Fund for Assistance to ROCOR

07/31/2026

Know anyone who's a good fit?

The mission of the Fund for Assistance is to support the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, specifically, the moral-spiritual education of youth, aid to its clergy and distribution of emergency relief to its missions.

07/01/2026

Most kids spend their summers glued to screens, half-asleep on a couch, watching endless brain-rotting videos.

But somewhere in upstate New York, something completely different is happening.

At Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, young men between the ages of 14 and 18 are spending their summers doing something radical.

They are unplugging completely. No phones. No internet. No screens. Just real life, real faith, and real community.

The Summer Youth Program splits into two sessions based on age, with the younger group being 14 to 15 and the older group being 16 to 18.

Every day these young men wake up, attend the full cycle of monastic services, and prepare to receive Holy Confession and Communion - weekly.

At meals, they listen to the lives of the saints being read aloud. Throughout the day, clergymen and guest speakers give talks on the Orthodox faith, life, character, and what it means to be a man heading into college or a career.

And the program keeps growing. More young men are showing up. More families are sending their sons.

More of the Church is investing in her future.

That future is worth protecting.

"But does the program actually work?" you might ask.

At the Fund for Assistance we all know for sure (100%) that it does.

At least two of our presidents attended the Jordanville Summer Boys program.

One of them - Archpriest Victor Potapov - has been faithfully serving our Church for over 50 years.

The other - Mark Selawry - has given almost 20 years to the Church as a volunteer president at the Fund for Assistance.

There are many many more. Not all of them share their stories with us.

But it seems that all of the boys come away changed. And oftentimes, these positive changes last a lifetime.

If the future of our Church matters to you and you'd like to support youth programs such as the Jordanville Summer Boys program, click one of the links below to give today.

06/30/2026

A NOTE
from the Department of Accidental Renaming

"That's not my name" was the theme of the day after I e-mailed out a notification about our latest newsletter.

(Along with lots of very kind words about my 18-year anniversary coming up at FFA).

Turns out, our e-mail Service Provider decided to rename some ‒ but not other ‒ subscribers.

I got quite a few replies letting me know of the issue (thank you!).

So in case you got re-named, please don't worry:

I'm told the effects are temporary...
..but if (and only if) you write back and let me know.

So if your name isn't Subscriber, please hit reply and tell me what to tell our e-mail system.

It has been making some questionable choices lately...

Not subscribed yet? Visit https://fundforassistance.org/ and sign up for free!

Thank you and may God bless you!

Matushka Alena

P.S. Oh, and don't forget to check out all the wonderful things that happened thanks to you in our latest newsletter! In fact, the newsletter is about you, because...

https://fundforassistance.org/files/newsletters/2026-Spring-Newsletter-final.pdf

You won't believe just how many great things can happen because of kind and generous people like you, Aristotle!

(Aristotle?! The system renamed you again, didn't it? Sigh... Didn't I say you have to write back and tell me?)

06/27/2026

Dear Friend,

I've been at the FFA for almost 18 years (I started in September).

And this job has been an incredible blessing for many reasons. One of the main ones is that thanks to people like you…

…I have much more faith in human kindness now than I ever did before.

Because ‒ over and over again ‒ any time someone's in trouble, you're there to catch them.

If I write and tell you that Fr. Nektariy in Mexico City can't pay rent this month ‒ even though he works more than anyone I've ever met (he has 4-5 secular jobs on top of heading the monastery)…

If you hear that there's an Orthodox youth conference going on where kids can learn about their Church, fall in love with Her beauty and want to stay…

If you find out there's a way to help dozens of singers to finally sing well enough for a divine service…

You're always there.

And If someone is unable to give, they often write to me saying they are praying for the person who needs help.

So I just wanted to say ‒ I'm so grateful to you. And for you.

Thank you for your unwavering generosity to our Church.

Every donation is meaningful.

Every prayer is powerful.

Thank you for being a part of our Church family.

May God bless you.

Alena

P.S. I actually meant to write this email to tell you that our newsletter is out. But I ran out of room so I'm squashing it into this P.S.:https://fundforassistance.org/files/newsletters/2026-Spring-Newsletter-final.pdf

If you're still here ‒ leave a comment so I know you read till the end!

06/24/2026

Dear friends,

Because of your generosity, this Pascha thousands of people received a reminder that they were not forgotten.

Across Ukraine, your kindness reached families, hospital patients, and vulnerable children with the joy of Christ’s Resurrection, often in places where daily life has been marked by uncertainty, hardship, and loss.

This year alone, kind donors like you helped provide:

● 1,000 kulich Easter breads to suffering families in Kherson

● 1,500 Paschal gifts in Kiev

● Visits to 300 children in a children’s hospital

● Help for children living in two special-needs homes

These are more than numbers.

Each kulich delivered was a sign of hope. Each visit reminded someone that the Church remembered them. Each gift quietly proclaimed the words of Pascha: Christ is Risen!

Again and again, those receiving help asked that their gratitude be passed on to you.

“Thank you for your kindness,” one message said simply. “We are praying for you for supporting us through difficult years. We pray that the good Lord protects you and your family all the days of your life.”

Please know that your compassion is bearing fruit far beyond what you can see. In hospitals, orphanages, in wounded cities, in hearts that needed hope. Thank you for making this Pascha brighter for so many.

Watch the video below.

God bless you!

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

06/22/2026

AND THEN THE PRIEST DID SOMETHING SURPRISING

Surrounded by larger churches with bigger budgets, this tiny Orthodox flock should have disappeared years ago. It didn't. And you are the reason.

Find out what happened by clicking here.

Thank you so much for all you do for our Church.

This small moment of fellowship is possible because donors like you cared enough to help.

06/15/2026

They lost families. They lost parishioners. They lost their choir director and prosphora baker.

At one point, only five people remained. So why didn't Fr. Boris leave Argentina too?

What happened next is a powerful reminder of what your faithful generosity can accomplish.

Thank you so much for all you do for our Church!

What makes this story especially moving is that Fr. Boris is not only rebuilding a parish ‒ he is building its future.

06/07/2026

Съ праздникомъ Всѣхъ святыхъ!
Joyous feast of All Saints!

“Come, let us all rejoice spiritually with the memory of the saints; for behold, it hath come bringing us bountiful gifts. Wherefore, let us cry out with a voice of rejoicing and with a pure conscience, saying:

'Rejoice, O assembly of Prophets, who proclaimed the coming of Christ to the world, and who foresaw things afar off as though they were near.

Rejoice, O choir of the Apostles, ye fishers of men who caught the nations in your nets.

Rejoice, O company of the Martyrs, who were gathered from the ends of the earth into one Faith, and who for its sake endured the infliction of torments, and in a perfect manner received the crown of contest.

Rejoice, O beehive of the Fathers, who wore down your own bodies in asceticism, and mortified the passions of the flesh; who by divine love took wing in mind and soared unto the Heavens, and who rejoice with the Angels and enjoy eternal good things.

Wherefore, O ye Prophets, Apostles, and Martyrs, together with the Venerable Ones, fervently beseech Him Who hath crowned you, that He redeem from enemies visible and invisible those who with faith and love ever celebrate your honourable memory.'”

- Vespers, at Litia

05/31/2026

Joyous feast of Holy Pentecost!
Съ праздникомъ Святой Пятидесятницы!

05/29/2026

Christ has Ascended!

We're writing to thank you for your kindness.

Because of your great generosity, we've been able to collect $12,998.49 for the clergy fund and to help Fr. Boris Gladyshev in Buenos Aires.

Thank you for caring so very deeply for Fr. Boris and ROCOR's other truly heroic priests. The level of dedication our clergy show time and again are truly incredible.

If you're still reading, may we ask you to say a quick prayer for Alexander?

He's the husband of someone who loves our Church as deeply as you do. Her name is Olga. She wrote to say that Alexander is going to have massive brain surgery for cancer on Monday.

Please say a prayer for him. Your prayers, especially, joined with the prayers of others, are powerful.

Thank you again.