More than two years after the official donation drive for the expansion of the New Marcha Monastery in Richfield, the state of Ohio could launch an investigation into what happened to the collected funds. The cause is a request sent on January 9, 2026, to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office by parishioner Alex Machaskee, through his legal representative, stating that donors to date have not received a clear financial report on the purposefully collected money.
The fundraising campaign was organized by the Diocese of Eastern America of the Serbian Orthodox Church in November 2023, under the leadership of Bishop Irinej Dobrijević. In an official episcopal letter dated November 1, 2023, sent to all parishes of the diocese, it was specified that funds were being collected exclusively for the construction and expansion of the New Marcha monastery complex, including monastic cells, a library, and a dining room, and that the donations are tax-deductible in the United States.
The central event of the campaign was a donor dinner held on November 18, 2023, in the hall of the Saint Sava Cathedral in Parma, in the state of Ohio. According to the allegations from the letter sent to the Attorney General, a total of 75,000 dollars was collected on that occasion.
At the dinner, architectural plans for the future monastery complex were presented to the attendees, prepared by architect Noel Cupkovic, Bishop Irinej’s godfather, which further solidified expectations that work would soon begin.
However, according to the allegations from the request sent to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, in the period of 25 months after the fundraising, not a single new donation drive was held, nor were any visible works on the monastery expansion started. Despite repeated questions, donors have not been provided with a detailed accounting of where the funds are located and how they are recorded. In correspondence with parishioners, the bishop stated that the money is in a special, dedicated account with the investment firm “Raymond James,” but without additional financial details.
The same request cites concern that the financial reports of the Diocese of Eastern America do not clearly show donor-restricted funds, which is mandatory for non-profit organizations according to American regulations. Because of this, the competent authorities are asked to investigate whether the donations were used exclusively for the purpose for which they were collected or if they were redirected.
The Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, as well as the Holy Synod of Bishops, have been officially informed about the filing of this request. In the letter sent to the church leadership, it is stated that the goal of the procedure is exclusively to establish the facts regarding the fate of the donated funds intended for the expansion of the New Marcha Monastery in Ohio.
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Source: Serbian Times; Photo: easterndiocese.org