Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Christ is Risen!

Next Wednesday, April 25, St Herman’s will be hosting a special guest, Monk Sophronije from the Draganac Monastery in Kosovo. . He will speak at the usual Bible Study on the difficult life of monastics in that warn-torn region of the world. His presentation will be in English.

Draganac Monastery is the sole surviving monastery in the Eastern Region of Kosovo, the rest of the monasteries surviving are in a region of Kosovo known as Metohija. In simpler terms, this is the only living monastery in Eastern Kosovo. There were even other monasteries up until 1999, with monks and nuns, but they were all burnt down or blown up except Draganac. The monastery was founded in 1381, but of course after the Turks and then Communism, there wasn’t much left when the 1990s came around. The current brotherhood was re-established by the Decani brotherhood in 2000, with the current abbot, Archimandrite Ilarion, coming in 2010. The brotherhood numbers 12 members, making it the second largest monastic brotherhood in Kosovo. A full schedule of services is kept and the monastery has close ties with a spiritual father on Athos, and the monastics there also focus on hospitality and missionary/humanitarian work with the local people, who are all extremely poor. Many live on only 100 euros per month.

The Monastery brothers, besides service of prayer, and regular upkeep of the monastery, make incense and wooden carved crosses and prayer ropes, as well as making translations of Orthodox texts into English. Some of them are involved actively with the international community in Kosovo to help further the interests of the local Orthodox population, who are under constant pressure from the Muslim Albanian majority. The monastery also has a large garden for food, and 30 goats and make their own cheese and get milk from them, and also have many chickens. The brotherhood also do covert missionary work with local Muslim Albanians who express interest in Christ and Orthodoxy.

The monks try hard to earn a living, but need help from the outside, because simply where they are, everyone is so poor, people cannot buy incense or crosses, or make much in the way of donations. Fr. Sophronije started a website, www.draganacmonastery.com which has been a BIG help in getting foreign Orthodox to buy things and thus help the monastery.

Fr Sofronije, or as I have known him, Fr Sophrony, started his monastic life with Metropolitan Jonah at the Monastery of St John of San Francisco, in Manton, California. It is a joy to see how he has progressed!

Please inform your friends know about this upcoming event. Especially let Serbs and those interested in Serbia know.

Christ is Risen!

In XC,
Metropolitan Jonah