Dear
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Glory
to Jesus Christ!
Glory to
Him forever!
The Holy
Eucharist is the most important of all the Sacraments of the Church,
because through it man reaches the highest point to which his
endeavor can be made, the union with God in mysterious form "Christ
remains in us and we in him." (John 6, 56) The union with Christ
in the Eucharist is also the act of continuously building and growing
relationships within the unity of the Church as the body of Christ,
thus perfecting the work commenced through Baptism and Mirunge. That
is why the Holy Eucharist is, by definition, the mystery of the unity
of the Church. If in the other Mysteries Christ is present in an
unseen form through His ministry, the Eucharist is present in His
body and blood under the image of bread and wine. Through this
Sacrament He is fully given to the members of the Church. "The
Eucharist is the fulfillment of the icon of God's love for people and
of our union with us. The Eucharist as the heart of the Church unites
all believers with Christ Who sacrifices. "The Church grows and
rises through the Eucharist, which is the means of realizing and
maintaining the Church. There is a correspondence, an addiction, and
a relationship of cause and effect between the body of Christ who
sacrifices himself on the altar and the mysterious body of the
Church. In fact, Christ sacrifices himself in the Eucharist for his
secret body and for every member of it. The Eucharist is the dynamic
center, the soul of the Church, Christ can not be lived and felt in
the Church outside the Eucharist. Through this Mystery man shares the
Source of grace that is Christ the Lord. The Holy Eucharist is the
Mystery of Incarnation and Growth in Christ, is the source of the
ever-increasing spiritual life of believers.
As
a previous donor to St. Irene Orthodox Mission Centre, Kenya, you
know our commitment to offer “basic education and a feeding
programme to orphans and other vulnerable children.” Thank you for
your previous gifts. They have made a significant difference to the
children and the overall ministry. We are very grateful for the great
support you have accorded us, which brings me to the purpose of this
letter.
St.
Irene Orthodox Mission Center is working towards being self-reliant
and self-sustaining. In the Gospel of Saint Matthew, we learn that
“Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not
hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. When
He had placed His hands on them, He went on from there.”
Like
Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, it is our goal to bring more
children to Jesus Christ, to provide clean water and food, to clothe
them and accommodate as many orphan children as God brings to us. In
this way, with God’s help, we can raise them up to be strong in the
Lord and strong in their lives.
With
your regular donation, we will be able to initiate income-generating
activities and programmes to achieve that goal. Will you please
consider being a partner with us to achieve that goal by being a
regular monthly donor? If so, please let me know.
I
pray that may Almighty God continue to bless you from one glory to
another.
I
look forward to hearing from you and receiving your continued
support.
For
donations click here: www.stireneorthodoxmission.org
Your
and His Servant,
Fr.
Constantinos Eliud
Director
& Priest-in-Charge
St Irene Orthodox mission orphans receiving Holy Communion from Fr Constantino's.
