Holy Cross Orthodox Monastery

WELCOME

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Greetings

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Christ is Risen!

Greek:

Christos anesti!

Alithos anesti!

Romanian:

Hristos a inviat!

Adevarat a inviat!

Russian:

Khristos voskrese!

Voistinu voskrese!

Spiritual Thoughts

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* Take away my heart of stone and give me a heart of flesh.

Saint Ambrose of Milan

* O Lord, fill my life with eternal life.

Saint Isaac the Syrian

* The Church is not walls and roof, it is faith and life.

Saint John Chrysostom

* Bethlehem became a link between heaven and earth; God and man met here and looked each other in the face. In the taking of human flesh, the Father prepared it, the Spirit formed it, and the Son assumed it.

S.F.

* No man need not hide from God as Adam did; for He can be seen through Christ's human nature.

S.F.

* If there were no Cross, there would have been no crib; if there had been no nails, there would have been no straw. But He could not teach the lesson of the Cross as payment for sin; He take it. God the Father did not spare his Son - so much did He love mankind. That was the secret wrapped in the swaddling bands.

S.F.

* If we leave the Cross out of the Life of Christ, we have nothing left, and certainly not Christianity. For the Cross is related to our sins. Christ was our stand-in on the stage of life. He took our guilt as He were guilty and thus paid the dept that sin deserved, namely death. This made possible our resurrection to a new life in Him. Christ therefore is not just a teacher or a prophet, but our Savior. Our modern world does not like the word "sin".

S.F.

* Faith is the rejection of everything that is not Christ, in order that all life, all truth, all hope, all reality may be sought and found in Christ.

T.M.

* That something is someone! It is Christ who guides us through this valley of darkness by giving us His own spirit, His own life, His own love.

T.M.

* An elder said to his disciple whose fasting lacked love: "Eat everything, but do not eat people."
* Love gives birth to prayer.

Saint Makarius

* You will all be saved by prayer.

Bishop Afanasy

* The simplicity and love to which we are called by the Apostle is surely not a simplification of things. It is bringing all our thoughts and feelings into a relationship of evangelical discipleship to Christ. Only this can help us find our way in the labyrinth of modern confusion.

S. F.

* Humility is constant prayer, faith and hope, it is the love of a trembling heart which has given itself up to God. Humility is the door leading to our heart making it capable of experiencing spiritual life.

Father Serghey Batiugov

* The beginning of pride is sin.

The wisdom of Jesus, Son of Sirach

* Love is the root and birthgiver of all that is good.

Saint John Chrysostom

You Can Help

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The most important help is your prayer for us, that our Lord Jesus Christ who was crucified on the Cross would bless our monastery by planting a spiritual seed that would benefit the monastic life and those who are called to dedicate their life to Christ, as well as those who are searching for the true faith, so that they might be blessed and anchored in hope, faith and love for their salvation.

In the Orthodox world the monasteries existed mostly because of the generosity of the pious and devoted Christian rulers, wealthy faithful and many others, who, as an offer of thanksgiving for their prayers and victories, would establish churches and monasteries, each according to their own means, for the glory of God. Unfortunately, in America this is not the tradition; therefore, we have to make sure that the monasteries will be self sufficient.

The monasteries are spiritual cradles where services and prayers are served on a daily basis. The monastic motto is pray and work which is the thrust of the spiritual life, "Liturgy after Liturgy", because you try to focus your mind on the spiritual desire of salvation by practicing the prayer of heart or as we know it as the Jesus Prayer: "0 Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

Like at the beginning of every new project, it is very difficult to accomplish all that is needed in order to establish a monastic community that will be able to make known the Orthodox faith, to reach out to those who are searching for the faith, to enlighten those who are in the faith, and to comfort those who are struggling spiritually and morally, and bring them peace and comfort in their life. When we are filled with the grace of God and enriched by His joy, the spark from that humility which our Lord showed us on the Cross, enables us to achieve our goals and to grow step by step in faith.

You should be aware that in Orthodox countries when Christian believers hear about the establishment of a church, especially of a holy monastery - which doesn’t happen very often - they want to become founders. Actually they strive to become the founders of at least 7 churches because this is considered part of the 7 virtues which lead us towards salvation.

As we realize that the prayers and good will of our parents are the foundation of our life, we need more then ever prayers for our loved ones and for ourselves. Unfortunately, in many instances in our society, many children left the church or the Orthodox faith, and no longer remember their loved ones in prayer; others have no one left to pray for them. However, you, as a founder of the monastery, will be remembered until the end of this world.

By helping us, you will be establishing an Orthodox spiritual center where those who will visit Niagara Falls will be inspired by our spiritual treasure. Please help us to achieve our goals as we are in desperate need of funds. In addition, we need people skilled in roofing, plumbing, heating, electrical work, flooring or even good handy men who would be willing to dedicate their time and services to work on the monastery grounds.

We have been truly blessed by those who have given of their time, talents and hard work, and have come great distances to help. (lncluded are some pictures of these dedicated workers.)

Donations of construction materials, windows, doors, appliances, furniture, etc. are also very much needed. For more information please contact Father Nicholas at (716)940-2557or by E-mail: monastery@holycross-niagarafalls.org.

God willing, when our goal of the monastery project will be reached and when our facilities will be restored, our mission will be fulfilled. Please help us to make our vision a reality.

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Glory Forever!

Guest Book

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Feel free to add your comments in the new system below the older guests posts :

Fr.
Paul Maletta

Simcoe,
Ontario

Saturday,
February 28, 2009

I<br /> enjoyed visiting your website. It is a very easy and attractive website<br /> to visit. I had no idea that there existed an Orthodox monastery in<br /> Niagara Falls. May God strengthen you!<br /> Fr. Paul Maletta

AGGELA
AGAPI GEWRGIOU

ATHENS
GREECE+HELLAS

Wednesday,
February 04, 2009

XRISTOS<br /> ANESTI+ EVLOGEITE.<br /> THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEART FOR YOUR WEBSITE+FOR EVERYTHING<br /> YOU DO TO MAKE OUR TOUGH WORLD BETTER.<br /> WE ARE GREEK ORTHODOX-THANK GOD+ FOR EVERYTHING.<br /> PLEASE PRAY FOR US.<br /> THANK YOU+<br /> LAST OF ALL,<br /> GEORGE+AGGELA<br /> SIK+ORFANS<br /> +GOD BLESS YOU+WISHING YOU PARADISE WITH ALL SAINTS.AMEN+

Eleanor
Kinan

Pittsburgh,
PA

Monday,
April 30, 2007

Dear<br /> Father Nicholas,<br /> Christ is Risen! I met you for the first time last Sunday at St. George<br /> Church, April 22, in Niagara Falls. We were there for the presentation<br /> of the Icon of St. Elizabeth the New Holy Martyr. My son, Mark, is the<br /> Iconographer who wrote the Icon. One of the parishioners of St. George<br /> sent me the article from the Buffalo News and I was delighted to see<br /> it. I can't believe you are selling your pierogies for $5 a dozen.<br /> That's a real steal! All that work for such a small amount of money.<br /> Everyone likes a bargain, but the money is going to an excellent cause.<br /> Raise the price! I wish you the best in your endeavour and pray that<br /> God will bless you and your efforts. We hope to see you on our next<br /> visit to Niagara Falls.<br /> Truly, He is Risen!<br /> Eleanor Kinan

Mark
Kinan

Pittsburgh,
PA

www.icxcicons.com

Monday,
April 30, 2007

Dear<br /> Fr. Nicholas,<br /> It was wonderful to see you again at St. George last week. I thank you<br /> again for the relics of St. Elizabeth which we included in the new<br /> icon. Todd Mokhiber sent me the link to the article about the pierogie<br /> factory. I wish all the Lord's blessings on your new business and<br /> monastery, and I'm looking forward to visiting the next time I'm in<br /> town.<br /> Love,<br /> Mark<br />

Cyn
Grinko

USA

Monday,
March 19, 2007

Dear<br /> Father Nicholas, We are so pleased to visit the web site. You know all<br /> our prayers are with you. Will see you in the spring. Glory to Jesus<br /> Christ Cyn Grinko

Christopher
Janson

USA

Monday,
March 12, 2007

May<br /> the Lord Jesus Christ be praised for a monastery such as this. May God<br /> bless the apophatic life that continues to manifest through the Holy<br /> Spirit of God. Amen.

Fr. Dcn. Raphael

USA

Thursday,
March 01, 2007

Fr.<br /> Bless! The website looks good Father. I hope to see you soon....

Chris
Lombardi

Thailand

www.ascensiongoods.com

Monday,
February 12, 2007

Your<br /> website is user-friendly. Your pictures and information indicate a<br /> proud heritage and vibrant parish community. Thank you for this good<br /> browsing experience. Sincerely, Chris Lombardi Customized Sterling<br /> Silver Religious Medals & Pins ASCENSION EXPORTERS LIMITED<br /> PARTNERSHIP Bangkok, Thailand (662) 632-1815

Sbdcn.
Rick Hathaway

USA

Saturday,
January 27, 2007

I<br /> am presently with Mechanicsburg Orthodox Mission, and am real pleased<br /> to hear of another Orthodox Mission has been started. May God's<br /> Blessings always be with you and your congragation. Your web site is<br /> another great place to go on the net that is just wonderful to be<br /> there. Gods' Speed Yours in Christ Sub Deacon Rick Hathaway

Joyce Merletti

USA

Wednesday,
November 22, 2006

Father<br /> Nicholas and parishioners of Holy Cross Monastery, Glory to Jesus<br /> Christ! I thank you for the warm welcome extended to me by you and your<br /> parishioners on my recent visit. It seems as if Orthodoxy in the<br /> Niagara Falls area has taken a new lease on life! I pray that your<br /> ventures are successful and wish you all many blessed years. (Maybe I<br /> can convince our parish's pirogi workers to take a field trip!) Joyce<br /> Merletti

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