The Morning Offering

New Martyr

New Martyr Fadi Jamil Haddad

Damascus (Agenzia Fides) – The body of the Greek Orthodox priest, Father Fadi Jamil Haddad, pastor of the Church of Saint Elias in Qatana, was found today in the Jaramana neighborhood (north of Damascus) not far from the place where he was kidnapped, on October 19, by unidentified armed group (see Fides 24/10/2012). This was confirmed to Fides by Fr. Haddad’s Greek Orthodox confrere, who asked for anonymity. “His body was horribly tortured and his eyes gouged out,” he told Fides. “It is a purely terrorist act. Fr. Haddad is a martyr of our church.”

With regards to the responsibilities of the terrible act there is an ongoing rebound of responsibilities between the opposition forces and government authorities, that accuse the armed gangs of armed rebellion in the army. According to Fides sources, the kidnappers had asked the priest’s family and his church a ransom of 50 million Syrian pounds (over 550 thousand euro). It was, however, impossible to find the money and meet this exorbitant demand. A source of Fides condemns “the terrible practice, present for months in this dirty war, of kidnapping and then killing innocent civilians.”

Among the various Christian communities in Syria, the Greek Orthodox is the largest (with about 500 thousand faithful) and is concentrated mainly in the western part of the country and in Damascus.

May the Lord make his memory to be eternal.

Church of Saint Elia

Saturday: The Planting of a Monastery (chapter 10)

Friday October 26, 2012 / October 13, 2012
21^st Week after Pentecost. Tone three.
Fast. By Monastic Charter: Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)

Translation into Moscow of the Iveron Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (1648).
Martyrs Carpus, bishop at Thyateira, Papylus the deacon, Agathadorus, and Agathonica at Pergamus (251).
New Hieromartyrs Innocent and Nicholas priests (1937).
Returning of the relics Venerable and God-bearing Father Sabbas the Sanctified (439-532) to the monastery of Massaba in Jordan on October 24, 1965.
Venerable Benjamin of the Kiev Caves (14th c.).
Martyr Florentius of Thessalonica (1st-2nd c.).
Martyr Benjamin, deacon, of Persia (ca. 424).
Venerable Nicetas the Confessor of Paphlagonia (838).
St. Meletius, archbishop of Alexandria (1601).
Great Martyr Zlata (Chryse) of Meglin, Bulgaria and Serbia (1795) (Bulgaria and Serbia).
Kazan "Of the Seven Lakes" Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (17th c.).
St. Vanantius of Tours (400) (Gaul).
St. Anthony Metropolitan of Chkondidi and his disciple Hieromonk Jacob the Elder (18th-19th c.) (Georgia).
St. Cogman, abbot of Lochalsh.

You can read the life of the saint in green, by click on the name.

Father Fadi Jamil Haddad

THANK YOU, to all of you who have been able to contribute towards the support of the monastery. These difficult times of economic hardship have impacted the monastery, and those of you who have been able to donate, have been our lifeline. May God bless you for your generosity, and kindness.

With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon

Donations can be made directly to the monastery through PayPal, or you may send donations to:

All-Merciful Saviour Monastery
PO Box 2420
Vashon Island, WA 98070-2420 USA

Colossians 2:1-7

Not Philosophy but Christ

2 For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, ²that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, ³in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
⁴Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. ⁵For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.
⁶As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, ⁷rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

Luke 9:12-18

¹²When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.”

¹³But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.”
And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.” ¹⁴For there were about five thousand men.
Then He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.” ¹⁵And they did so, and made them all sit down.
¹⁶Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. ¹⁷So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.