THE LIFE AND WORK OF THE DONOR ATANAS BLIZNAKOV IN THE MONOGRAPHS BY SLAVE KATIN
On that occasion, Atanas Bliznakov gave a short account of the history of the Macedonian Orthodox Church and its role in the national, political and cultural life of the Macedonian people and, among other things, he said:
“My dear Macedonian brothers and sisters, the Macedonian people have struggled for centuries for their national freedom and their own church, and today their century-old endeavors are a reality. The Macedonian Orthodox Church lives and works autonomously nowadays in the liberated part of Macedonia and is active all over the globe wherever there are Macedonian colonies.
The new Macedonian cathedral church in Skopje shall satisfy not only the religious needs of the Macedonian people, but it shall also be a memorial and pride of the Macedonian people, because it is the Macedonian Church that laid the foundations of Slavic literacy, culture and literature.
My dear brothers and sisters, at this moment, when we donate financial assistance for the construction of the new religious temple in Skopje, let us show that we are worthy legatees of our educators Sts Cyril and Methodius; who were followers of St Clement of Ohrid and other Macedonian apostles of education and the well-being of the human race, that we are devotees of faith, culture, and progress.”
After that, funds were raised in the amount of 3,335 dollars from the numerous guests at this evening party, while Atanas himself donated 200 dollars. On that occasion it was decided that the Commission would be active throughout the year in order to assist in the construction of the Cathedral Church in Skopje.
Through this campaign of the Macedonians in Gary, Indiana, the members of the Commission wanted to encourage Macedonians in other parts of the world, from Canada, America and Australia, to fulfill their patriotic duty and assist in building the new church in Skopje.
Atanas Bliznakov also financially supported the performance of the cultural and artistic society ‘Mirċe Acev’ from Skopje during their tour in the U.S. and Canada in 1975. In this context, he also wrote an article published in the magazine ‘Macedonia’.
KUD Mirche Acev
After his arrival in Macedonia, Atanas focused on the establishment of the Foundation ‘Atanas Bliznakoff’ to which he donated 350,000 dollars as seed capital. After a period of 22 years, this capital is now deposited in the financial company ‘Prudential Security’ in the U.S.
It seems that Atanas Bliznakov was the best reader and admirer of the magazine ‘Macedonia’, to which he donated 100 to 500 dollars each year. He used to say that he was doing that with great love and respect for ‘his magazine’.
In addition, he gave 500 U.S. dollars to the Macedonian Orthodox Church, more precisely to the Cathedral Church of Sts. Clement of Ohrid in Skopje, and to other houses of worship.
What follows is the certificate of gratitude for his donation to the Cathedral Church ‘St. Clement of Ohrid’ in Skopje that the Macedonian Orthodox Church awarded to him.
To be continued
By SLAVE KATIN
