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I bring you my humble gratitude for accepting sisters A. and A. A. G-oi under the shelter of the Mother of God into your holy monastery. God, who calls them to Himself, is able to give them shelter and nourish them mentally and physically, so long as our faith does not fail. We accept His countless benefits, truly, not according to our dignity, but because of His ineffable goodness and mercy for the human race; when He did not spare His only begotten Son for our sake, how then should He not also give us all things with Him (Rom. 8:32)? I ask you, for your part, to strengthen them with maternal love and wise instructions. You write that I should henceforth hold back those who wish to come to you, due to your cramped quarters; I admit that I am guilty of this, for you reminded me of this more than once, but I was still carried away by condescension towards those who wished and asked for admission to your monastery and bothered you with it. Now I will try, to the best of my ability, to fulfill and refuse the petition to you of those wishing to enter your monastery. They themselves have mouths and speak. But at the same time, I do not want the G-s to be the last to enter your monastery, but may the flock of Christ grow and multiply in spiritual pastures, seeking and finding salvation. Your unworthy prayer book, sinful I.M. I apologize to everyone. December 12, 1845. You might be interested in: