Authorities at the Church of the Virgin Mary on the island of Tinos, one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites in the country, say they have received hundreds of e-mails from Orthodox faithful living abroad and in Greece.

The church authorities said their e-mail address had been bombarded with some 500 messages over the past few days, about the same number as it received during the whole of 2007. Many of the notes have been sent by worshippers who are unable to travel due to health problems or financial difficulties.

“The service has been created for people who may not be able to visit the Church of the Virgin Mary ... but who can send their messages which we will bring before (the Virgin’s) icon,” said Metropolitan Dorotheos of Syros who oversees the church on Tinos.

The majority of the messages have been sent from Cyprus, the USA, Germany, Australia and Austria with some 10 percent of the notes coming from Greece. Worshippers can send their messages to info@im-syrou.gr.