The letter below is part of our ongoing Pascha series about families and children who have been supported by your donations to Saint Paraskeva Orthodox Charity. We hope that these words from our children will show how impactful your donations have been and inspire you to continue to help our children, especially as we celebrate the Feast of Feasts.
“Do you wish to see his altar?… This altar is composed of the very members of Christ, and the body of the Lord becomes your altar… venerable because it is itself Christ’s body… You venerate the altar of the church when the body of Christ descends there. But you neglect the other who is himself the body of Christ, and remain indifferent to him when he dies of hunger. This altar you can see lying everywhere, in the alleys and in the markets, and you can sacrifice upon it anytime… And as the priest stands, invoking the Spirit, so do you too invoke the Spirit, not by words, but by deeds.” (Homily 20 on 2 Corinthians)
My name is Cristian and I am six years old. My mother is helping with typing my story. Me and my cousin Antonia are attending the same kindergarten. My family and grandma live in the same house; we share one kitchen; my grandpa is deceased. We love Mrs. Eugenia, our teacher at kindergarten, very much, because she is always in a good mood, she signs for us, plays with us and tells us stories. One day she had us sit down on a carpet, in a circle, and told us the most beautiful story: “My dear I would like to talk to you today about Holy Mother Paraskeva. Do you know who she was? Holy Mother Paraskeva grew up in a rich family, and she was very close to the church and God. Saint Paraskeva took care of poverty-stricken kids. When she was 10 years old, while attending the church service and hearing the word of God, she was so moved that she gave all her possessions to the needy. Afterwards, she left her family and dedicated all her life to God by becoming a nun since she wanted to be closer to God. When she was 25 years old, an angel of God appeared to her in a dream and counseled her to return to her family.” When the story was over, Mrs. Eugenia explained to us why we should ask for her help in our prayers. Mrs. Eugenia also told us that in the US there is a charity called Saint Paraskeva Orthodox Charity. People at this charity are good hearted and are helping poverty-stricken kids. The sent us nice gifts: clothes, shoes, and sweets. We look forward to the Holiday Season to receive these gifts. These moments made us and Mrs. Eugenia so happy! How good hearted the people at Saint Paraskeva are! They and Mrs. Eugenia wanted to see us happy. Because of you, we had winter clothes and shoes and sportswear for Easter. We pray to our Holy Mother Paraskeva to protect these wonderful people who are making us and our parents so happy! May God help us all! Amen!