Support the Orthodox Monastery in Ireland

Dear Friends, all over the world,

would you like to become supporters of the Orthodox Monastery in Ireland?

My name is Sister IOSIFIA, I am a Romanian Orthodox nun living at the Orthodox ‘Monastery of the 'Life-giving Spring’ at Ard Ciarán, Shannonbridge, in the very heart of Ireland.

The Monastery was established at the end of 2019, with the blessing of His Eminence Joseph, Metropolitan of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of Southern and Western Europe and is

dedicated mainly to the Mother of God (“The Life-Giving Spring” - celebrated on the Friday after Easter), and to St. Ciaran of Clonmacnoise (feast day- 9th of September) - whose 6th-century monastic site is only a few kilometers away from us.

Some of you might know: by the grace of God and with the support of all our friends, known and unknown from all over the world, that we have lived here in Ard Ciarán since December 2019. This Monastery now belongs to us, we have owned it since the end of October 2020.

At the moment our community consists of two sisters, but by the help of the Mother of God, and by your prayers, we are hoping that this very small community will grow. We are also hoping that by cultivating love, unity and peace, the monastery will mature into a welcoming haven for all those who seek to gain strength, encouragement and a renewal of their souls.

The monastery is open to anyone, of any nationality, language, race, or age. The language used during the services is, depending on the congregation, Romanian and English, with some Greek, Russian, Georgian and even Irish.

This GoFundMe page is intended to support the Monastery, there are so many things that need to be done!

We are now on the threshold of a new stage in the life of our Monastery which presents a whole host of new challenges: maintaining the chalets, including the four guest chalets (which being timber structures need to be oil sealed and maintained throughout the year), maintaining the grounds, building a secure perimeter fence, the construction of another entrance gate, repairing the existing stone wall, planting more trees, replacing the old and broken ventilation units, building a public toilet for use by visitors.

In addition we intend to build extensions to the Chapel and the Refectory, as they are quite insufficient especially on Sundays. Ultimately we intend to build a larger and proper Church, since our beloved chapel has proved to be insufficient to meet the needs of visitors and day pilgrims.

We have witnessed, from the very beginning, a stream of miracles that our merciful Lord has “poured” upon us, regardless of our own unworthiness, for which we are extremely grateful. That is why we firmly believe that it was the Providence of God which has allowed this wonderful thing to happen: the establishment of an Orthodox monastery on this island which in the first millennium was famously abundant in such monasteries, where the soil of the island of Ireland was sanctified by both the ascetic labours, and the constant prayer of countless monastics for hundreds of years.

If you believe, as we fervently do, that this Monastery can become a haven for spiritual growth and renewal, a valuable resource for all in this wonderful Irish nation, for both pilgrim, seeker, and passer-by alike, regardless of nationality or creed, you might want to join the growing ranks of our dear friends and supporters throughout the world.

Let us give back to Ireland what Ireland gave Europe in the first thousand years of Christianity!

Let us bring joy to the Celtic Saints, let us honour them, and love them so that they might rejoice more in Heaven!

To do this, we need your help!

We are very much aware that whatever has been done thus far has been done through God's grace and help, with the help of so many people, some of whom we do not know, but God does know however! God often works through people, so let us all become co-workers with God!

Even if you cannot help immediately, please join us in prayer, this is a very precious way to help, which does work wonders, and without which we could not, and cannot, achieve anything.

We accept with deep gratitude any contribution that comes from a compassionate and sincere heart, willing to render glory to God. And may the God of mercy reward you abundantly for your self-sacrificing generosity.

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