Prayers requested for Minot, ND’s St. Peter the Aleut parish
The rector and faithful of Saint Peter the Aleut Church, along with their neighbors and fellow citizens, are facing one of their greatest challenges of their lives as water along the Souris River continue to rise, threatening to flood their city and parish church.
Like his parishioners, Igumen Anastassy [Fehr] joined some 10,000 other evacuees after securing the church and storing his personal belongings on the second floor of his rented home. He retreated to Bismarck, where he also serves a small pocket of Orthodox Christians. The present condition of their parish church, one of the first in the Orthodox Church in America to have been named in honor of Saint Peter the Aleut, remains uncertain as of the time of this writing. It has been reported that the chances of the church being flooded are very high.
With water rising at the rate of four feet per day, an estimated 2,500 homes — and possibly the church — have begun to fill with water. The immediate forecast calls for a 50 percent chance of additional rain every day through Monday, 27 June. Having taken every precaution to divert the water, officials have stated that there is little more that can be done.
On Friday, June 24, His Grace, Bishop Matthias of Chicago and the Midwest called upon the members of the Diocese to pray for Father Anastassy, the faithful of Saint Peter’s, and the citizens of Minot, especially during weekend services. All faithful are asked join them in prayer.
Additional information will be posted as it is received.