When you give today, you are ensuring:
- that our churches stay unharmed
- that they have enough food and money to simply survive
- that our monastics can go on defending our Church in the Holy Land
When you give today, you show our enemies a united front. You are following in the footsteps of St. Helen, St. Sava, and all those who care about our Church.
Won’t you be part of the generation that saved Christian shrines in the Holy Land?
Won’t you save our holy places from desecration by unbelievers?
Won’t you help Fr Roman and the monastics in and around Jerusalem... and get your gift matched before matching funds run out?
Remember:
Your gift of $25 will be doubled by matching funds to $50
Your $50 DOUBLES into $100
Your $100 DOUBLES into $200
Fr. Roman urgently needs your support for things to change. Please help him today. As you complete the enclosed form, remember, you play a vital role in the present and future of your Church!
You make all the difference by giving as generously as you possibly can to the Fund for Assistance. Especially now that the impact of your gift doubles thanks to matched funds.
P.S. Until January 31st, your tax-deductible gift will be DOUBLED! Please send your gift in the enclosed envelope as soon as you can so it reaches us in time!
With love in Christ,
Mark Selawry
FFA President
P.S. We have a little over 40 days to raise these funds and save ROCOR’s presence in the Holy Land. Remember 100% of your donation will go to the cause!
P.P.S. Please see Fr. Roman's letter to the faithful here. We hope it moves the heart of every Orthodox Christian to support our monks and nuns in the Holy Land. Also available are commemoration slips to fill out and send in with your donation. Our monastics will pray for your loved ones at the holy sites.
Please help today!
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