Jonathan Jackson calls for funds to be raised for the Romanian Orthodox Monastery in Shannonbridge, Ireland.
In a video message on Facebook, the Holywood star expressed his appreciation for the initiative of establishing a monastic settlement in the “heart of Ireland” calling its founders ‘wonderful people’.
“Hey everybody! I know there are a thousand things coming at you at once and we have so much information to take in these days, but I want you to let you know about a little gem that is happening in Ireland. Maybe I should call it an emerald”.
“There is some beautiful people who are starting a monastery in the heart of Ireland and I have been personally very touched by who they are and what they are doing”.
“They have a gofundme page and it is just incredible”.
“It is a beautiful thing that they are doing so even if you are inspired by that, if you have a small amount of money you have to give I honestly believe it is going to be a treasure”.
The monastery will be established with the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Iosif of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of Southern and Western Europe.
The future monastery will be dedicated to the Life-Giving Spring of the Mother of God, St. Ciaran of Clonmacnoise (September 9) and to the Synaxis of all Celtic Saints of Ireland (celebrated on the second Sunday after Pentecost).
Although founded by the Romanian Orthodox Church, the monastery is open to everyone, irrespective of their nationality, language, race, or age. The languages used during the services will be mainly Romanian and English. But petitions and prayers will also be offered in Greek, Russian, and even Irish, depending on the congregation.
The property is located in the very heart of Ireland, in Shannonbridge, just a few kilometers away from the 6th-century monastic site of St. Ciaran in Clonmacnoise.
“The place we wish to purchase has already been a place of prayer, being a retreat centre belonging to a Catholic religious community, consisting of a complex of 7 Scandinavian style wood houses on 3 acres of land”, is mentioned on the GoFundme page.
“They have lowered their asking price to an extent which has created a great opportunity for us – from the 450,000 euro the property was assessed at, down to 300,000 euro.”
“Furthermore, initially we were required to pay the whole amount in one up-front payment, but the most recent good news is that we will be allowed to pay until the end of 2020”.
You can donate here.
Photo courtesy of ekklisiaonline.gr
