I
was recently asked "why is the Holy Trinity
Monastery in Jordanville so special for you?" In
our appeal to raise funds to help this venerable ROCOR
institution, the emphasis was made on their financial
plight. I, personally, experienced a thought that
terrified me: "what if there were no
Jordanville!?" I'm sure most readers could
share a similar feeling, based on their own experience
at the monastery. You see, Jordanville served as a
spiritual anchor for my family. My father emigrated to
the US in the 1950s. Living in Buffalo, he found a
slice of mother Russia in the hills of upstate New
York, within striking distance of Buffalo. As a doctor,
he treated many fathers on a voluntary basis, including
the late Metropolitan Laurus.
Mark Selawry, FFA president.
Although
the family ended up living in subtropical Miami, close
ties were maintained with the clergy in Jordanville.
For example, the late Abbot Vladimir Suhobok would stay
as a guest, delighting me with his soccer skills, and
patiently trying to teach me to read Slavonic. Having
our house blessed or reading molebens was always a
special treat, as it seemed o. Vladimir brought a slice
of the monastery to our house, and not just the bread
that was baked on premises along with the whipped
honey! It was under the care of my father that o.
Vladimir spent his final days with brain tumor in 1988.
At the age of 16, I had the fortune of spending the summer
at the monastery as a “summer boy.” I loved
the rhythm of the place, especially attending daily
services. Metropolitan Hilarion, who resided at the
monastery as a Hieromonk, would hear my lengthy nearly
daily confessions in the altar, with the summer boys
joking, “there goes Mark again!” When I left,
I declared to my parents I would return as a monk. They
gently coaxed me to postpone my decision until after I
completed my college education.
I’m comforted my father rests in peace at the
cemetery, being prayed for on a daily basis. I, too, have
purchased my plot to lie beside him, glad that I will,
someday, fulfill my wish to return on a more permanent
basis.
Every time I visit, I easily slip back into contemplation
and quiet prayer in what to me is an oasis of Orthodox
spirituality.
Archimandrite Vladimir (Suhobok).
Doesn’t
everyone who visited have similar stories? What would
happen if we were deprived of the consolation to know
that our remains will rest next to our parent’s,
and our children were deprived of a chance to
experience Jordanville for themselves, reaping a
lifetime’s worth of spiritual treasure? What if
Jordanville were to collapse, or forced to sell land
for development because we didn’t have the time
or heart to help in time?
I was overjoyed and full of thanks with the outpouring of
generosity last year for the Holy Cross Monastery, which
was saved from their own “fiscal cliff.” I ask
that all of us whose lives were enriched to, please, send
what you can to keep the Holy Trinity Monastery and
Seminary a beacon of our church abroad.
Remember, the first $50,000 of donations received will be
matched. So far, we have received $25,000. Thank you for
remembering our fathers and brothers in need. The brethren
will always pray for you as their benefactors. God bless!
Mark Selawry
Fund for Assistance to ROCOR
President
Please donate now by sending a check to the Fund
for Assistance at: 75 East 93rd Street New York, NY 10128
USA;
or, even more quickly, by clickinghere.
*The first $50,000 of contributions will be
matched.
Official website of the Russian Orthodox Church
Abroad
16 ноября 2012 г.
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