30th of March 2025
Jerusalem, the Holy City—where Christ suffered, died, rose, and ascended in glory. The radiant jewel of the Church.
Each year during this sacred season, Orthodox Christians and faithful from every corner of the world make pilgrimage to walk where the Lord walked, to kneel where He was crucified, and to rejoice where He triumphed over death.
Yet today, Jerusalem and the surrounding Holy Land are gripped by sorrow. Many holy sites—entrusted to the care of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem—are struggling under immense financial hardship. The usual flow of pilgrims has slowed to a trickle, halted by the violence of a war that has shaken the region and the world.
During this Lent, as we make our inner journey of repentance and renewal, the Holy Orthodox Order of Saint George the Great Martyr invites all faithful to also undertake a pilgrimage of the heart—a spiritual and tangible offering for our suffering brothers and sisters in the land where our faith was born.
We have heard the cries of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. We have listened to the pain of Archbishop Alexios of Gaza. And now, we raise our voices with theirs—calling upon Christians everywhere to respond with love, urgency, and unwavering solidarity.
Today marks 539 days since the war in Gaza began, and 527 days since the bombing of Saint Porphyrios Church—the oldest church in Gaza and the third-oldest in Christendom. Eighteen Orthodox Christians were killed as they sought shelter behind the sacred walls of the church compound. Since that day, the suffering has only deepened.
And now, the brief flicker of hope offered by a ceasefire has been extinguished. The recent collapse of the truce between Israel and Hamas has plunged the region back into chaos. What little remained of humanitarian access has become even more limited. Violence has intensified. Fear has deepened. And Christian communities—already few in number—are now hanging on by a thread.
Meanwhile, in the West, we are blessed with peace. We have the luxury of distance. But we do not have the luxury of indifference.
To be Christian is to stand with the suffering. It is to reject silence in the face of violence. It is to carry the cross with our brothers and sisters who are being crucified anew in the land of the Resurrection.
Though our feet may not walk in Jerusalem or across the Holy Land this Lent, our hearts can. We can fast and weep and pray. We can give—generously and sacrificially—to support the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and aid the Christian faithful in Gaza and the West Bank who now live as refugees in their own land.
We know times are difficult for many. Even those within the Order are feeling the weight of financial strain. But God does not measure the size of the gift—He measures the love with which it is given. As our Lord Jesus Christ said:
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth… but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
Let our hearts be in Jerusalem.
Let our treasure be compassion.
Let our Lent be a witness of love.
Your brother and co-servant in Christ,
Konstantine Pandolfi, E.M.
To donate for Saint Porphyrios and the Christians of Gaza please use the PayPal link below:
