ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE

Exarchate of Parishes of Russian
Tradition in Western Europe

PILGRIMAGE TO RAVENSBRUCK

With the blessing of Archbishop Gabriel of Comana, who will also take part, ACER-MJO has organised a PILGRIMAGE TO RAVENSBRUCK, where Mother Maria (Skobstova) was martyred in 1945. A commemorative plaque will be placed there.

Dates: Thursday 1 - Sunday 4 November 2007

It is hoped that a group from the Episcopal Vicarate can join the Pilgrimage. If you are interested please contact Fr Alexander Fostiropoulos.

(Please note that the closing date for direct applications to ACER is past, and any members of the Episcopal Vicariate wishing to go should contact Fr Alexander as above.)

ACER-MJO (Russian Student Christian Action - Orthodox Youth Movement):

ACER-MJO is a youth movement within the Orthodox Church. Its aim is to gather young Orthodox Christians from all nationalities and jurisdictions, to help them to deepen their faith and to bring them to live in Christ at the service of the Church. Its members are drawn from Western Europe, particularly from France. It offers activities for all ages: children, teenagers, students and adults. The youth section is for children and teenagers and organises a camp in summer. Every year it welcomes nearly 200 persons to La Servagere, in the Vercors (French alps). The student section organises discussion groups and a one week summer camp in La Servagere, open to all French- speaking Orthodox. The social section serves the poor, and the YMCA-PRESS publishing house works to transmit the heritage of Russian religious and philosophical thought of the 19th and 20th centuries. The newspapers Vestnik in Russian and Messager orthodoxe in French discuss theology, philosophy and literature. Through the pan-orthodox department our youth are also active in other orthodox organisations such as Syndesmos, of which ACER is a founding member, and The Orthodox Fellowship in Western Europe. Going through this site you will discover more about these different departments.

Founded in 1923 by members of the Russian intelligentsia driven from their country during the revolutionary storm, the movement developed in different centres of European immigration before gathering in Paris after the second world war. From its very beginning, the movement insisted on the necessity to embody the Christian life in the eucharistic community. Thus, in 1927 the movement created a chapel within its premises dedicated to the feast of the Presentation of the Mother of God in the Temple. Members of the movement later became founding or active members of other parishes.

The movement seeks to witness to the Christian conception of the world. It falls within the scope of the Russian orthodox spiritual tradition. It invites its members to 'ecclesialise' their lives, in other words to live in a creative way in the light of the experience and teaching of the Church.

With the progressive assimilation of the Russian emigration in the West, the conditions of its activities have changed. In particular taking part in the construction of the local church is greatly encouraged. Parallel to its activities in the West the movement remains attentive to the situation in Russia, and contributes to the spiritual revival in this country. Its service ACER-Russie has continued its effort in this sense since 1961. To know the dates of the various scheduled activities, please see the regularly updated French version of this site.

http://www.acer-mjo.org/html/acer.html