#9 • September 2014
Orthodox Mission Quarterly magazine of the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity
orthodox mission
Founded in 1963 Honored by the Patriarchate of Alexandria July - September 2014 / Issue 9 (gr226) Editor: Nostis Psarras Ss. Missionaries Cyril and Methodius
In this issue 3 New Zealand 4 Indonesia 6 Mother of all generations 11 India 12 Kenya 15 Bp. George Gadduna 17 A bottle of water 20 Madagascar 23 Tanzania (Mwanza) 26 D.R. Congo 28 Tanzania (Dar Es Salaam) 30 Malawi 32 Guinea 33 Sierra Leone 37 Brazzaville 41 Before the eternal mystery 45 Columns of gratitude You can give your love for the Orthodox Mission Abroad at the Fraternity's office, via PayPal at paypal@ierapostoles.gr, or by deposit in this bank account:
ALPHA BANK • ΙΒΑΝ: GR61 0140 4800 4050 0200 2000 170 • BIC: CRBAGRAA Receipts of payments are issued and sent to the donators.
Authors are responsible for their own articles. Owner
Orthodox Missionary Fraternity
6, Mackenzie King st., Hagia Sophia sq. 546 22 Thessaloniki, Greece
T. 2310 279910 fax. 2310 279902
http://orthodoxmission.org.gr
ierapostoli@hotmail.com Registered Greek charitable association Aim: Moral and material support for the worldwide Eastern Orthodox Mission Spiritual founder : Archim. Chrysostomos Papasarantopoulos Founders
: Pantelis Bayas Panagiotis Papademetracopoulos
Great Benefactor : P. Papademetracopoulos
Board of Directors Constantinos Daoudakis Chairman
Nostis Psarras Emmanuel Moustakes Demetrios Sotercos Constantinos Metallidis Evangelia Traicoudi Nicoleta Modiotou Peke Azariadou Angelos Voyatzis
Vice chairman Secretary General Τreasurer Secretary Assistant Treasurer Assistant Member Member Member
NEW ZEALAND
Holy Trinity church in Fiji nearing completion It is about two years since that blessed moment when His Eminence Metropolitan Amphilochios of New Zealand laid the foundation stone of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Saweni, Fiji. With the help of the Good God and the financial support of the friends of the Mission, the procedures for the painting of the church have already started, and soon windows, doors and floor tiles will be fitted in.
The beauty of the church as well as its imposing presence, attract the attention of drivers and passers-by, who are given the chance to see a Greek Orthodox Church for the first time in their lives. On the same land is the orphanage, whose construction has already been completed; now we are making efforts to fit it out with furniture and equipment. When His Eminence comes to Fiji, he will perform the inauguration himself. From the Holy Metropolis 3
INDONESIA
Missionary steps in Sumatra Dear friends of the Mission, Rejoice in the Lord! With God’s help we are well, and we are thankful for that. I have just returned from the island of Nias, where I offered my spiritual ministry for a few days. Of course, my dear brothers, I rarely manage to write to you due to my numerous missionary commitments and responsibilities here in Indonesia. Among other things, I would like to mention some aspects of the Orthodox Mission in this country. Our Mission on Nias island numbers three parishes and a school. I do not go there on a regular basis because I cannot afford the fare. I only go once a year as I need 200 euros for a return ticket. It would be much better if I could go 4
there four times a year, two to the parish community of St. Catherine and two to those of Sts. Paul and Martha, whose church was built by your Fraternity. In the village of Lae Rias we have got five fields, which you helped us to buy. There we have planted oranges and vegetables, such as peppers and eggplants. In each field there is a family who works and lives there. However, only two of the fields have a permanent hut, the rest have a plastic one. A hut costs 1,000 euros, therefore, we would need 3,000 euros to house three families. Also, it would be useful to have a tiller; this could help us make a lot of savings by reducing the number of workers. A tiller costs 2,000 euros. On Nias island we have three
parish communities. There we have appointed an Orthodox catechist to minister to the people’s needs. However, in order to be able to offer his services as expected, he needs a motorbike to move about from community to community easily. A motorbike here costs around ₏2,000. Our Theotokos hospital, another important project where your Fraternity has contributed significantly regarding its construction and equipment, operates regularly. It employs 10 doctors and 20 nurses. Naturally, their salaries should be paid at the beginning of each month. Bearing in mind that our main revenue comes from the patients’ hospital costs, it is easy to understand that if we have a lot of
patients, we are in a position to pay salaries and electricity bills. If not, then my blood pressure rises! Who can I resort to for help? This is why, my brothers, I am making a heartfelt plea to you: help us to collect a reserve of 15,000 euros, which will enable us to meet our needs and face such emergencies. I am certainly aware of the fact that it is a considerable amount of money given the financial crisis you are going through as well, but even the smallest contribution would be a great relief for us. Please forgive me for bothering you with our concerns and for making such a request. May our Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly. Wishing in the Lord, Fr. Chrysostomos Manalu
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The Mother of all generations Before 1989 I knew nothing about the spiritual attitude of Orthodoxy toward the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. To me, like all Protestants, the name “Mary� was only related to the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord; as a result, no special honour or love was ever rendered to her person. I guess it was difficult for me to understand why we must venerate the Virgin Mother. In 1991 I had the opportunity to study at the Theological Faculty of the Aristotle University of Thessalonica. It was then that I started to observe the acts of veneration of the Orthodox Greeks toward the person of the Theotokos. However, I still 6
failed to figure out the reason why they behaved this way and what information could be found in the Bible that justified such an attitude. As you know, Protestants only accept evidence from the Bible -the Sola Scriptura; therefore, they deny the Holy Tradition of the Church. Later, I began to wonder how the so-called Christians can fulfil the gospel word according to Luke (1, 48) without knowing the Most Holy Lady. How do they say that they only believe in the Bible when they do not know how to praise and bless the Mother of the Lord, which all human generations must do? How do they believe that Christ
is the only saviour of the world, and that with His blood and body He purchased man out of the bondage of sin and freed mankind from eternal death? Why don’t they ever think of the mother through whom the fleshless Word of God became one of us in flesh and blood? And how could I love Christ’s saving work for each and every one of us without blessing the mother who gave birth to Him, nursed Him, attended Him and raised Him like an ordinary child? How could I possibly not want to know the Mother of God, who sacrificed herself entirely for my own salvation as well as the salva-
tion of the whole human race? If I did not honour the Mother of Life, I would infringe one of the ten commandments of God, the one saying “honour your parents”, for Christ said, “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14, 6). With all these questions as well as many others, I reached a point where I wanted to study the person of the Virgin Mary as the Mother of Christ and of my true life. In 1995 I decided to write a thesis at the Aristotle University of Thessalonica, on “the Theotokos according to the teaching of St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain”. My goal was very simple: it was not
Dormition of the Theotokos chapel in Medan, Sumatra
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limited to academic requirements, but it would help me as a person to establish a more solid foundation in Theotokology. Indeed, the Holy Spirit revealed to me the truth, which until then had remained out of my life. The Theotokos stands as the paragon of humility, obedience and holiness. I started to love the Canon of Supplication to her; I even translated it into Indonesian so that the people here could not only enjoy those beautiful hymns but also understand and appreciate directly the role of the Virgin in their spiritual struggle. As a result, even after so many years since the Orthodox Mission started in Indone-
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sia, especially in North Sumatra, we are still struggling to communicate to those around us the Orthodox attitude toward the mother of God. It is a great blessing for us to hear young children say, “more honourable than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim... the very Theotokos, thee do we magnify‌â€? as well as other hymns to the Theotokos. Moreover, in 2005 a Theological School began operating in Medan, the capital city of Sumatra. Up to now, almost 1,000 students have graduated from it. The interest on the part of the students is so intense that very often we have discussions on the person of the Virgin Mary
St. Paul Theological School, built by our Fraternity
Presbytera Elizabeth in the Mission radio station
both inside and outside the classroom. Even the heterodox have started reflecting on the importance of the Mother of God, though most of them still have difficulty understanding the issue, due to false theological presuppositions. I myself have experienced the grace of the Virgin Mary, thanks to which I was saved from certain death due to an unknown illness, which still has not been clarified. That happened on 27 October 1990, after the birth of my daughter Soteria, when it was discovered that I had been exposed to medicinal poisoning after the surgery, and the obstetrician told my family that I was going to die. He also said that only a miracle might save me. On hear-
ing the news, the newly formed Orthodox community along with the priest conducted in tears the service of supplication to the Theotokos, using the corridor of the Roman Catholic hospital chapel. And the miracle did happen. Early on the morning of the next day, which was a Sunday, little by little I came back to life, without managing to figure out what had happened to my self, though. Later I realized that some sort of “invisible war� had taken place, but whatever that might have been, it brought me into the arms of the Virgin Mother. There were also other incidents that revealed the grace of the Theotokos. I believe that only under her protection can I feel secure. Last 9
year, we were paid a visit by a young 15- year- old who was in great suffering because of demons. There was a small wooden icon of Our Lady on a high shelf near the door as you enter the house. We had had it there for years and probably had not noticed that the icon was still in place. While we were praying, the young boy began to shout and point to the icon screaming: “What is this?! Why is this shining so bright that I cannot stand it?!” The demon was scared before the icon of the Mother of Christians! Thanks to this incident our daughter Evangelia overcame her fear of the dark and of the devil’s influence. Great is our Most Holy Mother’s grace! This personal experience that we lived reveals a new spiritual power, which only Orthodox Chris-
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tians have. I praise God for granting me His blessing to become Orthodox too. The Virgin Mary is like our own mother. Through the struggle of our Mission, the Theotokos is the person after Christ and the Holy Trinity that we call upon for all our actions. We never force anyone to confess the faith that grows within them, but instead, we teach and instruct them how to understand the Bible properly and also stress the fact that many passages in the New Testament speak about the role of Mother Mary in the work of the world’s salvation. It is truly right to bless her person, thus fulfilling the word of the Gospel:
“for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.”
Presbytera Elizabeth Koamesakh–Manalu
Presbytera Elizabeth giving out gifts to pupils
INDIA
Looking for partners Dear brothers in Christ, Rejoice in the Lord. We have received your donation and would like to thank you wholeheartedly for that. I have not been able to answer promptly to your love due to loads of work and health problems. This delay has nothing to do with neglectfulness. Answering the mail that is urgent is always on my mind but the large number of responsibilities at the orphanages and the school leaves me no spare time at all. Our life here in Calcutta is a constant struggle with plenty of difficulties as well as problems of all kinds and with me being at an advanced age and in poor health. However, we do not give up fighting. We remain here struggling for
as long as God allows us and rely on your prayers so that the Lord grants us patience and strength, enlightenment and discretion. I pray for God to reveal a young, devout and capable partner, nun or laywoman, and send her to us in order to minister to the multi-faceted mission of our Orthodox Church and lighten our heavy workload. Please convey, although belatedly, our wholehearted thanks to all those who love and support the Orthodox Church Mission in India. Your help is of vital importance for the continuation of our missionary work here. With heartfelt thanks and love in Christ, Sister Nectaria 11
KENYA
August tour of western Kenya August is considered the main holiday month, that is why schools, both primary and secondary, are closed. However, during this period His Eminence Metropolitan Makarios of Kenya continues his pastoral visits throughout Kenya. Thus on August 17, he celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the roughly built church of St. Makarios – it is made of mud - in a remote village in the Kakamega region. The divine service and the sermon preached by His Eminence were followed by a procession of priests and faithful to a nearby river, where there were group baptisms of more than a hundred people, from infants to elders. It was a spectacle reminding 12
of the Jordan River. Deeply moved, His Eminence thanked God for this blessing as well as priests and catechists, who work tirelessly for the progress of Orthodoxy and the development and promotion of the Orthodox faith and tradition among the wretched people, inviting them to guard this treasure deep inside their soul and life with frequent participation in the sacraments of the Church in order to be made worthy of becoming partakers of the kingdom of God. On August 21, His Eminence was in the Nyeri region, at St. Anthony’s parish in the village of Isamara, where the next day the Divine Liturgy was celebrated by priests
from various places and in the presence of hundreds of women, who participated in a seminar of Orthodox spirituality. In the end, His Eminence opened the three-day conference, stressing the important role women play in the development of Orthodoxy throughout Kenya, and he invited them to continue with even stronger faith, zeal and commitment their active participation in all the local Church events in Kenya. His Eminence partook of a common meal with those Orthodox women, who sang Christian songs in order
to please him. Then His Eminence visited our large orphanage in St. Nicodemus parish Kasika, which hosts one hundred and ninety orphans. He received a warm welcome from all of them, which touched him deeply, and he thanked them and assured them that the Diocese would continue to provide them with free food and education and that they should consider him their father and that place their home. His Eminence remembered how the orphanage project started a few years ago, hesitantly but
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steadily, without any specific sponsorship, and thanked God for that miracle that is taking place today thanks to love, and it is dedicated to God and to vulnerable young boys and girls who are seeking a better and happier future. Each child has its own story, no matter how tragic it may seem at the present time- at least there is the certainty and confidence that now they can feel that they belong somewhere; hopefully, they will be able to have a better life, as they are entitled to it, just like any other human being. His Eminence has known these kids since they were very little. Emotionally touched, he stayed
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with them until late in the afternoon playing, singing and walking around the full of green premises of the orphanage, in order to emphasize that the Orthodox Church is the Mother who protects, cherishes and helps all children, regardless of race or even religion. The kids, in order to please His Eminence, danced and sang Christian as well as traditional songs. A very emotional moment indeed was when a teenager talked on behalf of all the children, and in the end, said a strong improvised prayer, asking God to strengthen, protect and give health to the Bishop. From the Holy Metropolis
Archbishop of Cyprus Macarios III with bishop George
Reference to Bishop George Gadduna Like every year, this year, on July 27th we held with solemnity and particular splendor the memorial service of the pioneer African Bishop George of Nitria at the Holy Church of Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene, in the village of Thogoto. Specifically, the liturgy was celebrated this morning by His Eminence Metropolitan Makarios of Kenya with more than thirty priests and deacons participating in it. After the Divine Liturgy, a procession was formed headed by His Eminence, clergy and crowd adjacent to the small and unadorned
monument - the grave of the late Fr. George. This was followed by a memorial service in the Gikuyu language, as was the divine liturgy. For the record, Bishop George was the first to embrace Orthodoxy when he was still young, along with two Ugandan pioneers, Reuben Spartas, who later became Bishop Christopher of Niloupolis, and Fr. Obadiah Basajakitalo. With their perseverance, faith and hope in Orthodoxy, they were the first to come into contact with the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa during the time of Patri15
arch Meletios Metaxakis. Little by little, trust began to be cultivated, and the Patriarchs of Alexandria helped to consolidate their union with the Patriarchate. The official joining took place in 1945, during the time of Patriarch Christopher. In 1973 the Patriarchate of Alexandria, recognizing their contribution, promoted George Gadduna and Christopher Reuben Spartas to the episcopal office. On November 30th 1979 Bishop George was deposed by the Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria during the time of Nicholas VI. On November 1st 2006, on the recommendation of Metropolitan Makarios of Kenya, he was restored to the episcopal
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office during the time of Patriarch Theodore II. This way, peace and unity within the Orthodox Church of Kenya were restored. In his sermon, His Eminence referred to the role played by the late Fr. George, his struggles and self-denial in order to secure Orthodoxy in Kenya. He invited young people -who came in large numbers- to imitate his example, as well as priests to intensify their efforts for more internal missionary work for the glory of Orthodoxy and the Church of Christ. The sermon was followed by a rich festive program and communal meal. From the Holy Metropolis
A bottle of water We are all well aware of the importance of water. Water gives man life. It is an element that is absolutely essential for human existence. In fact, there is no life without water. Perhaps, we have never been through difficult situations in the place where we live, and water has never been scarce for us. However, there are people on our planet who are deprived of this precious element. As Christians, we know that God used water in many cases, especially during the time of creation, when He created the heavens and the earth, showing this way that water was an essential
element among His creatures, which would live within this beautiful world. Of course, the issue starts getting complicated when we raise the question whether water is available everywhere, and even if there is water somewhere, whether it is accessible to everyone. Here in Africa, things are very different. Many times we witness scenes that are really shocking. In many regions we see people of all ages, from little children to young men and women, carrying heavy jerry cans of water on their heads for long distances, even for several kilometres, in order to 17
wash themselves, cook, or use it for other domestic purposes. This phenomenon, which seems to be unbelievable to us since we have plenty of this good available and take advantage of its invaluable use, definitely raises questions such as: How is it possible for these people to waste their precious time in order to fetch water to their homes? When I first visited a primary school, I saw the children forming a long queue and carrying water on their heads, going up and down the place where there was a river. Being puzzled, I asked the headmaster.He answered that there was no running, drinkable water in their school. When, out of curiosity, I wanted to see what 18
kind of water the little children were carrying, I found out that it was so dirty that it would infect them and I wondered whether it would be better for them to live without it. The headmaster, as if he was reading my mind, gave me the answer: “This is all that we’ve got. That’s why we use it. We have no other choice.” Naturally, after this incident the Holy Metropolis of Kenya was interested in eradicating this phenomenon and providing a proper solution. Through a pipe we transported clean water from the mountain spring so that these children could drink and wash themselves with pure, clean, safe water, without germs or waterborne diseases. This way, their suffering ended once and for all.
Now they can enjoy it and use it without fear. During the 1970s, when I was first traveling to the neighboring country of Uganda, I was informed that on my trip I had to take one or two bottles of water with me. I asked whether that water was intended for drinking or for any other use and I was informed that I would need it for drinking and washing. But I thought to myself, “Is there possibly any place where I could not be given some water?!” Anyway, I carried a bottle with me, and from the very first moment I realized that I had to
keep it throughout my stay there for drinking or brushing my teeth. That bottle, then, was my salvation, as it was on that trip that I really appreciated the value of water. Since then, it has always accompanied me on my tours in the remote and arid areas of Kenya. I wish I could offer the people of these regions the precious gift of clean water. We have already opened several wells with costs varying from 2.000 to 4.000 euros, depending on the depth of drilling. With your small contribution we can do more. † Makarios of Kenya
Water sellers in northeastern Kenya
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MADAGASCAR
Sailing steadily to the future Dear brothers in Christ, Rejoice in the Lord! We praise God and thank your Fraternity as well as the friends and associates of Foreign Mission, who, despite the difficult period we are going through, have not stopped supporting and encouraging us in this blessed work of our Church. Through the difficulties, we go through trials ourselves since our faith is tested. A while ago I was reading in the Acts of the Apostles about the sufferings of the Apostle Paul. Certainly there is no comparison, but we get a lot of examples from the First after the One that the Mission road to Salvation is not strewn with flowers. We continue our struggle after 20
reducing the amount of charitable work and costs to the extent possible. Naturally, both people and priests are complaining about that, but it could not have been otherwise. For this purpose, according to the instructions of His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodore, who had predicted the impending crisis long before it came, we are trying to set up small enterprises in order to generate revenue and be able to sustain our projects. Of course, they are still in infancy stage, but with God’s help we hope that eventually they will come to fruition. Thanks to the sensitivity of a Canadian donor of your Fraternity, the Church of the Archangels
Michael and Gabriel in Diego will soon become a reality. After several years of anticipation, the Christians of the city will finally have their own Church. Also, thanks to your care and support, we have begun drilling the borehole which is funded by an individual friend donor from Athens. The struggle goes on As regards our activities, the struggle still goes on despite our limited resources. However, we are particularly concerned about the building work at the orphanage, which has almost stopped. We are making an earnest appeal to your kind heart: if any donors could be found for this specific project, it would be a blessing for us to be able to continue it, even if this takes
some time. The work done so far covers 70% of the project. We hope that there will be some charitable donors to help us complete it. As for the lessons of the Seminar, they have ended with five graduates, some of whom wish to enter priesthood. Also, our schools, both primary and secondary, have ended for this school year with satisfactory results. Indeed, the senior high school at Tulear which was funded by your Fraternity, is ranked among the best. It already has 450 students and achieves high success rates in tertiary education institutions. This year more classrooms are going to be required due to the large influx of students. The clinics continue to offer
Catechism in a church-hut by Metropolitan Ignatios
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their services and alleviate the suffering of the poor. Two churches that we started constructing last year are about to be completed. At the same time, four more H. Churches, which suffered serious damage and were rendered non-operational due to severe weather, are now under repair. Finally, there is a need for a water tank in a village in the region of Tulear. The people there are really suffering, and as usual, they have to carry the water in jerry cans from neighbouring villages. The capacity of the tank required should be 25 to 30 m3, and the cost estimate is about 9.000 €. Missionary visits Lately, we were paid a visit by two very remarkable priests from Greece. One was Fr. Gregory Pa-
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pathomas, Professor of Theology at the University of Athens, and the other was Fr. George Fragkiadakis, theologian. During their stay here, they organized a seminar for the clergy and the catechists of our Metropolis, spoke to the faithful and helped many people with their advice. Fr. Gregory visited the island of Reunion and gave a lecture on "St. Gregory Palamas and the mental prayer." ¾ of the audience were French Roman Catholics. It seems that Orthodoxy is constantly gaining ground and it is becoming more and more known to the world today. Let us pray to God that He may send forth capable labourers into the vineyard to work hard for a richer harvest. “For indeed, the labourers are few.” † Ignatios of Madagascar
TANZANIA - MWANZA
Group baptisms and weddings During the weekend of 16 and 17 August 2014, group baptisms and weddings of Orthodox Christians took place at the Cathedral of the Metropolis of Mwanza. Specifically, in the village of Amani, situated in the Kagera region of Northern Tanzania, at the church of Saint Lucia, 90 baptisms and 7 weddings were performed, while in the village of Kasikizi situated in the same region, at the Sacred Church of All Saints, there were 36 baptisms and 4 weddings that took place. The services of the Holy Sacraments were held with solemnity by His Eminence Bishop Ieronymos of Mwanza as well as local priests, in an atmosphere of rev-
erence and enthusiasm. Speaking to the newly-illumined, His Eminence Ieronymos gave them his blessing along with wishes for becoming worthy to receive the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit and achieve spiritual fruition. For 39 of the neophytes, the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity supported us financially through the baptism program. This aid was important, and we thank all the donors who participated in this program, which helps us intensify our missionary activity. Soon, you will receive specific information about each neophyte. God bless you. From the Holy Metropolis 23
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A well of life from the spring of your hearts
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DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Our faithful in need of priests
The existence and operation of our Theological School is a great blessing of Almighty God here in the heart of Africa, because it provides us with new priests, professors, teachers, catechists, laborers of the Gospel. Therefore, its contribution is invaluable. Moreover, faculty and students together contribute immensely to the missionary work of our Metropolis as well. Indeed this year we had 15 young men graduating from our School full of fervent zeal and ready to take action. Our joy is great. We have new shoots that will bear spiritual fruit. New laborers of the Gospel. So far, five of them have already been ordained and the rest have been assigned catechetical work. Some of them, after arranging some matters will enter Priesthood. 26
However, the operational costs of the School are unbearably high for the Mission, which fills me with anxiety. They come to 9.ooo â‚Ź monthly. How will it be possible for us to open this year? I plead with St. Athanasius the Athonite, the patron saint and protector of our University, to illuminate our brothers in order to help so that our School will continue preparing laborers of the Gospel to minister to our brothers here and propagate Orthodoxy. There are plenty of needs in our Metropolis. Most of our parishes lack priests. Our faithful gather together by themselves in the grass-thatched huts-churches without a pastor morning and evening in order to chant the Matins and Vesper services or the canon
of supplication to our Most Holy Lady. The number of priests is so limited that they cannot possibly serve the needs of all parishes. As a result, a large number of faithful are deprived of attending the Divine Liturgy and partaking of the Holy Communion. It is our Theological School that instructs and provides us with priests, catechists, chanters, teachers for our schools. Therefore, what it actually does every year is to provide our Church with laborers of the Gospel. This is why we should make sure that it continues to operate and give us new laborers. Many people are thinking of making a donation for the construction of a Sacred Church, a school, a health center. Their wishes are all
pleasing to God; nevertheless, I believe we have to understand that the buildings as such are good, but if we lack priests and catechists or theologically educated teachers, how can we possibly have believers? Without them the buildings will be desolate, and they could not possibly fulfill their mission. This is why I am making an appeal to all of you for your assistance in order to continue operating our School of Theology. Each one can conduce to that in their own way, by praying or by giving your contribution, no matter how small it might be, so that the operational needs of the School will be met and our parishes will finally get priests. †Nikiforos of Central Africa
Twelve new laborers for the Church of Christ
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TANZANIA - DAR ES SALAAM
My blessed tour in Iringa With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Demetrios of Irinoupolis, we came to Tanzania once again. After travelling for 10 hours from the capital into the jungle and after seeing various wild animals, we arrived at Kindamali, the Mission Center, where there are two churches, one of Saints Andronikos and Athanasia, and another of St. George, the presbytery, a clinic, a kindergarten, a hostel and an orphanage. There, as well as in the surrounding area, live in huts indigenous priests and faithful who are truly experiencing Orthodoxy. I was deeply moved to hear a native priest telling us, “May God grant that I die in this blessed robe.” 28
Our program was full of blessings. In the morning we were called by the voices of more than 200 children to give them the standard breakfast, milk and vitamin rich biscuits.Then, along with Fr. Photios and other priests, we toured the villages and celebrated the Divine Liturgy, every day in a different parish. On this devotional tour, our Orthodox brothers welcomed us warmly, having decorated their churches with flowers casually placed in plastic jars and cans, which, however, radiated neatness and beauty. Father Photios gave seminars to our priests, their wives and the catechists, and we distributed to them their gifts, which your love sends to the Mission. We also gave
the hundreds of children who came to us vitamins so important to their health. We had the blessing to attend hundreds of baptisms and weddings and were glad to find out that catechisms were regular. The conduction of the holy sacraments was followed by a feast with food and gifts for everyone. Another worth mentioning point is our visit to the Maasai tribe. We saw their faces beaming with joy just because we went to their village, we entered their huts, and they turned over a bucket for us to sit on! A large number of them are catechized and baptized and show great interest in Orthodoxy, which
is why our bishop embraces them so lovingly. During our visit there, he made an Orthodox Maasai a reader by cheirothesia. The Holy God blesses the missionary work in Tanzania, where His Eminence Demetrios has been ministering for 10 years now. There is only one project that has not been completed yet: St. Andrew’s clinic in Magalali village. If a charitable donor is found, this will be the place to provide medical care and help for thousands of children who die every day from various diseases in this region. I praise God for His kindness to grant my coming into His field. Sister Thecla
Visiting a Maasai village
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MALAWI
A new well for N'tcheu village With the blessings of our Metropolitan Joachim we are pleased to announce to you that another well has been opened in Ntcheu region with funds coming from the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity. The residents of the surrounding area express their warm thanks and heartfelt gratitude for that. Now, thanks to this well, a large number of our Malawian brothers will be able to quench their thirst, wash themselves with clean water, carry it to their grass-thatched huts, be served in many ways and praise God for His blessings. We pray for an Orthodox Holy Church to be erected in this region some day. The first yeast already exists: it is all those that have already been baptized Orthodox Chris30
tians, who will hopefully attract other people as well to the true faith of God. Especially now with the well, even people who are not Orthodox, feel gratitude towards our Orthodox Church, and so, little by little, starting from this feeling, we do hope that eventually they will be inspired by our Orthodox faith and decide to be catechized. The happy news is that there is an earnest young man from this region who embraced our Church with enthusiasm from the beginning. He was catechized for two years and baptized a short time ago. Young John is well educated and marked by fervent zeal, unselfishness, love and obedience to the Church. He already teaches at the
Mission school and will soon be sent to the Theological Seminary of Nairobi, in Kenya. May God grant that he is ordained priest one day. It is an undeniable fact that lots of good things happen when we practice our love. This actual expression of our love can be a well we drill or the medicine we send for the cure of malaria, the supply of materials for the construction of the grass-thatched huts where these people live or our sending their little children to school to prevent them from staying illiterate. Such things as well as others touch them, strengthen them and console them, and so, little by little, they come closer to us as they feel our love and ask out of curiosity to learn who we are; eventually they discover the invaluable treasure that our Faith
hides inside of it. As we have mentioned before, dear brothers, there are 15 villages here in Malawi, which, despite the fact that they have been organized as parishes and that the first Christians have already been baptized, the neophytes remain unchurched and uncommuned because we have not yet constructed a Holy Church where they can worship the Triune God. As a result, all these newly baptized parishioners live hoping that God may grant them a Holy Church, which will be the center of their life and existence: a Holy Church that will lead them to salvation through the valid and life-giving Mysteries, which only our Orthodox Church offers. It will give them exaltation of the soul, Heaven itself. Fr. Ermolaos Iatrou
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GUINEA
When loves conquers fear Dear brothers in Christ, Rejoice in the Lord! Despite the great threat of the deadly virus Ebola, volunteers from Greece travelled to Guinea to supervise the start of the works on the construction of Ss. Parthenios and Charalambos’s church and the Greek Orthodox Academy. Initially, they straightened the plot, they opened a passage to facilitate the transport of building materials and they began preparing for the foundation. We pray that the Lord by 32
the blessings of Theodoros, the Patriarch of Alexandria, protect the volunteers from the deadly epidemic and help us soon to see the project implemented. Its completion will be extremely beneficial for our newly-founded Mission. The architectural drawings were made by Stavroula and Alcibiades Sourtzis. Of course, we cannot forget the inventive love of your Fraternity, which is always there for us in every missionary effort of ours. May God bless you. †George of Guinea
SIERRA LEONE
Save the disabled from Ebola Dear brothers, Christ be with you I greet you warmly and pray that the blessings of our Lord Jesus Christ be upon you. I apologise for sending this message in English but due to the urgency of our present situation here it is necessary to write quickly to you. I need to explain that here in Sierra Leone the nation is presently under a state of emergency due to the outbreak of the deadly Ebola
virus which has no cure and a 90% death rate. Unfortunately we have become the epicentre of this fatal epidemic. As an Orthodox Mission in this afflicted and desperate region of West Africa I have a responsibility as a shepherd to protect our flock from contamination as well as cooperate with the state authorities on the preventative campaign which has been initiated. Today has been declared by the President of Sierra Leone (His Excellency E. B. Koroma) as a national
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day of prayer and fasting and a day of national emergency known as Operation Octopus. It is designed to prevent the public movement of people in the streets and the quarantining of certain eastern districts of the nation. Consequently people are not permitted to leave their house and the army and police are patrolling and monitoring the situation. Our major challenge is therefore to prevent any of our people from being contaminated. We have already put many measures in place. For example our schools and College which serve some 2000 people have shut down and many of our building projects are to be tem34
porarily halted. But there are still some major problems that we are facing and need to urgently address: Our main concern is that many of the disabled and amputees that we are sheltering in one of our compounds (Waterloo) have the habit of begging in the streets of Freetown. Therefore they are exposing themselves to Ebola contamination because of their constant contact with strangers. They have become a high risk category and therefore endanger others. If only one of them become contaminated they will also spread the virus throughout our Waterloo compound which would be a disaster because we are
Facing to the spiritual regeneration
also sheltering their children there as well. In order to keep them from begging we have designed a plan to provide daily food supplies and therefore removing the need for begging. In this way we will be able to quarantine the entire compound from any outside contacts. Thanks to your previous container we still have some food supplies left (rice, oil, sugar, tomato sauce etc). But this will perhaps be sufficient for two weeks or so. Furthermore we need this supply for our general feeding programme that we offer to the poor and street people after our church services on Saturdays and Sundays. Therefore
we will need extra food supplies if we are to effectively quarantine our Waterloo Compound - until with God’d grace the crisis period has passed! I am therefore humbly requesting either a container of food supplies or instead financial assistance (which will be quicker) that we may buy the necessary food supplies here as well as cover the cost of transporting the food daily to our Waterloo compound. At this stage about 5,000 – 6,000 Euros will be quite sufficient. I am sure we will be able to receive further financial assistance from other sources. We do have some funds reserved for 35
philanthropic purposes which we can use but it would be wiser to keep this in reserve for other philanthropic programmes (e.g. hospital medical treatemnt fees and our regular weekly feeding programmes on Saturdays and Sundays). However there are some further needs at this time: We need to purchase and distribute medical supplies (chlorine, medical gloves, antiseptic soap, face masks etc.) as well as to stock our clinic with various necessary medical supplies including the boosting
of our preent financial power to cover the fees for medical treatment of those falling sick during this period. I thank you for your concern and ask for your prayers that we be spared from this terrible and deadly epidemic. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all, especially Rev. Anastasios and his group of volunteers at Filiron for the last container that was sent. It was a blessing for us here. Respectfully in Christ, Arch. Themitocles Adamopoulos
Responding to this call of need, our Fraternity raised and sent the amount of 13,000 â‚Ź, of which 10,000 were donated by an anonymous regular member of ours. Thank you!
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Baptism by the missionary, Fr. Themistocles
CONGO BRAZZAVILLE
Orphans' ministry The Saint Efstathios Orphanage is an Orthodox orphanage situated in the city of Dolisie, in southern Congo-Brazzaville, which has been operating since 2007. This institution currently hosts 24 young boys aged 6-17, who are attended by 10 salaried employees that minister to their needs. Its mission is to protect the Christian upbringing of the orphaned children, always under the social principles, values and beliefs of their homeland, provided these are consistent with the timeless mandates of the Gospel. As future Orthodox citizens of the country, the children are taught to respect their parents, teachers, family and social hierarchy as well as the sanctities, moral values, customs and ancestral traditions. However, this effort is not easy.
Lack of family environment from the very beginning of their life, different backgrounds, age and intellectual diversity, the communal lifestyle they have to adapt to, the psychologically complex stage of puberty, modern influences as well as the western way of life, all these factors sometimes create behavioural problems, which make their upbringing more difficult. Love, dialogue, rules of conduct and the required limits, order and discipline, always in the light of the Orthodox faith, are our criteria for raising these little orphans. Naturally, preventing conflicts and handling youth tension successfully is not always feasible. Apart from these important issues, the operation of an institution in Congo-Brazzaville is a complex process. The Republic of Congo37
Brazzaville, as a former French colony, follows the legal standards of France, to which our institution has to conform. Therefore, lawful payroll, uninterrupted payment of insurance contributions for employees and strictly protected labor rights in conjunction with occasional modifications to the legislation and periodic state inspections, make the legitimate operation of the orphanage absolutely essential to its viability. The recent visit (on August 9) of Her Excellency Mrs. Emilienne Raoul, Minister of Social Affairs, testifies to the proper functioning of the institution as she not only publicly expressed congratulatory wishes for its excellent living conditions, but also delivered the document of its permit renewal to its Director.
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However, the proper functioning of the orphanage requires large amounts of money as well. The full board of the 24 children with three meals per day, clothing and footwear, the school costs, the purchase of medicines, the maintenance of the building complex, the wages of the employees as well as the fees of the technical schools for the vocational education and training of the older children, are a permanent concern of the pastor. Besides his paternal anxiety for the orthodox upbringing of those young orphans, ensuring the total amount of 3,000 euros per month needed to address these costs is a continuous struggle for the Bishop. Therefore, it is easily understood that the words of praise, the expressions of compassion and un-
Our orphanage in Dolisie
derstanding, the wishes for progress, strengthening and fruition of this struggle, despite the good intentions of the well-wishers, are not enough... Who can understand the anguish of the Shepherd, when the night finds him anxiously praying to God for the revelation of a practical and effective solution which will ensure at least the food for these 24 children...? Who can feel the pain of his soul when he makes entreaties for a little money for the orphans, but receives negative responses due to the current economic downturn...? How many souls can realize that an Orthodox orphanage is not
only a place for the children's survival and protection, but it is actually one Christian family in which the life-stricken child should be moulded into a responsible orthodox person and an honest member of the society ...? The loving support and financial assistance of the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity meets the needs of our young children only partly. Despite their brotherly intentions, this blessed support is not sufficient, since the costs are constant, the difficult times and the needs of the Orthodox Mission all over the world plentiful and urgent. My brethren, allow me to express my humble view of the mis39
sion: it is neither a romantic story nor one of adventure, and it is definitely not a field of collecting challenging experiences in Africa, this ever- fascinating in terms of natural beauty continent. The mission is a joint task of the heavenly ecclesiastical Body (i.e., the church militant), in accordance with the Sunday sermons, the Apostolic and Patristic tradition and the two thousand-year old church history, order and experience, without discrimination. “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” And as the King Jesus Christ on the Day of Judgement will judge us
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on the basis of our love for the fellow man, according to His words, " For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; Naked, and you covered me…’ (Matthew 25:35-39), let us all consider honestly the size of love that prevails in our hearts, that kind of love which, if we genuinely accept as a way of existence and as a natural outcome of the Orthodox convictions, knows how to eliminate long distances, surpass physical barriers, financial crises and personal priorities; ”for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Amen! † Panteleimon of Brazzaville
The Congolese Minister visiting our orphanage
Before the eternal mystery When we are asked to write about our missionary activity, we usually mention our activities, the work of catechesis, baptisms, church attendance and worship for the faithful, church and school reconstruction, humanitarian assistance in general and the progress of action developed in this field by the grace of God. However, the Mission, like any good work, is not just a beautifully laid out sequence of events, nor a romantic monologue aiming to impress and cause temporary emotional stimulation of the senses, but most of the time a harsh reality which often hides unexpected sorrow and grief for those experiencing its truth. But behind any such sorrow lies the peace of God and His miraculous Providence. God's plan that works mysteriously, slowly and so serenely and changes the course
of man, of history, of the entire world... I instinctively laid my hand on the child’s cold forehead. His eyes were closed as if, unimpeded now, he was dreaming of the eternity that everyone expects in this life, even if they claim not to believe in it. My hand makes the sign of the cross on the white- though black until now- forehead of the 22- yearold man, and my lips, after the short memorial service, utter "everlasting be thy memory, o our brother, who art worthy of blessedness and eternal memory�. But my eyes refuse to leave his serene face. That face, which was full of pain and suffering until yesterday. And now it is calm, unworldly, far away from us, yet so close. The lad was one of our faithful. One day an unexpected temptation scandalized him and prompted him 41
to leave our Church. Ten months ago he had a car accident. Despite the fact that he had sustained spinal fractures which resulted in the paralysis of both lower limbs, his health condition was not too disappointing. I knew his case, but the amount of work never let me go to the hospital to visit him. One day a priest insisted that we go there. I accepted the proposal and followed him. When I entered the room I saw the young man in a semi-comatose condition. His body had stopped taking in the drip-feeding liquid (he had been on the drip for ten months) so, it seemed that now he was in the final stage. He had no awareness of his surroundings.
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Only his eyes were still open‌ In the evening we prayed for this lad. Early that night, I felt the urge to read a forgiveness prayer for the patient, even at this last moment that he had lost contact with the outer world. Besides, he might have repented, but now it was not possible for him to confess. After reading the suitable for the occasion prayers, we left on a three- day trip. The priest who had taken me to the patient told me," Father, I do not think that he will fall asleep today but tomorrow. He will be waiting for us for the funeral." His health condition had slightly improved during the night. On the third day when we were coming back, - until then there was no possi-
bility of contact with him – we called his father and found out that the young man had indeed passed away on the second night after we left. That night, one of the priests of our group had a dream with the young man pushing our car. We were actually back on the third day, and his parents were waiting for us for the funeral. And now, my hand is on his cold forehead. The father does not have any money even for the funeral. Two words come to my mind: "human drama.” And my last prayer unconsciously turns into an apology: "Forgive me, my child, for being late. Forgive me for not managing to give you the love that you deserved as a human being. Forgive
me for only meeting you on the eve of your big journey to eternity. As soon as I opened my heart to you, I had to close it before the biggest event of your life. I wish I had done a lot more for you as your father and brother, but I ran out of time. Deep inside of me there is pain. But also hope. For the Judge of our actions is Someone Else. We only see what is humanly possible. He is the One whose eye penetrates even to the unseen world and knows our deepest thoughts and feelings. Farewell my brother. Go in peace. Go in peace, wretched son of Madagascar, my poor brother from Tulear.” Hieromonk Polycarpos of Hagia Anna
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Children imprisoned in misery Your love sets them free ORTHODOX MISSIONARY FRATERNITY Socially sensitive since 1963
Columns of Gratitude and heartfelt thanksgiving Donations from 1.5.2014 to 30.7.2014
Donors' names are only published in printed edition
"For God loves a cheerful giver"
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Attributions 4 Prilfish 12 Ward Graham 17 Gary Edenfield 20 Olivier Lejade 32 European Commission DG ECHO 41 ohocheese 45 Phan Ly 46 Michael Gwyther-Jones
Invitation
Our Fraternity has the honor to invite you to our monthly gatherings, held in our hall (Mackenzie King 6, Thessaloniki), after the Sunday service, on:
October 12
November 9
December 14 47