APPEALS
MAFA conducts appeals as needed to raise funds for the monasteries and the Holy Community of Mount Athos. These are in some cases emergency appeals when funds are needed on short notice, and in other cases project appeals — fund-raising efforts to support projects — for example, restoration projects like the recent appeal on behalf of the Axion Estin Cell.
Foundation of Mount Athos Footpaths Project
For over twenty-five years, MAFA’s sister organization in the United Kingdom, the Friends of Mount Athos (FoMA), has undertaken a project to clear, restore, maintain, and map the ancient footpaths of Mount Athos. Until the advent of roadways in the 1950s and 1960s, these footpaths were the only land-based connections among the monasteries. Consequently, pilgrims, monks, and mules transporting goods used the footpaths extensively. Sadly, in modern times new roadways resulted in loss or destruction of many paths, and pilgrims traveling by minibus no longer linger amidst the wildflowers, forests, and wildlife that make the Holy Mountain a natural wonder.
The Ormylia Foundation’s Project to provide care for homeless children and you in Northern Greece
The Convent of Ormylia, located in Chalkidike, is a dependency of the Holy Monastery of Simonopetra on Mount Athos. Ormylia operates a charitable foundation which is dedicated to providing high-quality medical and spiritual care to underprivileged women and children. Currently, this foundation aims to expand its outreach by locating and supporting homeless children and youth in Northern Greece.
Restoring the Holy Cell of Axion Estin, a Sacred Legacy on Mount Athos
The Holy Cell (Kelli) of “Axion Estin” is located in the heart of Mount Athos, adjacent to its capital, Karyes. It is directly connected with the most historic and oldest church of Mount Athos, and the link between them is the icon of the Theotokos “Axion Estin,” which was originally kept in the Cell.
The icon was transferred there after the miraculous appearance of the Archangel Gabriel, when he chanted before it for the first time in Orthodoxy the well-known hymn with the same name, which has since been sung in every Divine Liturgy and in many services of our Church.
Appeal for the Kalyva of the Dormition Following Rock Slide
On May 20, 2022 the Mount Athos Foundation of America initiated an urgent appeal for donations for the Kalyva (a small monastic cell) of the Dormition, a dependency of the Skete of Little St. Anne on Mount Athos.
Emergency Appeal following fire at Grigoriou Monastery
The Mount Athos Foundation of America (MAFA) is issuing an appeal on behalf of Grigoriou Monastery following a fire at the Monastery on July 9, 2019. MAFA was founded by members of the Friends of Mount Athos in the Americas in 2017 to provide support to the Holy Mountain when needed.
Appeal for Aid for the Sisters of St. John the Forerunner Convent on Mt. Kissavos
Our greatest longing from a materialistic standpoint has been keeping the old monastery from ruin and restoring its church together with its precious frescoes from the 16th century.