UPDATED—Fire destroys church at Ascension Monastery, Clinton, MI
With sadness, the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of the Orthodox Church in America reported that the church at the Monastery of the Ascension of the Lord here was destroyed by fire around noon on Friday, August 12, 2016. The cause of the blaze is as yet unknown.
His Eminence, Archbishop Nathaniel of Detroit and the Romanian Episcopate and Priest Vicar Dan Hoarste traveled to the monastery to be with the monastic community immediately upon learning of the blaze. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon requested the faithful to keep the monastery brotherhood in their prayers. During this difficult time, the Episcopate also offers prayers to grant peace and comfort to the monastic community during this difficult test.
Out of concern and a display of support, the Episcopate is establishing a fund for the monastery. Information on making donations may be found on the Episcopate’s web site. The total collected will be distributed to the monastery and will be reported in Solia-The Herald.