Glory be to Jesus Christ! Glory be forever!
Dear Friends,
As a teenager, I spent the best years of my life in Minor Seminary in Rome. Not everyone could say the same. Different people, different feelings and opinions, but an adventurous experience and a lot of memories.
One thing that we used to do was to do special kinds of thanksgiving prayers like Moleben or Akafist or Rosary. Last day of May we would gather outside and recite the rosary and its mysteries in different languages. We had seminarians from different parts of the world. It was a multilingual experience. One thing was uniting us all; it was our Ukrainian heritage. We were all Ukrainian descendants some first or second but most of us were third-generation Ukrainians born out of Ukraine.
The end of May was also coming close to the end of the school year. The religion exam was done on that date. That afternoon would also be award night for best marks in religion.
We had a whole month to prepare for that event and each of us had to write an anonymous letter to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The letter, you would write was a form of prayer for your loved family members or your friends but especially for yourself. It was like a wish list that kids write at Christmas time. The only difference was that we were to write letters to our Heavenly Mother and ask not for material goods but something that others or you could benefit spiritually or emotionally. We were to write something like for the health of someone, or to finish your school successfully or to be a good example, or ask that God through Her intercession grant you wisdom or the right mind to always make the right decisions in life, and so on. Sky was the limit. It was a secret that only you would know about it.
That letter was to be written anonymously not mentioning anywhere your name. You could only write on the end “your son” or “your daughter” if the girl would write. Just in case someone involuntary opened your letter and read it, would not know who wrote that prayer. After writing your emotions in the form of a prayer you would seal it and write on an envelope an imaginary address or draw flowers or glue stickers to decorate it. Still not writing anywhere your name or returning address. That letter was not coming back to you. Then you would bring the decorated letter to the church and place it in the basket in the front of the icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary and leave it there. You would continue to pray for those intentions before and after the event.
On the day of the event, during the morning Divine Liturgy, all letters that were brought to the church were placed on the altar, and the intention of that Liturgy was the general intention for your written prayer sealed in the envelope.
At the end of the ceremony, a procession was done outdoors, and all letters were burned. All of us saw letters burning in the fire and we saw smoke arising from there.
That was the first time that I had seen physically my prayer reaching the sky. I believed that it went to heaven.
Still remember today things that I asked Blessed Mother to intercede on my behalf. Most of the things are fulfilled. Some answers took days, others weeks, and still others months or years. But I was granted what I asked for. You have to be careful what you are asking for. Are those things profitable for my future? Things you ask for, you have to believe in and pray for by being persistent and patient.
Becoming a priest I am trying to continue that tradition within my parishes. We try to write letters to Mary twice a year. In the East month of October is dedicated to the Holy Theotokos. We dedicate May and October to our Heavenly Mother and pray to Her that She may intercede on our behalf.
I also want to invite you to write an anonymous letter to Mary bring it to Saint Nicholas Church and place it on the front of the Icon no later than Wednesday, October 30, 2024.
On October 31 at 7 PM, we are having a special service and we are going to burn all letters that were brought before that event.
May the Holy Theotokos always protect us.
Fr. Slavko
