Beloved in Christ,
As is known to you, one of our great spiritual gems in the Eastern American Diocese of our Serbian Orthodox Church is the New Marcha Monastery, dedicated to the Holy Archangel Gabriel, and located in Richfield, Ohio.
This lovely rural monastic estate was acquired in 1968, during the ministry of Bishop Sava of Blessed Memory. It was dubbed “New Marcha” after the original Marcha Monastery, dedicated to the Holy Archangel Michael, built in 1609 in Old Marcha, today’s Krajina. Historic circumstances forced the abandonment of this monastery in the 18th century, after which the monastery fell into ruins. In 1925, a small chapel was built on the original foundations of the altar. To this day, believers of all faiths gather there on the Synaxis of the Holy Archangel Gabriel, July 13/26, which is how our monastery was dedicated to Archangel Gabriel.
Bishop Sava’s dream was to preserve the memory of Marcha Monastery in the Greater Cleveland area, given the number of Serbs, who heralded from that area of Krajina. Realizing this dream with the building of the present-day church was the late Nikola Borota, together with Alex Machaskee and others. The Church was consecrated at the hands of Patriarch Pavle of Blessed Memory on July 28, 2001. The Monastery Cemetery was established in 2012 and blessed by Bishop Mitrophan in 2014.
It is now the joyous task and great privilege of our generation to continue this sacred work and to build a proper monastic building to embrace the church and house our monastics. In addition to monastic cells, it will contain a library, expansive dining room, and many other features proper to a traditional Orthodox women’s monastery.
Therefore, please join us, one and all, on Saturday, November 18, 2023, at the St. Sava Cathedral Hall, 6306 Broadview Road, Parma, OH 44134, beginning at 6:00 PM, dinner at 7:00 PM for a fundraiser. The donation for the dinner will be $40.00 per person. RSVP with the Reverend Deacon Mihajlo Pancoe, or your designated parish representative. Dinner Music will be offered by “Dijamanti”, while entertainment will be provided by “Tradicija” Folklore Group and the Kosic Sisters.
Those who cannot attend in person, your tax-deductible donations will be greatly appreciated! You will be remembered at the daily services in the monastery church. Our Serbian people have a saying, those who build churches, build in themselves. Help build our monastery complex and build yourself into the mansions of the just!
With Archpastoral blessings and paternal love,
+Irinej
BISHOP OF EASTERN AMERICA
NEW MARCHA FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE
Bishop Irinej of Eastern America, Episcopal Patron
Rev. Presbyter-Economos Dragan Goronjic, Cleveland Deanery Episcopal Dean
Mr. Alex Machaskee, Co-Chairperson
Mrs. Geraldine Ostich, Co-Chairperson
Mr. Milosh Papich, Treasurer
Rev. Deacon Mihajlo Pancoe, Secretary
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