FMSM Ninth Year Report — Friends of Mount Sinai Monastery

FMSM NINTH YEAR REPORT

Dear Friends of Mount Sinai Monastery, the area of the Holy Land is so dear to so many people around the world, Christians and those of other religions; however, preserving much longed-for peace there has been challenging. In these days when the thoughts and hearts of Christians around the world turn toward Bethlehem, the birthplace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, their hearts must also ache for those experiencing pain and tears nearby, with war raging right next to the Sinai Peninsula.

The shrine of Saint Catherine adorned with rich embroideries on her 2023 feast day. The Jerusalem Patriarchate was unable to send a delegation this year, due to the war, though visitors were able to come from other areas. (Photo from www.fatherjustinsblog.info.)

While much less serious, of course, the war has stopped many pilgrims from traveling to Jerusalem and reaching other holy sites, such as Saint Catherine’s Monastery, which is starting to impact the financial needs of the Monastery. In spite of these difficulties, prayers still arise from all these holy places, including the Sinai Monastery, where services have not ceased for sixteen centuries. The Fathers at Saint Catherine’s pray both in the daily services and privately for the rule of peace throughout the world, so that no one suffers or hurts, as well as for the salvation of all.

Archbishop Damianos at the Met’s Africa & Byzantium exhibit with 6th century Sinai icon of the Most Holy Virgin and Child between Saints Theodore and George, one of the most ancient icons from Saint Catherine's Monastery. Ethiopians, Nubians, and Egyptians likely saw such icons in pilgrimages to the Monastery and brought their inspirations to their home regions. (Photo from www.romfea.gr.)

The Monastery is known as a symbol of peace in the region, always striving to promote peace in its relations with others. A recent effort was the Monastery’s participation in the ongoing Africa & Byzantium Exhibit at the Met in New York, which highlighted the contribution of “the vibrant multiethnic societies of north and east Africa that shaped the artistic, economic, and cultural life of Byzantium and beyond.” The Monastery provided both ancient icons and manuscripts. As His Eminence Archbishop Damianos of Sinai, Pharan, and Raitho, Abbot of the Monastery for almost 50 years, has noted before, “… it can be said that icons substantiate in form and color the veritable truths contained in ‘The Ladder of Divine Ascent’ of Saint John the Sinaite [or Climacus] .... neither the Ladder nor Byzantine icons were meant to caress man’s ears and eyes, respectively. On the contrary, both are invitations to pilgrimage … demanding purity of heart and spirit.”*

To house its historic collection of icons, Saint Catherine’s Monastery is still gathering funds to complete the next phase of the icon storage project, the major project FMSM has been supporting this year. The configuration of the space has been completed, in terms of windows, plastering, and floors. The next phase involves the construction of the stainless steel structure that will house the icons. As we have noted before, the project is updating the storage facility to efficiently and safely maintain the icon collection (more details below).

We hope and pray that you and your loved ones stay safe and have a blessed Nativity Feast and a New Year of Peace, despite all the turmoil in the world!

FMSM YEAR 2023 IN DETAILS

Dear Friends, on behalf of the Fathers, thank you for all of your generous donations in 2023, for the icon storage project and other needs of the Monastery. As of December 8, 2023, FMSM has received $79,660.04 in donations for the calendar year.

We are waiting to send $64,660 of that when the next phase of the icon storage project commences and also when the Monastery figures out how much they need for regular operations due to loss of donations from pilgrims as a result of the war. Not accounting for that, the icon storage project still needs about $125,000 (depending on the exchange rate), so even after we send what is available now, they will need more to pay for the project. We also have sent the Monastery $15,000 this year for medical expenses.

Donations to the Monastery, including those through online shopping, can be made through FMSM's support page:

- https://www.mountsinaimonastery.org/support

- through your online shopping. While Amazon Smile is no longer available, iGive has discounts for a number of common online stores (please see the support page link for instructions),

Sinai Nativity icon, 12th century (portion)

- or by mailing checks made out to Friends of Mount Sinai Monastery, PO Box 231953, Encinitas, CA, 92023-1953.

Another way to help is to forward this to let your friends know!

Many Blessings and thanks from the Fathers of Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai!

- You can visit a museum tour of Saint Catherine's Monastery and explore and marvel at their famous ancient icons at: https://stcatherines.mused.org/en/tours/2/the-monastery-museum. This site also has virtual tours of a part of the Monastery and the Summit of Mount Sinai.

- Please visit FMSM's Facebook page, which lets you see the many facets of the Sinai Monastery’s fascinating history, daily life and events: https://www.facebook.com/ForStCatherinesMonastery

*From the Article "The Icon as a Ladder of Divine Ascent in Form and Color" by Archbishop Damianos of Sinai and Raitho, in the Byzantium Icon Album by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.