Kenya - Kisumu

By the lake Victoria

The Holy Diocese of Kisumu and Western Kenya was founded in 2015 by a decision of the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa and the blessings of the Primate of the Alexandrian Church, His Beatitude Theodore II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, and of the Holy Synod.

The first bishop of Kisumu was elected in 2015 by the late Bishop Athanasios.

In fact, Mission in Kenya started dynamically many years ago with His Beatitude Makarios III, Ethnarch and Archbishop of Cyprus, and has been going on to this day with His Eminence Makarios, Metropolitan of Nairobi

and Exarch of all Kenya. Other hierarchs such as His Eminence Seraphim, former Metropolitan of Kenya and current Metropolitan of Zimbabwe , His Beatitude current Archbishop Anastasios of Albania and other clergymen, missionaries, volunteers, clergy and laymen, all made a considerable contribution to the missionary work of the Orthodox Church of Kenya. Today there are two new dioceses, the Diocese of Nyeri and Mount Kenya led by His Grace Bishop Neophytos, and that of Kisumu and Western Kenya led by His Grace Bishop Markos.

The latter was elected Bishop of Kisumu on October 9, 2019 by decision of the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and with the blessing of His Beatitude Theodore II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa.

Today, in the Church of Kenya and the Diocese of Kisumu there are schools, orphanages, clinics and other institutes which treat and help needy and orphaned children, as well as our holy monastery of Panagia Tricherousa (the threehanded Theotokos) with our elder and nuns.

All this has been made with the help, contribution and donations of good, kind people, warm-hearted benefactors from Kenya and abroad, from Greece, Cyprus and other European countries as well as America.

Our priests in the Diocese of Kisumu are 62. Thanks to the donations of pious and Orthodox Christians, we can give our clergy a small salary so that they can take care of their families.

Every country has its problems, and this is also the case for Kenya and Western Kenya. Unfortunately, the problems are not few, especially after the latest events and the pandemic, which have caused a lot of distress and suffering, particularly to the poor and needy.

Nevertheless, we must continue our struggle and the good work of God to ensure that our poor, simplehearted brothers and sisters here have their daily bread. We cannot stop our struggle by any means, but this cannot be achieved without the help and support of God-loving people like you.

We hope that our communication will continue, and in the future those of you who can, will visit our Mission, because it is different to see Mission life up close, like our dear brother in Christ and friend Mr. Nostis Psarras, Vice President of the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity and Editor of the homonymous quarterly online magazine, a man who lived in the Western Kenya Region several years ago with Missionary mamma Stavritsa Zachariou.

Only those with a compassionate, merciful heart and care for these children who are so in need, will see their pain and misery, and despite the trials and tribulations that the whole world has been going through lately, they will make the sacrifice and give from the little they have to help even one child. May God be with us all.

† Markos of Kisumu

Good Friday with bishop Markos of Kisumu