Hartford, Connecticut, March 7, 2024
Photo: orderofsaintgeorge.org
A U.S.-based Orthodox charitable order is calling on the faithful to undertake a “pilgrimage of the heart” this Lenten season in honor of those experiencing great suffering in the Holy Land.
The Holy Orthodox Order of St. George the Great Martyr, founded with the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia in 2019, has been closely monitoring the situation in the Holy Land to understand the needs of all those who are suffering.
Jerusalem, the Holy City—the place of Christ’s Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension. The Jewel of the Church! At this time of year, Orthodox Christians from around the world make a pilgrimage to visit the holy sites and to trace the life of Christ through his earthly ministry and triumph on the Cross. However, many holy sites, including those under the care and custodianship of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, have suffered great financial hardship due to a lack of pilgrims both because of the current Israeli-Hamas war and from the lingering effects of the covid-19 pandemic.
The Order has heard the heartfelt plea of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and of Archbishop Alexios of Gaza directly, and we call upon our fellow Orthodox Christians from around the world to come together in charity and service, to stand together with us, and join us in helping Archbishop Alexios and the wider needs of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem during this dire time.
Over the past 150 days of the conflict, there have been more than 30,000 casualties, including the deaths of at least 12,300 children, the Order writes, which amounts to an average of 9 adults and 6 children killed every hour in Gaza.
The Order continues:
In America and in the West, we have the luxury of distance. We have the luxury to look from afar and to pity the suffering of others caught in war and persecution. However, we cannot be silent when atrocities and genocide are being waged against our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land. We need to walk and be with them. And although our feet may not walk in the Holy Land or Jerusalem, we can still make a spiritual pilgrimage of the heart through almsgiving and prayer towards the needs of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and to the very real and desperate needs of our brothers and sisters in Gaza who are currently seeking refuge inside the ancient walls of Saint Porphyrios.
Thus, the Order of St. George hopes to raise $100,000 throughout Great Lent for the benefit of those experiencing these horrors in Gaza.
“Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, please let us lift up our hearts unto the Lord by investing our temporal treasures, be it $10, $100, or $1,000 for the preservation of the place that foreshadows our heavenly Jerusalem. Every little bit uplifts and preserves that which is priceless and sacred to our faith!” the Order implores.
For more information on how you can assist, please visit orderofsaintgeorge.org or reach out to publicrelations@orderofsaintgeorge.org.
Donations can be offered online through the Order’s Lenten fundraising campaign: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?campaign_id=6A7VPMK3AVHAJ
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