Giving Tuesday: Your donation can be matched!

Our matching donors for the Bridegroom’s Banquet, which took place on Oct. 19, have offered to continue to match donations and pledges until the end of the year, up to the $120,000 goal for the event. Some donations and pledges have already come in after the event, so this means that $12,959 in donations and pledges can still be matched! Please mark “Bridegroom’s Banquet” on your donation to include it in the matching funds opportunity.

The funds will be used for the interior renovations of our chapel, as well as for the general operating expenses of the monastery.

Donation Options:

By Mail:
You may send a donation marked "Bridegroom's Banquet" by cash or check payable to "Christ the Bridegroom Monastery" to:

The Bridegroom's Banquet
Christ the Bridegroom Monastery
17485 Mumford Rd.
Burton, OH 44021

Online:
You may also donate or pledge online with your credit card by using this link. Be sure to choose "Bridegroom Banquet 2019" as the "fund" in step 4. Thank you!

Support the monastery while Christmas shopping!

If you don't already support an Amazon Smile charity, you can help support Christ the Bridegroom Monastery while you do your Christmas shopping! When you make a purchase on Amazon, visit smile.amazon.com and choose Christ the Bridegroom Monastery as your charitable organization. If you go to this webpage the first each time you make an Amazon purchase, Amazon will donate a portion of your purchase to the monastery at no extra cost to you. Thank you!

"Prayer enlarges our hearts:" The Nativity Fast begins

Forty days is a biblical number of preparation and waiting, and as of today, Christmas is 40 days away! So, Christians in the Byzantine tradition begin today a 40-day fasting period in preparation for the Birth of Our Lord.

Here is a beautiful image to keep in mind during this time of waiting, captured in this quote of St. John Vianney, as well as in the words of many other saints of East and West: “My children, you have a little heart, but prayer enlarges it and makes it capable of loving God." Our hearts are our spiritual womb, and just as a child expands a mother's womb as he or she is growing, God expands our hearts by His presence within us. He makes us capable of loving Him and others.

The icon to the right is called the Platytera icon ("More spacious than the heavens"). It depicts Jesus in the womb of Mary, and her hands are outstretched in prayer. During these 40 days, we can recall the immense intimacy she had with Jesus growing in her womb. We can ask her to help us to grow in this same intimacy through prayer, as we empty ourselves through fasting and allow Jesus to enter into us and expand us.

We are praying for you during this time of preparation and expectation!

There's still time for your donation to be doubled!

Shortly before this year's Bridegroom's Banquet, another matching donor came forward and pledged $20,000 in addition to the original $100,000 matching funds challenge. We raised $104,845 at or before the event (which is a record total!), but about $15,000 can still be matched, through the end of the year! We would deeply appreciate any help you are able to give, and we are excited to start planning our chapel's interior renovations, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit!

How to Donate

By Mail:
You may send a donation marked "Bridegroom's Banquet" by cash or check payable to "Christ the Bridegroom Monastery" to:

The Bridegroom's Banquet
Christ the Bridegroom Monastery
17485 Mumford Rd.
Burton, OH 44021

Online:
You may also donate online with your credit card by using this link. Be sure to choose "Bridegroom Banquet 2019" as the "fund" in step 4. Thank you!

2nd Banquet Video

This second video was played in addition to our Spiritual Motherhood video at the Bridegroom's Banquet on Oct. 19. It begins with a message from Bishop Milan, includes footage from our canonical establishment and institution of the hegumena on Sept. 30, and highlights the recent and future renovations of the monastery chapel. To help with our newest renovation project, please visit the Bridegroom's Banquet tab!

Our new video: Spiritual Motherhood

A look into the lives of the nuns of Christ the Bridegroom Monastery and their experiences of spiritual motherhood. A young lay woman and a priest also share how the spiritual motherhood of the nuns has affected their lives.

This video was produced for the 2019 Bridegroom's Banquet benefit dinner, by David Bratnick. Previous banquet videos can be found on our "About Us" page and "Poustinia" page.

Record total at this year's Bridegroom's Banquet!

We raised a record amount of funds at this year's benefit dinner! ($104,845, which will be matched!) The money raised will go towards renovating the interior of our chapel and our general operating expenses. Thank you to all you joined us and all who supported us! We are incredibly grateful!!

Enjoy these photos!

We will soon share the beautiful videos that were produced for the event!