Remember Fr. Nektariy from Mexico City?
Turns out he’s "a traitor and a murderer…"
At least that’s what the mob says. And of course ‒ mobs know best, right?
I wish I had better news today about Fr. Nektariy but, as the Psalmist says: ”Many are the tribulations of the righteous” (Ps. 33). But I hope that “the Lord will deliver them out of them all.”
Please let me explain.
Last year, Fr. Nektariy helped hundreds of Ukrainian refugees. They didn’t need money, as the Mexican and U.S. governments were supporting them fully. But they did need to talk, to pray, to make their confession and receive Holy Communion.
Once that wave subsided, a new wave of refugees came. They were from Russia. Some of them were fleeing mobilization. Others naively thought they could move to America to enjoy the good life without Western sanctions, if only they said that they really really really don’t like President Putin.
Today, hundreds of Russian refugees are in Mexico City.
And nobody cares.
They have no rights. They are not welcome anywhere. Except that they are welcome to die on the streets. Because apparently, if you’re Russian, you don’t deserve help.
The government won’t help them. The Catholics won’t help them. The OCA and the Greek Orthodox Churches won’t help them either. They are being turned away even from hostels.
So what do they do?
They come to Fr. Nektariy.
He is the only person who can listen to them, give them something to eat, find them a place to stay, allow them to come to church and pray.
While he’s saving the lives of people caught in a horrible political situation, it turns out that Fr. Nektariy is a traitor.
The beautiful human being you’ve been supporting in his titanic efforts to build and pastor an Orthodox community in Mexico is now a traitor and a murderer.
Or at least, that’s what a family friend screamed at him at an event where he was speaking.
This woman had been a family friend for over 20 years. And now she ‒ thanks to the great job the media is doing ‒ thinks that anyone who is loyal to the Russian Orthodox Church is a traitor (to whom?!) and a murderer.
Another time, Fr. Nektariy was going to an event at a European embassy. A group of protestors were passing by and saw him. They surrounded him and started screaming through a megaphone that he’s a murderer.
Not sure what gave it away ‒ the cassock? Or the cross…
The irony is that Fr. Nektariy has helped so many people! People who were suffering from COVID, abused and trafficked women and children, helped many people escape horrible personal situations…He has saved scores ‒ if not hundreds ‒ of lives.
And yet ‒ just because he wears a cassock, he’s suddenly become… well, I’ve said the ugly word too many times already.
You’ve guessed why I’m writing to you today.
I want to ask one simple question:
Will you let the mob spit on, humiliate, and insult him, and drag his name through the mud?
They do not know what they are doing. Lord, forgive them!
But you do know the truth.
That’s why I’m asking you: won’t you help him today?
Will you stand with Fr. Nektariy?
Because the truth is, Fr. Nektariy can only depend on you and other godly people who support him through the Fund for Assistance.
He relies on God for every need. But when his burden gets too heavy, Fr. Nektariy turns to you.
Will you turn him away, too?
Won’t you, please, join me in sending him a generous donation to help him with the monastery’s everyday needs?
The rent has gone up again, by the way.
“But it’s OK,” Fr. Nektariy says. “Please just keep supporting me, and I’ll make the money for the difference…”
Yes, he will. By sacrificing himself. Yet again.
Yes, he’s taken on more jobs…
So won’t you, please, stand with Fr. Nektariy?
Because when you support him today, it’s the same as saying loudly:
“Father, I’ve got your back. I will pray for you. You are not alone. And I will send you a gift. Because the world needs more people like you.”
A gift of $15 will help Fr. Nektariy cover a meal for the monastery brethren.
A $27 donation will help prepare a kit of medicines for the desperate people who call on him for help…
$69 will help Fr. Nektariy pay a few days of electricity for the monastery.
$117 will help Fr. N cover one day’s rent.
A gift of any size is very much needed and appreciated. Won't you send a donation today?
Fr. Nektariy always prays for the salvation and health of every donor. And the prayers of such a man as Fr. Nektariy are powerful. I need them. You need them. Our world desperately needs them.
Won’t you help him today, so he can continue his work of prayer for our hurting world?
Please help Fr. Nektariy today!
With love in Christ,
Mark
P.S. Your donation today will accomplish more than just provide support for Fr. Nektariy and Holy Trinity Monastery in Mexico City. Your gift will tell Fr. Nektariy that he’s not alone ‒ despite all that’s going on in the world.
You’ve guessed why I’m writing to you today.
I want to ask one simple question:
Will you let the mob spit on, humiliate, and insult him, and drag his name through the mud?
They do not know what they are doing. Lord, forgive them!
But you do know the truth.
That’s why I’m asking you: won’t you help him today?
Will you stand with Fr. Nektariy?
Because the truth is, Fr. Nektariy can only depend on you and other godly people who support him through the Fund for Assistance.
He relies on God for every need. But when his burden gets too heavy, Fr. Nektariy turns to you.
Will you turn him away, too?
Won’t you, please, join me in sending him a generous donation to help him with the monastery’s everyday needs?
The rent has gone up again, by the way.
“But it’s OK,” Fr. Nektariy says. “Please just keep supporting me, and I’ll make the money for the difference…”
Yes, he will. By sacrificing himself. Yet again.
Yes, he’s taken on more jobs…
So won’t you, please, stand with Fr. Nektariy?
Because when you support him today, it’s the same as saying loudly:
“Father, I’ve got your back. I will pray for you. You are not alone. And I will send you a gift. Because the world needs more people like you.”
A gift of $15 will help Fr. Nektariy cover a meal for the monastery brethren.
A $27 donation will help prepare a kit of medicines for the desperate people who call on him for help…
$69 will help Fr. Nektariy pay a few days of electricity for the monastery.
$117 will help Fr. N cover one day’s rent.
A gift of any size is very much needed and appreciated. Won't you send a donation today?
Fr. Nektariy always prays for the salvation and health of every donor. And the prayers of such a man as Fr. Nektariy are powerful. I need them. You need them. Our world desperately needs them.
Won’t you help him today, so he can continue his work of prayer for our hurting world?
Please help Fr. Nektariy today!
With love in Christ,
Mark
P.S. Your donation today will accomplish more than just provide support for Fr. Nektariy and Holy Trinity Monastery in Mexico City. Your gift will tell Fr. Nektariy that he’s not alone ‒ despite all that’s going on in the world.
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