Also known as "The Prayer of the Heart"
Fr. Demetrios Serfes
O Lord Jesus Christ,
Son Of GOD,
Have Mercy,
Upon Me,
A Sinner!
"The Jesus Prayer"
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By |
 Icon Joy Of All Who Sorrow |
Established in October 1998
President: Reverend Presbyter Demetrios Serfes (Boise, Idaho)
Vice President: Hieromonk Sava ( Decani Monastery, Kosovo)
Secretary & Treasure: Veljko Sikirica (Bethesda, Maryland)
With the blessings of Hegumenos (Abbot) Theodosius & Hieromonk (Priestmonk) Sava of the Decani Monastery in Kosovo of Yugoslavia.
The Decani Monastery Relief Fund was founded in October 1998, and is a non profit and tax deductible charitable organization, created to assist in humanitarian aide to all the needy people in Kosovo, as well as assist all of the Serbian Orthodox
Monasteries in giving assistance to the refugees. Anyone who appeals for help in
this assistance is then provided. Both Abbot Theodosius and Hieromonk
Sava not only give these provisions to the refugees, but also go about
the area in this distribution.
This Relief Fund is dedicated to collect donations and distribute provisions such as food, water, shelter, fire-wood, and other basic needs in this God loving assistance. For further details about the Decani Monastery in Kosovo
region you can note a web page: http:www.decani.yunet.com.
This Relief Fund was established with the blessing of Abbot (Hegumenos) Theodosius and Hieromonk (Priestmonk)
Sava of the Decani Monastery, located in Kosovo. Honorable Father Demetrios Serfes, from Boise,
Idaho in the U.S.A., is the President of the Fund, Hieromonk Sava is the
vice-president, and VeljkoSikirica, from Bethesda, Maryland, is the Secretrary-Treasurer.
All donations received do reach the Decani Monastery once the funds are received.
Every individual who makes a donation for the Decani Monastery Relief Fund, is humbly
assured that their names are sent to the monastery for God-Loving prayer.
Respectively & Humbly Submitted, And
Beloved Friends In Christ Our Lord,
Peace be unto your souls, and peace and good will among all men! I greet you humbly with the love of our Gracious God, and through the
prayers of St. Sava, I pray all are well. Rejoice Always In The Lord Our
God! The Decani Monastery Relief Fund was established in October 1998,
and this humanitarian fund was granted a blessing by the Hegumenos (Abbot)
Theodosius, as well as Hieromonk (Priestmonk) Sava, of Decani Monastery
which is located in Kosovo, who has been in correspondence for the need
of further assistance in helping with this fund. Current contact is still
very much in order, with the kind help of Veljko Sikirica. The donations
are reaching Father Sava, who with the Abbot Theodosius administer these
funds to all refugees who come to the monastery for assistance. In
addition to these funds help purchase, wood, food, medical supplies, as
well as with the need of residence, since hundreds and thousands
of refugees now are without shelter, food, wood, or medical assistance.
How many suffering souls and suffering people of all religions are
we speaking about currently? We have estimates that more then 500,000
(this number and estimates keeps growing by the hour) people have fled
Kosovo at this time. However many people cannot leave have remained in
Kosovo, and others do not want to leave because is their home. Many of
these refugees go to the Decani Monastery for assistance and help, as well
as to the eight other Serbian Orthodox monasteries in Kosovo of Yugoslavia.
I also am sad to report that three Serbian Orthodox monasteries have been
slightly damaged, but not the Decani Monastery. Therefore the Decani
Monastery Relief Fund helps this cause and other monasteries
as well. This loving and sacred Decani Monastery opens its doors to all
including Father Theodosius, and Father Sava, go about the city and the
providence to reach out on behalf of the much sufferings due to these times
of war and despair. These days are difficult, and horrendous during
these days more love and assistance is badly needed. Would you good
and kind loving souls please assist the Decani Monastery Relief
Fund? Would you please send a donation of your choice to this humanitarian
fund in which Father Sava has indicated: "It's very important Father
Demetrios that we continue onward with the collecting of donations, because
the humanitarian situation is very difficult here".
Several loving souls have already helped in donations for the
Decani Monastery Relief Fund Before the war in Serbia and Kosovo,
and now . What has moved my soul and others is that His Eminence, Metropolitan
Isaiah the Presiding Hierarch of the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Denver,
has now made an Archpastoral appeal throughout his diocese (the Metropolitan
has sent his blessings for this fund), in making appeals for donations
for the Decani Monastery Relief Fund. Another Russian Orthodox
Church will use their collection on Holy Pascha for the fund, and double
that amount. Then previously another Russian Orthodox Church had
a special fund raising dinner to assist this fund. What a spiritual joy
is to get this support and this love for the much desperate who truly need
our Christian love and help currently! This fund reaches all victims
of the Kosovo tragedy of various backgrounds and religious faiths.
Let me please share this with you humbly in a letter Metropolitan Isaiah
wrote: "This comes to inform you that I applaud and bless the efforts
of one our priests, the Reverend Demetrios Serfes of the Saints Constantine
and Helen Parish in Boise, Idaho, for organizing efforts to assist our
Orthodox Christian monastic at the Decani Monastery in Kosovo of Yugoslavia".
His Eminence, Metropolitan Isaiah further concludes: "whatever assistance you and your parishioners can give at this critical time will be truly
a great blessing". Please help in giving further blessings by reaching out to support the Decani Monastery Relief Fund". I assure you that all those
who do so shall indeed be remembered in God loving prayer at the Decani
Monastery. Keep highly in mind that every name reaches both Father
Theodosius, and Father Sava at the holy monastery... -every kind name! This is now the current up to date report from February of 1999, until 2 April 1999, on the donations received for the Decani Monastery Relief
Fund of a total of $9,785.000:
75. S. Sturgeon
Another up to date report will be posted by the end of April 1999.
God Love And Bless Each Of You!
We send gratitude in the name of all families and refugees that have
benefited from your
Thank you for your support and donations!
With The Love Of Christ Our True God,
Humbly Submitted by:
+ Hieromonk Sava
Veljko Sikirica
If you would like to make a donation for the Decani Monastery Relief
Fund, please kindly send it to the following address:
Decani Monastery Relief Fund
Or you might want to call Veljko Sikirica, at his office: (202)-623-1912.
Please access back to my home page for previous up dates on the Decani
Monastery Relief Fund under the title of News and Additions at http://home.rmci.net/fr-d-serfes/
Due to the current war one can well imagine that the server at the Decani
Monastery web site in Kosovo might be busy.
Currently as of Holy Tuesday 13 April 1999, Hieromonk (Priestmonk) Sava,
is assisting the Serbian Orthodox Monastery of Gracanica which is located
5km from Pristina in Kosovo. This monastery had been slightly
damaged, and in addition Father Sava is as well helping the refugees in
this general area also. Hieromonk Sava eventually will return to the Decani
Monastery.
In the meantime please be humbly assured that the Decani
Monastery in Kosovo still continues to reach out to help the thousands
of thousands of refugees. Abbot Theodosius and the monks of the Decani
Monastery continue until this very hour to assist all of the refugees
who are asking for assistance and help. Thanks be to God many more kind
souls are now responding to help with a donations for this Relief Fund.
The next posted information about those who made donations will be posted
during the first week in May 1999.
Finally and sadly enough four Serbian Orthodox Monasteries in the general
area of Belgrade and Kosovo have been slightly damaged. One of these
monasteries of St. Gabriel, a holy place of the Serbian Orthodox Church
in Belgrade's Zemun municipality, suffered great damage. Please kindly
join with me in prayer for Hieromonk Filaret, the monks, and faithful Orthodox
Christians who attend this monastery for services.
We are also very concerned in addition to the destruction of homes
of the people of Serbia and Kosovo, as well as those places for hospitals
and schools.
Nothing is so important for all of us God Loving souls then to pray,
and to appeal for peace and good will among all men.
May Our Lord God Preserve Us And All Those Suffering!
Christ Is Risen!
With Love Of Our Risen Lord,
With The Love Of Jesus Christ,
Veljko Sikirica, Secretrary-Treasurer
76. Nikola Kostich
77. D. Zethmayr
78. M.T. Rogers
79. P. Parker
80. B. Djelevich
81. Lj. Kondic Brkovic
82. Panagiota Litaker
83. Bojan Djukanovic
84. Ruzica Popovich
85. Mildred Katz
86. James Shepard
87. David Zethmayer
88. Lydia Reoutt
89. Oleg Reoutt
90. Carmen Fragapane
91. Ducan L. Simcoe
92. Kathi L. Simncoe
93. Mildred V. Nikolin
94. Carloyn S. Hyort
95. David Zethmayer
96. Elizabeth Bryant
97. Anonymous
loving donations.
+ Reverend Presbyter Demetrios Serfes
President of the Decani Monastery Relief Fund in America,
Vice President of the Decani Monastery of Kosovo
Secretary Treasure in America.
C/O Veljko Sikirica
5518 Massachusetts Ave.
Bethesda, MD. 20816
And if you would like to email Veljko : sikirica@tidalwave.net.
+ Reverend Presbyter Demetrios Serfes
Who prays for you and with you!
fr-d-serfes@rmci.net
03/06/99