November 27, 2013
Metropolitan Hilarion’s Thanksgiving Encyclical and Appeal to the
Clergy and Faithful of the Russian Church Abroad
Encyclical
to all Clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside
of Russia
in the USA
Dear in the Lord reverend fathers,
As you know, our
Russian Church Abroad can afford to provide her selfless clergy
neither a salary, nor a pension, nor medical insurance. The Church
is supported by a small number of lay organizations, one of which is
the Fund for Assistance to ROCOR. For 53 years now, they have aided
our clergy, and over the course of just the last few years, the FFA
has covered the costs of medical insurance for several clergy
families, and has helped pay for medical care, funerals, and more.
In addition, the FFA has provided financial aid to our youth and to
ROCOR missions around the world.
The Fund for Assistance asks financial aid for
itself only once a year – on Thanksgiving. We sincerely ask that you
do all that you can to inspire your parishioners to help the FFA.
None of us knows when we may be in need of help from this wonderful
Fund.
We hereby decree that all parishes of the Russian
Church Abroad in the United States of America are to read aloud the
attached encyclical from the ambo on the nearest Sunday to
Thanksgiving Day, and hold a plate collection on behalf of the FFA.
We ask that gathered donations be sent to:
Fund for Assistance to ROCOR
75 East 93rd
Street
New York, NY 10128
With love in Christ,
+HILARION
Metropolitan of
Eastern America & New York
First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad
An Appeal
to all Faithful of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside
of Russia
in the USA
Beloved in the Lord
brothers and sisters,
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.
Today, on Thanksgiving, we ask you to support our Church by making a
generous donation to the Fund for Her Assistance ‒ for assistance to
the Church Abroad. For more than half a century, this organization
has supported our clergy in need, our youth, who chose to live their
lives in the Church, and those suffering from natural disasters. Our
Church is small, and we will only survive if we make every effort to
support one another and those in need.
Even a small donation of 10 dollars will help a poor family send
their child to St. Herman Conference, will buy bread for one of our
priests in need, will pay a week’s salary of one of our Church
members in Haiti, Uganda, or Indonesia. We humbly ask you to be
generous and help our Holy Church with your contribution to the Fund
for Assistance! May all those in need who receive our aid pray
alongside us for their benefactors, saying, "Glory to Thee, O Lord,
for the kindheartedness of our parishioners!"
I call down upon you God’s blessing,
+HILARION
Metropolitan of
Eastern America & New York
First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad
