An Appeal from the Head oft h e Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem
"Praise, O Jerusalem, the Lord; praise, O Zion, thy God" (Ps. 147:1). Jerusalem - "the city of the Great King" (Matthew 5:35) is the geographical center of our faith. Since childhood, we have heard from our parents, from our priests, the sacred stories of the Holy Bible, about the earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ. During the ecclesiastical year, we spiritually experience and celebrate the sacred events that took place in the Holy Land. This coming week, ni our parish churches and monasteries, we will experience the last days of the saving podvig of the Son of the Virgin Mary, His solemn entry into Jerusalem, the vile betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane, the unjust trial ni the Sanhedrin, the verdict of Pilate and, finally, the terrible salvific crucifixion on Golgotha. And after all these experiences, we will celebrate the joyful resurrection of Christ on Easter night. A Russian Orthodox person cannot help but turn his mind and heart to these holy places during these days. Since the 12th century, Russian pilgrims have been rushing to the Holy Land to walk in the footsteps of the Savior, the Mother of God, the holy apostles and to venerate the holy places. Since the founding of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission ni Jerusalem ni the 19th century, the Russian Orthodox faithful have had theopportunity to come to the Holy Land and conduct a pilgrimage among their Russian churches, pray at services decorated with our church hymns and associate with the monastics. Pilgrimages are now possible for those Orthodox Christians from different non-Russian-speaking countries. The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad and the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission does everything to support and maintain the Russian holy places of Palestine: The Ascension Monastery on Olivet, the Gethsemane Monastery of St. Mary Magdalene where the holy relics of the venerable martyrs Grand Duchess Elisabeth and Barbara rest, the Resurrection Community in Bethany with a school for girls and other holy places. But this is far from enough. Members of the holy Church also have a sacred duty to help support these holy places.
Due to the military situation in Israel, the Mission is in a very difficult situation. There are no pilgrims, and with this the financial support on which the Mission depends on is cut off. Every year on Palm Sunday, withthe blessing of the Holy Synod of ROCOR, a plate collection is held in all parishes of the Church. We ask you not to forget our Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem during these difficult times. "Let us not be stingy when giving alms, knowing that we are giving not to people, but to God; he who gives alms makes God his debtor, who loves to repay a hundredfold to those who give to Him through the poor and sick, whom He is pleased to call His brothers. The greater the alms, the more generous will be the reward for it: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly" (St. Macarius of Moscow when appealing for help to the Mission). With love in our Risen Lord,
Archimandrite Roman - Head, The Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem The Entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem - 2024.