A star showed plainly to the Magi the Word that was before the sun, Who hath come to make transgression cease. They saw Thee wrapped in swaddling clothes, within a poor and lowly cave, Who sharest all our sufferings, and in joy they gazed upon Thee, Who art at once both man and Lord.
(Ode I of the second canon to the Nativity of Christ)

Dearly beloved reverend fathers, brothers, and sisters in Christ,

CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM!

Perhaps one of the most important realizations we experience at Christmas is the fact that Our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who became the God-Man by His incarnation, identifies with us in our struggles and sufferings that we experience during our lives on earth, as He, too, according to the verse above from the first ode of Nativity matins, shared in our sufferings to redeem us from sin and death to bring us into the joy of everlasting life in the Kingdom of Heaven.

By being able to identify and feel the sufferings of others and to desire to help console and comfort someone in their suffering is an act of empathy and compassion which derive from God’s love for us all. It is with this love that our St. John of Kronstadt reached out to countless hundreds of thousands of people in need of his prayers and ministry to help bring people to salvation. This is a very important goal of our Memorial Fund which seeks to emulate our Holy Father John of Kronstadt over the last 68 years.

Our world at large is very much consumed in various conflicts which are engulfing humanity in a sea of suffering and despair, yet it is only Our Savior Who offers everyone real hope in salvation. With this in mind, we ask and appeal to you all to join us in our efforts to bring comfort and some material consolation to our Orthodox poor and needy around the world by becoming active donors and participants in our St. John of Kronstadt Memorial Fund. It is through your generosity and help that our Memorial Fund is able to continue this much needed holy work. May God bless you for your concern and kindness!

We would also like to express our deep appreciation and gratitude to everyone who has supported our fund with generosity and continued support. May this coming Nativity of our Lord bring all of you and all your loved ones, immeasurable joy, and may the coming year of 2023 be filled with many blessings from our Lord!

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

With much love in our Incarnate Savior,

Archpriest Michael Taratuchin
Vice-President of the St. John of Kronstadt Memorial Fund
Rector of St. John of Kronstadt Memorial Church
Utica, NY, USA.