Registration of Orthodox Families in Pakistan

With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan HILARION, Archbishop of Eastern America and New Your, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, this year St. Michael the Archangel Orthodox Mission in Pakistan has taken a very important step by printing the following office requisites:

• Baptism and Chrismation Register
• Marriage Register
• Birth Certificate and Death Certificate
• Family Cards

Father Joseph Farooq along with his pastoral team has started registration of the Christian Orthodox Families. Each family has been issued a family registration card and family registration number is allotted to them. There are 4 columns printed in the family card:

• Family members name entry:
• Date of Birth
• Date of Baptism and Chrismation
• Monthly alms donation (Although our community is very poor yet to promote the sense of offering from their honest wages and make them thankful to God for His Divine blessings upon their families).

The Orthodox Community received the cards very happily and they reflect their strong spiritual unity and association with Russian Orthodox Church in Pakistan.

We completed this registration process in 2 months with total comment and dedication, we kept on going from door collecting family data and record and making their entry in parish registers. In Pakistan the Christian Community is deprived of basic human rights and facilities. Through this registration, orthodox Christians feel the sense of belonging to the Church, sense of protection and security.

The Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia (ROCOR) is firmly established in Pakistan. Our Orthodox mission in Pakistan is indeed going well under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the Most Holy Theotokos.

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Funds are distributed from the ROCOR Fund For Assistance and directly distributed to the mission

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House blessings in the mission

With the blessings of His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, on February 08, 2016 Saint Michael the Archangel Orthodox Mission in Pakistan has started the house blessing of Orthodox Christian families in Pakistan. Fr. Joseph Farooq is blessing the houses of parishioners going from door to door by following the practice of the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Families like this spiritual practice very much and feel the spiritual renewal for their families.

It is the practice of Orthodox Church for centuries that priest visits the orthodox families blesses the houses of orthodox families. The family is considered an extension of the church and the home a “little church”. This service is performed by the priest and according to the practice of the Russian Orthodox Church, the holy water, holy oil, and incense are used and a lesson from the holy Gospel is read. All the rooms of the house are sprinkled with holy water and each of the four outer walls are anointed with the sign of the Cross with holy oil, a candle placed before them, and after the censing of the house, the lesson from the Holy Gospel is read. At the conclusion of the blessing, the inhabitants are blessed with holy water.

Houses are traditionally blessed with water blessed at the Feast of Theophany, during the time from Theophany until the beginning of the Lenten Triodion, which begins four Sundays before Great Lent begins. This is not a hard and fast rule, but an appropriate principle to follow. So the houses of the orthodox families can be bless by priest at any time of the on the request of the parishioners.

The house blessing shows the connection of strong spiritual unity of orthodox families with orthodox traditions and the Faith.

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Funds are distributed from the ROCOR Fund For Assistance and directly distributed to the mission

35th Sunday after Pentecost. Venerable Cyril Schemamonk and Venerable Maria Schemanun (1337)

With the blessings of His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, a regular Sunday Divine Liturgy is celebrated at St. Sergius of Radonezh Orthodox Church in Pakistan. Today Fr.Joseph Farooq preached about the life of Sts Cyril and Maria parents of our Blessed Holy Father Sergius of Radonezh. Fr. Joseph told the faithful that the parents of Saint Sergius were pious and faithful Christians who were adorned with every virtue. They have set a perfect example for the Orthodox Christian families how to teach and uplift the children with love, care teaching them the orthodox tradition with passionate concern.

Further Fr. Joseph Farooq told the faithful that when the child (Saint Sergius) in Maria’s womb cried out three times in the church during Liturgy, people were astonished. Although frightened at first, Maria came to see this event as a sign from God that her child would become a chosen vessel of divine grace. She and her husband agreed that if the child was a boy, they would bring him to church and dedicate him to God.

It is important to share that with each passing day our Orthodox Community is acquainted with common Orthodox Christian traditions and growing spiritually as individuals and as a community. Very joyfully they are learning about Holy Orthodoxy and embracing orthodox practices in their daily life.

Please join us in offering a special prayer asking God’s help for making Russian Orthodox Church alive in Pakistan.

Donate to the Mission

Funds are distributed from the ROCOR Fund For Assistance and directly distributed to the mission