The Press Release Reads:
”On Wed nesday Feb 20, 2008 Fr Gregory Momongan 32 years of age was hit by a car. He died today, Thursday, Feb 21. Fr Gregory was the only Orthodox priest serving on the huge Indonesian Island Sulawesi also called Celebes . He served the town of Manado 
This morning at the end of Liturgy, our priest emeritus at St. Ignatius in Franklin , Tennessee
This morning at the end of Liturgy, our priest emeritus at St. Ignatius in So I will shout now. Shame on us, Bishop and Layman alike for allowing such to happen!
This young priest and many like him on foreign soil and on our own soil risk their lives everyday to serve our Lord at the bidding of their Bishops. Some dodge Muslim terrorists in foreign lands. Some work among the meth addicts and prostitutes with their wives and young children by their side while we fill our coffers and simply “pray” for their welfare.
Selfishness! Greed! Apostate! Shame! All are to blame, every man woman, child, who does not give to missions either through the Church or directly. Missions is not a program, it is real people with real names. Father Gregory’s wife has a name, Maria, and so does his infant daughter, Paskhalita, who will never know her father on this earth.
”Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread,will he give him a stone?”
Father Gregory and other dedicated Orthodox priests do not even ask for bread and yet we still give them a stone. If we allow our priests to continue to suffer need it would be better for a millstone to be hung around our own necks.
This young priest and many like him on foreign soil and on our own soil risk their lives everyday to serve our Lord at the bidding of their Bishops. Some dodge Muslim terrorists in foreign lands. Some work among the meth addicts and prostitutes with their wives and young children by their side while we fill our coffers and simply “pray” for their welfare.
Selfishness! Greed! Apostate! Shame! All are to blame, every man woman, child, who does not give to missions either through the Church or directly. Missions is not a program, it is real people with real names. Father Gregory’s wife has a name, Maria, and so does his infant daughter, Paskhalita, who will never know her father on this earth.
”Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread,will he give him a stone?”
Father Gregory and other dedicated Orthodox priests do not even ask for bread and yet we still give them a stone. If we allow our priests to continue to suffer need it would be better for a millstone to be hung around our own necks. The four orders of the priesthood are Bishop, Priest, Deacon, Laymen. If the Bishops, Priests and Deacons fail to support our mission priests, then it is left to all laymen to give directly to our mission priests. A good first step might be to give to Gregory’s wife and child and to the support of his church in Indonesia
You may give directly to this specific need by going to the Friends of Indonesia website. Or may also send a check to:
You may give directly to this specific need by going to the Friends of Indonesia website. Or may also send a check to:
Friends of Indonesia
P.O. Box 9484
Baltimore, MD 21228
Place "Father Gregory" on the Memo line.
100 % of all emergency donations will go directly to pay outstanding hospital bills, funeral expense, and long term provisions for Father Gregory's wife and infant daughter.
Addendum added 5/16/09:
59. If any bishop, or presbyter, or deacon does not supply the needs of any of the clergy who is in want, let him be excommunicated. If he persists, let him be deposed as one who has killed his brother.This Canon applies to the distribution of gifts brought to the Church for the purpose of supporting the clergy (Canon 4 of the Holy Apostles).
Hi. I´m a swedish "soon"-to-be orthodox. Is there any way I could give money to this family/church? ( I guess it would be a bit difficult to make contact with Father Gordon from here:) )
ReplyDeleteI still haven´t given away the money I "earned" during the advent fast, so i figured, maybe I could give it to them (my second alternative is swedens small and only orthodox monastery). Not that it´s much (i´m a student) but it´s at least something.
// T.
I'll be posting an address very soon where you can donate. Check back. Thanks my brother.
ReplyDeleteI met Fr Daniel, arch-priest of the Orthodox Church in Indonesia at the recent Ancient Christianity Conference of the Brotherhood of Saint Moses the Black. He is good friends with our priest, Fr Moses Berry, founder of the BSMB. Fr Daniel, a native and convert from Islam, originally went to back to Indonesia under the Greek Archdioces but the Church in Indonesia agreed to pull out and align themselves with the Russian Church Outside of Russia because the GOA was not going to allow them to have a native born Indonesian as their bishop. The bishops of ROCOR immediately mitered him and he will be made a bishop in time. I am not taking sides, there are pros and cons to both positions. But I can tell you that there are four other priests in Indonesia under the pastoral guidance (and financial support) of Fr Daniel. He was very broken up by Fr Gregory's death but has seen him in a vision. Fr Daniel also adopted Fr Gregory's daughter. Because they are apart of ROCOR they do not receive support from Orthodox missions organizations from SCOBA. They do need your prayers and, if you have it, money. Please tell as many people as you can about the website, Fr Daniel, and the Christians of Indonesia who are suffering persecution from Islamic fundamentalists who also need to be united to Jesus Christ!
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