News 2010
/ News / 2010
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FFA allots $3,000 in aid to a priest-student - 01/01/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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FFA wishes you the blessing of Christmas! - 01/05/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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! 


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Fr. Rodion Aragon dies - 01/11/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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


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Please Assist Our mission in Haiti! - 01/13/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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!


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Fr. Gregoire Legoute, one of two priests in Haiti, alive - 01/15/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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Haiti Tragedy: Statement by the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad - 01/16/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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!


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ROCOR priests in Haiti alive, mission school in Port-au-Prince destroyed - Updated - 01/17/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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. 


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The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia assists Haiti - 01/20/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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. 


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A Message from FFA Executive Director - 01/20/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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. 


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Haiti Mission Parish in Leogane destroyed - 01/21/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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."


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Press Release: FFA reponse to Haiti Earthquakes - 01/21/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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Haiti Mission Parish Situation - 01/26/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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Haiti Mission's Most Pressing Needs - 01/27/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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. 


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"Members of the Haiti Mission are afraid of the future..." - 02/01/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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. 


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Fund for Аssistance distributes Aid to Haiti, overcomes difficulties - 02/12/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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A Letter from Haiti - 02/12/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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. 


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Haitian Orthodox Priest to Speak in Washington, DC - 02/25/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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. 


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Statement by the Primate On the Earthquake In Chile - 02/27/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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. 


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Fr. Alexis Aedo alive and well - 03/01/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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. 


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ROCOR priest in Chile missing after earthquake - 03/01/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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"Water and food will last till the weekend..." a letter from Chile - 03/02/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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!


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Haitians pray to St. Seraphim of Sarov - 03/02/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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“We Are Back, but Our Hearts Remain in St Petersburg” - 03/09/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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. 


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Chile Situation Update - a letter from Fr. Alexi Aedo - 03/11/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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." 


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Haiti: Clergy Teaches as a Means of Supporting the Church - 03/11/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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Please support the Haiti mission! - 03/16/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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


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Earthquake in Chile: “It seemed like all were Orthodox…” - 03/17/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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....


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"This won’t be the Great Russian Paskha…" - a letter from Chile - 03/22/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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Haitian Priest Visits U.S. - 03/22/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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. 


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“I thought it was the end of the world…” - an interview with Matushka Rose Legoute of Haiti - 03/29/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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Registration open for Moscow Orthodox Student Forum “Faith and Deeds” - 03/29/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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FFA congratulates you on the Feast of Christ’s Resurrection! - 04/04/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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! 


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Fr. Alexei Aedo: “The help of the Fund for Assistance is all we have…” - 04/27/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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Members of Haitian Orthodox Mission Rebuild Lives Torn by Earthquake - 05/19/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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Volodya and Anya: How two сhoir directors met at a youth conference - 05/19/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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. 


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"To call a Haitian person lazy is to call a rose a stone…” Serge McKenzie on his recent trip to Haiti - 05/20/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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"Lives are totally wrecked..." FFA Board member reflects on her trip to Haiti - 05/20/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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. 


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“Interaction with Orthodox youth is like fresh air for an asthmatic...” - Protopriest Andrei Sommer about a recent trip to Russia - 06/03/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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Reflections on Haiti: Rich Man and Lazarus - 06/07/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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Mexico Holy Trinity Skete: A year of troubles - 06/08/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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Haiti Orthodox Family Relief Program launched - 06/08/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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6-16 July: Missionary trip to Solovki - 06/15/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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...

 


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Summer camp offers a taste of monastic life - 06/17/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.

 


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Letter from Chile: It will take six months for the earth to calm down - 06/18/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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. 

 


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Volunteers in Mission host Work Week 2010 at Holy Cross Monastery - 06/20/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.

 


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FFA begins raising funds for forest fires victims in Russia - 08/03/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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


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FFA allocated $5K to Wildfire Victims in Russia - 08/09/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.

 


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FFA collected over $20,000 for Wildfire Victims in Russia - 08/16/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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


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“Mission members are relying on Orthodox support...” – an interview with priest Matthew Williams - 08/20/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.

 


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Russia Wildfires mostly out - 08/23/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.

 


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First Orthodox youth camp held in Bali - 08/26/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.

 


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Fund for Assistance Board Meeting Announcement - 09/09/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.

 


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"Judging by how the Haitians pray to God, they are headed in the right direction..." - Fr. Andrei Roudenko - 09/23/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.

 


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Grant to Eastern-American Diocesan Library promotes clergy education - 09/30/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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FFA Grant Assists Clergy Family in Need - 09/30/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.”

 


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FFA Board Meeting held in Washington, DC - 10/05/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.

 


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Youth Symposium on the 90 year Anniversary of ROCOR - 10/05/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.

 


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“I will protect my parishioners no matter what…” interview with Schema-Hegumen Nektariy, abbot of Holy Trinity Skete in Mexico City - 10/06/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.

 


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“Frank discussion about the past must aid frank discussion about the present...” an interview with deacon Andrei Psarev - 10/19/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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”.


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Russian Bishop thanks FFA for helping wildfire victims - 10/21/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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53 baptized in Jacmel, Haiti in one weekend - 11/02/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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"We must examine what our goal is and what fruit we hope to obtain…" -an interview with Archpriest Ilya Limberger - 11/03/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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Summer Youth Program Jordanville 2010 - 11/04/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.

 


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Pilgrimage to the Holy Land Photo Report - 11/08/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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. 

 


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Hurricane Tomas: fate of Haitian Mission still unknown - 11/09/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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. 

 


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FFA sends $2,000 to assist a struggling priest in Chile - 11/09/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.

 


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Haiti mission members' situation dire after hurricane Tomas - 11/12/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.

 


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Latest FFA newsletter is out - 11/12/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04


 


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ROCOR Youth - "Orthodoxy is in good hands"- an interview with Fr. Gabriel Makarov - 11/13/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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"This suitcase is my parish..." - Fr. Alexei Aedo Villugron of Chile - 11/15/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.

 


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The Hope of ROCOR Members in Mexico - Igumen Nektariy, Abbot of Holy Trinity Skete - 11/16/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.

 


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Help the Dying in Haiti! An Appeal from the Russian Orthodox Mission in Haiti - 11/17/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.


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Orthodox Mission in Haiti: medical response to cholera outbreak - 11/30/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.

 


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More options to donate - 12/07/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.

 


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Medical aid for Orthodox Mission arrives in Haiti - 12/14/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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. 

 


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Support St. Herman's Conferences - the most important ROCOR youth event of the year! - 12/14/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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

 


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ROCOR clergy appeal - If we don't support our own, no one will - 12/28/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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?”

 


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St. Herman’s conference of Orthodox Youth takes place at Holy Trinity Monastery - 12/29/10
Category: Recent Events
Last updated: 2021-01-27 14:37:04

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.

 


Fund for Assistance to the ROCOR
P.O. Box 272
Glen Cove, NY 11542
info@fundforassistance.org
917-817-2925

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