On the evening of Wednesday, January 21, 2008, Metropolitan Jonah will celebrate Vespers at St. Nicholas Cathedral, Washington, DC, at 7:00 PM. The following day, he will take part in the March and will be one of the first religious leaders to give a message at the rally on Capitol Hill. That evening, Metropolitan Jonah will give the invocation at the March for Life’s annual Rose Dinner at the Hyatt Regency Washington.

“The Orthodox Church in America has designated the Sunday before January 22, the annual date for the March for Life, as ‘Sanctity of Life Sunday,'” said OCA Director of Communications, Archpriest Andrew Jarmus. “This year, the Sanctity of Life Sunday will fall on January 18. We will shortly be posting Metropolitan Jonah’s message for the Sanctity of Life Sunday and special petitions to be included in the Divine Liturgy on that day.”

More information about the 36th March for Life may be found at www.marchforlife.org.

IOCC will also provide a shipment of quilts to Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza City. East Jerusalem YMCA, a long time partner, will assist in delivering IOCC supplies. While news agencies are reporting that forces have agreed to suspend fighting for three hours each day to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip, it still remains dangerous to move supplies.

IOCC has been working in cooperation with Action by Churches Together (ACT) member agencies to coordinate a response to the current crisis. Since 1997, IOCC has implemented a variety of educational, employment and school repair programs in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.

Help IOCC speed relief to families who have been caught in this conflict. Visit www.iocc.org, call IOCC toll free at 1-877-803-4622, or mail a check or money order payable to “IOCC” and write “Middle East Relief” in the memo line to: IOCC, P.O. Box 630225, Baltimore, Md. 21263-0225.

IOCC, founded in 1992 as the official humanitarian aid agency of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA), has implemented over $275 million in relief and development programs in 33 countries around the world.

“The book will document His Beatitude’s election as Primate of the OrthodoxChurch in America at the OCA’s 15th All-American Council, November 12, 2008,and his enthronement at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Washington, DC, December28, 2008,” said OCA Director of Ministries and Communications, ArchpriestAndrew Jarmus. “The publication will also offer insight into the life andministry of Metropolitan Jonah prior to his election. Additionally, the bookwill give OCA parishes, institutions and members an opportunity to publishgreetings to His Beatitude.

“The OCA chancery has also announced that profits from the sale of thecommemorative book will be earmarked for the Fellowship of Orthodox Stewards[FOS] to help fund Church ministries. “Metropolitan Jonah has also indicatedhis desire that the a portion of the book’s sales will go to support thework of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship, OCF, which is involved withcampus ministry at universities and colleges throughout the US and Canada,”Fr. Andrew said.

The OCA Chancery is also examining the possibility of producing a videodocumentary of Metropolitan Jonah’s election and enthronement.

A mailing with information regarding greetings for the commemorative book will be sent out by the Chancery shortly.

“Today, in all the churches of the Holy Land, the patriarchs and leaders of the Christian churches of Jerusalem invite the faithful to pray for an end to the conflict in the Gaza Strip and implore justice and peace for their land. I join with them and ask you to do the same, remembering, as they are saying, ‘the victims, the wounded, those with broken hearts, who are living in anguish and fear, that God bless them with consolation, patience, and the peace that proceeds from Him”.

The Holy Father affirmed that “the dramatic news that we are receiving from the Gaza Strip shows that the refusal to dialogue leads to situations that weigh unspeakably on the populations who are again victim to hatred and war”.

War and hatred are not a solution to problems. Most recent history again confirms this. Let us pray, then, that ‘the Baby in the manger … inspire the authorities and those responsible on both sides, Israeli and Palestinian, to act immediately to put an end to this tragic situation”.