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Bishop Milan �a�ik of the Eparchy of Mukachevo, mother church of all the Byzantine Catholic Ruthenian Churches, was visiting the United States for a few weeks in December on a pastoral visit to his priests serving in the Eparchy of Passaic. He also visited several other parishes and institutions, and he spent the weekend of Dec 8/9 at my home parish of Epiphany of Our Lord in Annandale, Virginia. I was honored to have him stay with me in my home during his visit.

During one meal, he was telling me of a small village named Lypetska Polyana � Slopovyj, where he would like to build a small chapel for the parish community of SS. Peter and Paul. It is located 36 km north of the city of Khust in eastern Transcarpathia and served by Father Volodomyr Babych. There are about 250 inhabitants in this small village, with 24 families belonging to the parish. Because the village is so remote in the Carpathian Mountains, there is no public transportation, and it is difficult for the villagers to attend church in Lypetska Polyana, the closest town, especially in the winter. A plot of land has been donated by a benefactor to build a small chapel -- he showed me the drawings they have prepared. The village has already raised about $5,000 to start the foundation, but they are asking for help toward the remaining $13,000 to complete the project. That�s all -- $13,000 to build a complete small church!

Bishop Milan asked if I would try to raise this relatively small amount to build a complete church in a village of the Carpathian Mountains. Therefore, the Orientale Lumen Foundation, an IRS approved 501(c)3 charitable organization, will collect donations and provide Bishop Milan the funds raised. Wouldn�t it be great if we could finish this �shappel� in the Carpathian Mountains much like the one that Homer Smith/Schmidt (Sidney Poitier) built for the nuns in the movie �Lillies of the Field�!

On January 6, 2013 Bishop Milan will celebrate the 10th Anniversary of his consecration as bishop of Mukachevo by Blessed Pope John Paul II. If you hurry and send a donation to us before December 31st, we will send the money to him in time for his anniversary.

You can make a donation online by clicking the blue button on the home page at: www.olconference.com [olconference.com] or you can send a check made payable to: OL Foundation, PO Box 192, Fairfax, VA 22038-0192. A tax receipt will be mailed to you. For donations of $100 or more, we will send you a thank you gift of a DVD recording of the Christmas Hierarchical Divine Liturgy that I recorded on January 7, 2009 in the Uzhorod Cathedral.

Thank you again for your generosity, and may God bless you!

Jack Figel, President
OL Foundation

Friends,

I am edified that over 450 have read this post over the holidays since I announced this campaign. I am also happy to report that we have received just under $3000 in donations so far to build the new church in the Carpathian Mountains. Obviously we didn't reach our goal by the deadline I suggested above, but we will continue to collect donations toward this project and ask members of the Forum to donate online at our website: www.olconference.com. [olconference.com.] The big blue Donate button is on the home page. If everyone who reads this post could just donate $25, we would reach our goal. THANKS and God Bless!

Jack

I'm in.

Do you remember a small wooden Romanian church that was erected on the Mall for the American Folk Life Festival some years back? I'm sure Bishop John Michael remembers it. As I recall, it was disassembled after the festival and shipped in a flat rack to some village in Romania, where it was reassembled. I always thought this sort of pre-fabricated church would be just the thing for small, impoverished villages, since they could be prepared in kit form here, then assembled somewhere else. All the people at the receiving end would need to do is prepare the site and follow the instructions. We ought to find out more about what was done with that church, and whether it could serve as a model for others.

Thanks Stuart.

Yes, I remember that little Romanian wooden church. Actually, Bishop John Michael kept it in storage in the Chicago area for a few years after it was disassembled from the Mall in hopes of using it for a mission out there. That never materialized and so he had it brought back to Canton where it was assembled on the grounds of St George Cathedral about ten years ago. I went to the consecration of it to St Panteleimon and it is now used for various activities in Canton.

Yes, I suppose something like that could be designed as a kit to assemble, but ... I don't think it's economical to build them here and ship there. Also, that one was VERY small -- only could fit about 20 people inside -- and I don't think something that lightweight and somewhat flimsy could survive long in the winters of the Carpathian Mountains.

Most of the churches Bishop Milan is building, some 75+ in the last ten years since he was consecrated bishop, are small but sturdy concrete structures designed for more like 50-75 people. He is building a few new wooden churches too, depending on the village and location.

Jack