Dear Friends,

You’ve probably seen it on the news:

Iranian missiles flying over Jerusalem.

What the media didn’t tell you is that trajectories of the missiles went directly over the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission…

We have a terrifying video of the rockets shot by Archimandrite Roman – the head of ROCOR’s Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in the Holy Land. 

That’s why I’m turn to you today in the hopes that you can help. 

Because the situation is bad. Worse than bad. 

Granted, life in the Holy Land has always been difficult: 

Between the risk of daily whizzing bullets, the political instability, the poverty, and the constant spiritual battles, being the head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem is already one of the hardest jobs in the world.

And yet, Fr. Roman remains there, fighting for his Church and caring for his flock – year after year. 

But the state of affairs has reached new ‒ scorching ‒ heights with the recent international developments. 

Just how bad is it? See for yourself.

You know how you get severe weather notifications on your phone? 

Fr. Roman says that these days they routinely get bombing notifications, urging citizens to seek shelter. 

And the worst thing is – Fr. Roman says that by now they are used to it. “Life goes on and we have to continue carrying out our mission,” he says. 

Fr Roman’s and the other monastics’ heroism is nothing short of magnificent. I’m sure you, too, are proud of our Church’s heroes.  

But – aside from the screaming missiles overhead – there’s another problem that keeps Fr. Roman up at night… 

And here it is: 

Historically, the mission (and most monasteries)  – have always relied on pilgrims for financial support. 

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…  Now war is happening in the Holy Land itself… And recently, Iran has sent missiles to Tel Aviv… 

Needless to say, nobody is coming to our monasteries on pilgrimages. Which means that… 

…Fr. Roman and our monastics are barely surviving. Because, while they have expenses, no money is coming in. 

Won’t you, please, help our ROCOR monastics survive by sending a generous donation today?

Any amount will help Fr. Roman and the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, but most people send $47, $89, or even a very generous $110! 

Won’t you, please, join them and send a gift for Fr Roman today? (If you can’t, please pray for them. Fr. Roman, the monastics, and the whole world desperately needs your prayers are powerful!)

If life is so difficult, you may wonder, why doesn’t Fr. Roman just tell the monastics to go home? They would be safe and just 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. If they leave, they will leave our monasteries to be seized and stolen. 

So, as you can 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).

Won’t you, please, help by sending a donation today? Fr. Roman can’t do without your help. 

Please give today and your 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!

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. 

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 (and now even from the sky).

Despite how horrific the situation sounds, Fr. Roman and the monastic community of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission are NOT giving up. 

Won’t you be the one that helps them survive by giving a donation today? 

Fr. Roman urgently needs your support. 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.

With love in Christ,

Mark Selawry
FFA President

P.S. The Russian Ecclesiastical Mission is out of funds now. Please don’t delay. If you can ‒ please send a donation to help Fr. Roman now.