The other day on Orthocelts blog, he wrote about missions and how we need to get more people involved in missions. I posted a reply to his post but I wanted to mention something here and see if the other bloggers would pick up the flag on their sites and maybe get some discussion going. I think that the OCMC is doing a great job. In fact, I have been exploring mission possibilities with them. I also think that the OCF is doing a great job with mission also. But we have stuff that we need to do right here in the good ol’USA. We need domestic missionaries to come to the inner cities and teach in Orthodox Schools and help in parishes. We need people who will go to the poorest people and bring them the love of Jesus. This is what we need. Come on all let’s chat it up!
Domestic Mission
this is a country that gives a great deal of money to other countries to help their poor(this is a good thing).but is giving out of plenty realy giving.
i hear many people complain how they never have any time in their daily lives because they are so busy. sometimes i think in a country with so much money and so little time which is truly more precious for us to give.
in this country our poor are not so in our face. they are not always hungry for food and clothing but also for companioship.
may be people do not know where to go in their communites to donate their time so they assume all is fine we they live.
Father, this links well with your idea of Urban Monasticism as well: such an Order of Monks would be an example – and possibly a support to this idea.
may be its time to start a new order of monks who beleave as you do because your not going to change the mind set of the monks who like the life style they have been leading.
look at some one like mother theresa she started her own order because she wanted to follow a calling she could not fulfill where she was.
That is what I am talking about. However, in the Orthodox Church we do not have orders of monks, just monks. But that is my point. This would be something new and radical.
I am working on my history degree. It would be awesome to be a history teacher in an Orthodox School! Where do I sign up?
I grew up Roman Catholic. The elementary school I went to had nuns teaching. Do Orthodox sisters do that type of thing?
Where are you from?
there are orthodox monks who go out into the world, would it be so difficult for these solitary monks to join together and live as a small group in the world. making their priority to work with and be among people.
would there be a problem with the nationality thing? would they be divided on this issues like the orthodox churches are.
It would not be a problem. The problem is finding a place to do this and a bishop who will take us in.
Fr. Greg, I live in southeastern PA near Philadelphia.
In San Francisco, at the Mission of the Synaxsis of the Theotokos there is an underutilised many-bedroomed, three-story house that would be perfect for the kind of urban monks you are talking about. It is called St. Pauls Fellowship House. In the past, some of the mission’s parishoners lived in the house. But I think it is empty now.
There is a chapel in the basement that is used for DL on Sunday. Also, an Iconograper uses space in the basement.
When you start looking for a place to locate this brootherhood you are taling about you should contact…
Fr. Thomas Alessandroni: 415-255-0584
FrTomA@comcast.NOSPAM.net
(remove the NOSPAM portion of the address)