APPEAL FOR ASSISTANCE TO THE SERBIAN CHURCH IN KOSOVO AND METOCHIA

From Pravoslavie.ru

An Appeal to the readers of Pravoslavie.ru/Orthodox Christianity,

And to all those willing to help the Church in Kosovo and Metochia

For two decades now, a terrible tragedy has unfolded on Serbian soil—the Orthodox people of Kosovo and Metochia are being pushed out of their native land. During the past years, thousands of Christians have been murdered, many churches and monasteries desecrated and destroyed. This lawlessness is going on even today.

There is no other land in the world like Kosovo and Metochia, where so many churches and monasteries were built on such a small territory. The very name “Metochia” translates as “Church land”. This is truly an ancient, holy land of the Church.

250,000 Kosovo Serbs were forced to flee their ancestral homeland after 1999. Nevertheless, there are still Orthodox Christians living there. They refuse to leave, because they feel and with their whole heart and soul that Holy Orthodoxy must be preserved on their native soil, even under the most difficult circumstances, even in an extremely unfriendly, antagonistic environment.

In certain cities of Kosovo and Metochia, there remain literally just a few courageous Orthodox people, outcasts in their own homeland, who refuse to allow the candle of Orthodoxy to be extinguished in this ancient Christian land. Services are conducted in monasteries and churches, although the monks living in these monasteries cannot even leave their enclosures without risking life and limb. In order to go out and obtain their basic material needs, they have to be guarded by international armed forces.

Despite the enormous political and material hardships, the Serbian Church is caring for their people’s salvation. With its blessing, charitable organizations, medical centers, and free “people’s kitchens” are active in Kosovo. In these kitchens, people who have lost their jobs and food sources receive daily nourishment.

No doubt it would be much safer to abandon these places and move to Central Serbia. But several thousand Serbian Christians remain in the homeland of their Orthodox ancestors, carrying on a daily ascetic struggle unknown and largely misunderstood by the world.

Not long ago, Serbian Orthodox Christians performed yet another true and astonishing feat of self denial. They sent to Kosovo what is dearest to them—their own children. In the city of Prizren, inhabited almost exclusively by Albanians, one of the oldest theological seminaries of the Serbian Church was reopened after many years of desolation. Youths age 15–16 were sent there to study, and t become the future priests of Christ’s Holy Church. Unfortunately, the Albanians living around the seminary behave very aggressively toward them. For safety reasons, none of these youths ever leave the seminary enclosure.

The students of the Prizren seminary. Fall, 2011.

These courageous young Christians live the entire semester within the seminary walls, and all their basic needs—food, medicine, and clothing—are brought to them from Serbia. The entire seminary, both the church and the school buildings, were looted and burned in 2004. Now only a small portion has been rebuilt.

With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, we have begun a collection of aid for the seminary in Prizren, and for other monasteries and churches of Kosovo. As hard as it may be for us in these days of economic pressure, the Serbs of Kosovo are experiencing unimaginable difficulties.

The brothers of Sretensky Monastery will also be donating a part of the proceeds from their book publishing and agricultural enterprises to the Orthodox in Kosovo. with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and on his behalf, we also call upon you, brothers and sisters everywhere, to participate in this charitable endeavor to help those Christians courageously preserving the Orthodox faith in one of the most sacred, and yet most troubled areas of the world. After Pascha, a delegate from Sretensky Monastery will bring these donations to Kosovo.

On behalf and with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, we especially ask your prayers for the suffering Serbian Church.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2). May the Lord grant that by our small efforts, by our widow’s drachma, we might at least ease the very difficult lives of our Orthodox brothers and sisters, support them, and not let the candle of Orthodoxy go out in Kosovo.

Bank information for donations in US dollars

JSCB VOZROZHDENIYE, MOSCOW,
CENTRAL BRANCH
PAYMENTS INSTRUCTIONS

(USD)

BANK-CORRESPONDENT:
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, NEW YORK, USA          

SWIFT CODE – IRVT US 3N
СОR. АСС No 890-0085-681

BENEFICIARY’S BANK:
JSCB VOZROZHDENIYE, MOSCOW,                 SWIFT CODE – VBNK RU MM
CENTRAL BRANCH

In favour of SRETENSKY MANS MONASTERY OF MOSCOW

Account No 40703840200200143316

VO 70030

For the Serbian Church in Kosovo

***

Bank information for donations in euros

JSCB VOZROZHDENIYE, MOSCOW,
CENTRAL BRANCH
PAYMENTS INSTRUCTIONS

(EUR)

BANK- CORRESPONDENT:
VTB BANK (DEUTSCHLAND), AG, FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY
SWIFT CODE: OWHB DE FF
COR. ACC № 0102912011

BENEFICIARY’S BANK :
JSCB VOZROZHDENIYE, MOSCOW         SWIFT CODE - VBNK RU MM
CENTRAL BRANCH

In favour of SRETENSKY MANS MONASTERY OF MOSCOW

Account No 40703978400202143316

VO 70030

For the Serbian Church in Kosovo

All questions regarding aid to the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and Metochia may be sent tokosovo@pravoslavie.ru