8 • JUNE 2014
orthodox mission QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE ORTHODOX MISSIONARY FRATERNITY
orthodox mission
Founded in 1963 Honored by the Patriarchate of Alexandria April - June 2014 / Issue 8 (gr225) Editor: Nostis Psarras Ss. Missionaries Cyril and Methodius
In this issue 4 7 8 13 16 20 23 26 30 36
Indonesia Nigeria Kenya Congo D.R. Cameroon Madagascar Mwanza - Tanzania Burundi & Rwanda Ministering to the poor Theological School of the Congo 40 Educational Sponsoring 41 Philippines: The dawn of Orthodoxy 44 Columns of Gratitude You can give your love for the Orthodox Mission Abroad at the Fraternity's office, on our website via PayPal, 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. GR546 22 THESSALONIKI
2310 279910 fax. 2310 279902
http://orthodoxmission.org.gr
ierapostoli@hotmail.com Recognized charitable, philanthropic, not-for-profit greek corporation. 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
Constructing Ss. Constantine & Helen's Church in Degeya, Uganda
Your Love creates through our care
Churches, schools of all levels, clinics, orphanages, tanks of drinkable water.
Thank you!
Constructing part of an orphanage in Antananarivo, Madagascar
INDONESIA
A Resurrection of hope Dear brothers, Christ is Risen! Allow me to share with you the last missionary experiences from my humble ministry in Sumatra, Indonesia. During the Holy Week we held services in an atmosphere full of reverence at Saint Demetrios Holy Church in Medan. Our new priest Fr. Theodosios and the deacon Fr. Luke participated in all services. On Holy Saturday we conducted baptisms of the catechumens. We celebrated the Holy Easter by holding a midnight service. A number of worshippers from some of our parishes (like the Annunciation of the Theotokos) rented buses and came to Medan in order to participate with us in the Holy Service of the Resurrection. We celebrated the Vespers 4
of Love with our congregation at our little monastery of the Theotokos. At the end of the service, we had the common Easter feast of love. My brothers, now that we have our new clerics in the Mission, everything goes fine. Both fathers are a great blessing for us. Naturally they make a few mistakes but eventually they will become good ministers of the Lord. Fr. Theodosios is at Saint Demetrios Church with me and he sometimes stays in the city when I have to go to the villages to conduct the Divine Liturgy. Fr. Luke serves at the Holy Church of Saint Ephraim in Laerias, which your Fraternity built for us with such loving kindness, and at The Annunciation of the Theotokos in Pargambiran. Lately, Fr. Theodosios has vis-
ited the island of Nias, where he offered his ministry to the flock of our parishes there, Saints Paul and Martha in Hiligeo, where you built a Holy Church for us, and Saint Catherine in Hilifaosi. Fr. Theodosios stayed there for a week in order to catechize the people there, conduct the Divine Liturgy and the Sacrament of Holy Chrism for some adults who came from the Roman-Catholic Church. There he had a little accident, as the weather was particularly wet. The motorcycle he had rented for his transport skidded on the way from Hiliofasi to Hiligeo. As soon as Fr. Theodosios arrived in Medan, he was taken to the doctor. My brothers, these months I
have undertaken the spiritual guidance of three ex-pastors of the Roman-Catholic Church who are learning about our Faith and want to become priests. They have been seeking Orthodoxy for years, and have decided to be taught about it and live close to me. I consider this a great blessing from our Good God and I see that they are ready to work as missionaries. They do not ask for a salary or beautiful vestments. They only ask for something to eat in order to survive and be able to work. I am currently working on something so that later they can translate a few church books on catechesis and Theology. Then we are going to study them together and print them. They
Resurrection with the new priests in Medan
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are very familiar with the use of computers, so, they can be very helpful here. This is why, my brothers, I am very optimistic about the development of the Orthodox Mission in Indonesia. Please, pray that our Good God will illuminate them. From 15th to 17th May, we organized a conference at Tarutung so as to help the Orthodox worshippers get better acquainted with our faith. The conference was attended by Fr. Luke from the parish of St Ephraim as well as another 4 people from each one of our 11 parishes. Our faithful received great benefit from the conference, and they left with their heart filled with enthusiasm. Two years ago, one of my spiritual children went to a neighbor-
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ing country, East Timor. He was so fervent in spirit that he catechized 21 people, who now want to be baptized; unfortunately, I cannot give them any instructions because I have not had the chance to meet them yet. God permitting, I would like to visit them. Pray, my brothers, that our Good God will open the way and show us how to continue the missionary work of Orthodoxy in Timor. My brothers, that’s all our news. I would like to thank you wholeheartedly for showing so much love and support for my humble ministry of the Orthodox Mission here in Indonesia. Wishing in the Lord Fr. Chrysostomos Manalu
Hagia Sophia Primary School, built by our Fraternity
NIGERIA
Let’s build a school in the heart of the jungle Dear brothers, As you know, the Holy Metropolis of Nigeria, in its efforts to provide free education to children of poor families, started erecting a kindergarten and a primary school at Karmen village in Benue state, in Central Nigeria. The school, as shown in the photo, has started operating in grass thatched huts around the Holy Church of Jesus Christ, which is also a grass thatched hut itself. The great appeal of this initiative to the residents of this region, the moving interest on the part of the only parish priest Fr. Andrew as well as the sacrificial offer of the 6 teachers, have increased the number of students to 186. It should be noted that the total amount of the school’s operational expenses on a monthly basis is exclusively covered
by the Metropolis itself. The harsh climatic conditions have led us to found the school on the land offered to us by the local authorities. However, the limited financial capability of our Metropolis does not allow for further continuation of the project.The total amount of money for its completion comes to 39,000 euros. We are fully aware of the global economic crisis, which you yourselves are going through as well. However, we strongly believe that since this project has been planned for the relief of the weak children, it is blessed and will be completed by the grace of God. This is why I am making a fervent appeal to your Fraternity so that you can examine the possibility of funding it. With deepest thanks and appreciation †Alexander of Nigeria 7
KENYA
An unexpected death in the Maasai When studying and writing some historical information about the Maasai, it never even crossed my mind that in that tribe, so beautiful, important and archaic, I would discover such a shocking custom, which has been really puzzling me until today, whenever I remember their narrations. In my research, I was impressed by the riches and culture of the Maasai, which we do not encounter in other tribes. I have given plenty of information about their life and activities, but when the question “What do they do with their dead people?” arose, I came up with an thunderous answer. 50 years ago, or maybe less, in the areas where 8
the Maasai live, there was not even a question of burial. – "So, what did the Maasai do with their dead?” I asked one of the tribal chiefs. – “They threw the dead body into the forest hoping that it would be eaten by the hyenas and the other wild animals”, said the chief. At that point I cut off our conversation and thought that it would be better to see things the way they are today, in order to avoid the traumatic experience caused by this information. Fortunately, with the arrival of Christianity, this custom ceased to exist. For more than 30 years that they have known Orthodoxy, I have been given the chance to see
and live many people’s death at close range. It is a fact that the funeral customs differ from one tribe to another. Most tribes give the impression that death is an event of great joy. Lately, I have had the chance to attend the funeral of a young Maasai, who I happened to know and who was interested in studying at our Orthodox Patriarchal School, in next academic year. George was a young man of rare spiritual gifts, and I had already started thinking that one day that youth would become a good priest and would help the Maasai communities. For unknown reasons, despite the fact that I had talked to
him the day before he died, he did not reveal to me that there was something wrong with his health, and while I was on tour around west Kenya, his younger brother called me and announced to me that George had commended his spirit under unknown circumstances. In order to be able to go to his funeral, I discontinued my tour and rushed to the place. Plenty of Maasai people had gathered there, hundreds of them, dressed in their traditional costumes, surrounded the place, particularly his peers. After we conducted the church service, there were speeches given by his relatives as well as by the village authorities.
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The whole atmosphere was not at all joyous as is the case with other tribes, where they dance and sing ceaselessly for several hours. The Maasai were completely different. I noticed no cultural feast whatsoever with the usual traditional singing and dancing. On the contrary, the people were silent and watched everything with reverence, particularly the bishop’s memorial speech. This was not the first time I had been given the chance to speak at a Maasai funeral. In the previous cases as well, the funeral was of young people too, therefore, I took advantage of 10
the fact in order to emphasize on the great sensibility people usually have in such cases, knowing that a young person’s death is a definite cause of deep sorrow, not only for his peers and friends, but mostly for his family members. This was also a chance, by making a brief flashback, to remind the older ones of their ancient custom, where without a second thought they threw the dead into the forest, so that it would be eaten by wild animals. Research carried out found that the Maasai tribe had been defying death since ancient times. That was the main reason why such a custom prevailed. Prob-
ably they came up with this solution so as not to think too much about it, or torture their mind, or even because they were reluctant to spend too much money. In fact, they were materialists and had no deep spiritual experience. Their spirituality could be characterized as rich only through their own reality; that is they gave the image of “the good savage�, as described by the 18th century writers, Rousseau and Voltaire. Therefore, that day I wanted to convey the message of the resurrection of the dead because I knew that the funeral was attend-
ed by people of all ages and beliefs — baptized, non-baptized, educated, uneducated. Perhaps that day these people realized for the first time how important the human person is for Orthodoxy, since it recognizes the living image of God in it. This was definitely a new hope for their own mentality and culture, which opened new horizons for their spiritual training and progress. We should not forget that we are talking about people who were inimical towards their fellow humans a few years ago, that is why anything that led to death cost them nothing.
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What really impressed me was the order that prevailed, the solemnity and utter silence: no noise, no shouting, no dancing or singing. They quietly lowered the coffin of the dead man into the grave, covered it with that hard soil of the Maasai land and then, they walked away in silence. After the funeral, we sat under a tree, where young people surrounded me and started asking me questions about the afterlife, the resurrection of the dead, as I described to them in my speech. They showed so much interest and understanding that I realized these people longed
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for catechism and for the depth of orthodox spirituality in relation to death. I thought that was the right moment, at least for the youths, to give this message of hope, eternity and expectation of the resurrection of the dead at the Second Coming of Christ. May our efforts not only with the Maasai but also with the other tribes, manage to offer the real meaning of Orthodoxy to the souls of these much afflicted people, who long to meet and taste the springs and the ethos of our Orthodox faith as the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. †Makarios of Kenya
Catechizing Maasai
CONGO D.R.
A new parish opened in Kinshasa By the Grace of the Almighty God, the missionary ministry of the Holy Metropolis of Central Africa goes on, despite its slender means. The appeal of the Orthodox Church to the indigenous people is moving. Individuals as well as groups of natives enter it seeking the light of truth. The priests along with the catechists are making earnest efforts, often under very difficult conditions, conveying the word of Orthodoxy. The Benevolent God helps, protects and strengthens the workers of the Gospel. Struggling on the front line on a daily basis, we encounter numerous unexpected problems. The pace of work is completely different here. Works that take one day in Europe, here in Africa can hopefully be fulfilled within ten days. The word
“quickly� does not exist. Delays can often create big problems regarding the progress of the projects. Someone who does not live here, cannot possibly understand it. Despite all these, the projects are still going on, not at the pace we would like though. The donations of the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity, i.e. the erection of the Holy Church of the Annunciation of the Theotokos as well as that of the school in Gungu, the construction of the Holy Church of the Archangels next to Kinshasa airport and that of the small medical center in Shamana, are making considerable progress. The Holy Church of the Annunciation has already started operating, despite the fact that there are quite a few things left for its 13
completion, such as, tile-flooring, painting, equipment, icon-painting, the window panes, the icon screen and the pews. This year, our Theological School “Saint Athanasius the Athonite” sent the senior student Fr. George along with a student-cantor, both coming from Gungu, to celebrate the feast of the Annunciation of the Theotokos, and conduct the services of the Salutations as well as those of the Holy Week and the Lord’s Resurrection. At the school in Gungu the works are in progress and we believe that it will hopefully be ready in September. There are a few jobs left, such as the supply of desks, office equipment, bookcase, books as well as the construction of lavatories, the creation of a small reservoir for water collection, the painting and the landscaping of the site.
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As for the Medical Center in Shamana, due to continuous rainfall, the huge distance from Kinshasa and the lack of telecommunications, the news we have is limited. We are waiting for the rainy season to pass so as to be able to travel and have a closer look at the project during the dry season. Fr. Augustine is struggling for the completion of the project and the operation of the unit. During our meeting in Kananga in January, he mentioned details about the progress of the project, and I gave him money for the construction of beds, cabinets and desks. I will let you know as soon as I have any news. As for the Holy Church of the Archangels, we have good news. The construction of the church has already finished. What is left is the belfry, the paving, the doors
First festive service in Ss. Archangels' Church
and windows, the icon-painting, the painting, the furnishings of the church and the priest’s office, as well as the landscaping of the site. On the Sunday of Saint Thomas the Apostle, after the Divine Liturgy, came to the Holy Archangels Church buses with our faithful flock from the parishes of Kinshasa, Saint Nicholas, Saint Mark, Saint Athanasius the Athonite, as well as our students from the Theological School, and all together we chanted the first festive Paschal service. Everyone’s joy was apparent. We also had the appointment of the first president of the church committee, as well as the laying of the foundation stone of the school in the church yard. This school is a donation of an anonymous benefactor. As you know, the Holy Church
was founded by His Beatitude Patriarch of Alexandria Theodore II during his last pastoral visit to Kinshasa in October 2013. At the end of the service, a lot of things were distributed to everyone present, such as red eggs, dyed by the women of St Mark’s parish under the guidance of Mrs Stella Papadopoulou, bread, courtesy of the president of the Greek Community in Kinshasa Mr Gerasimos Dounis, water, courtesy of “Olympic”, Mr Sfakianakis Antonis’ company, and refreshments, offered by the Holy Metropolis. Everyone’s joy was great. For our Church it was a very special day indeed. A new parish had opened in Kinshasa! With warmest wishes † Nicephoros of Central Africa 15
CAMEROON
Easter at the church communities of central and southern Cameroon “..thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations…” (Luke, 24, 46-47) One more time through the passage ('passover') of the Great Lent we reached the holy days of the Great and Holy Week and the joyous feast of the Lord’s Resurrection… along with all the blessings His Grace grants upon our local Church. On the Fifth Sunday of the Lent we experienced something exceptional. Five years ago, after the official recognition of our local Church by the state of Cameroon, a group of priests, inspired by protestant beliefs regarding church admin16
istration, rebelled against the way the Church is administered, that is, against the bishop, and demanded that the administration be carried out by the clerical body and that the bishop should be settled for the role of the representative of the Patriarch of Alexandria. Denying any dialogue whatsoever, they divided the body of the local Church, temporarily occupied a few parishes and then split into five different groups after three unsuccessful attempts to create their own “orthodox church”. Five years
later, some of them came to repentance and asked for forgiveness, which was given to them with the distinction and blessing of H.D.B. Pope and Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria. Their public apology was arranged for the fifth Sunday of the Lent. Our surprise and joy was big because of the fact that a large part of the believers who had followed these priests, returned with them. The bishop, speaking properly after the reading of the gospel, explained to the flock the value of repentance and forgiveness and invited everyone to the unity that
springs from the All-Merciful Lord, the One “that takest away the sin of the world.� At the end of the speech everyone knelt down; then the proper blessing of forgiveness was read for the brothers who had returned into the bosom of our Church, while the Divine Liturgy, the mystery of faith and unity in Christ, was being continued. At the end of the Holy Eucharist the repentant priest read an epistle of apology and a statement of repentance before the church body, the Bishop, the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and
Forgiving prayer for the returning faithful
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the President of the Democracy of Cameroon for all the fuss that they had caused. The Bishop asked the congregation whether they accepted the repentance of the priest, and there was a unanimous “yes”; then, His Eminence, through the blessing of forgiveness, accepted the “son” into the paternal home of the Lord. On Palm Sunday, with the participation of all the clerics of South Cameroon, the priest who had returned concelebrated the Divine Liturgy with his bishop for the first time after five years of schism. Unfortunately this story is neither the first nor the last one in the history of the Mission, but it shows an unknown aspect of the local missionary churches, which are still in their infancy. It is also indicative of the necessity for efforts to be made so that the sparks of such a disastrous probability can never turn into a devastating fire. During the Holy week we had the blessing to have with us the Protopresbytert and doctor Fr. Evangelos Papanikolaou, who so eagerly undertook the task of conducting all the church services for the convenience of the Greek community of Yaounde. 18
Throughout the Easter Week, the Bishop, accompanied by all the clerics of Central and Southern Cameroon, toured all the parishes on the outskirts of the capital as well as other cities, wherever there are Orthodox Church communities, celebrated at the Easter Divine Liturgy, performed baptisms, enjoyed the occasion with his flock and listened to the particular problems of each community. Moreover, he paid a visit of love to two orphanages of Yaounde and carried the materials required for the children’s meals along with toys, notebooks and personal hygiene items, presents coming from friends of the Mission. All this tour within the Easter atmosphere gave us all the chance to renew the relations between us as well as the relation of ministry to our missionary church communities, look deeper into our orientation towards “the eschatological and already present events” of the Resurrection and the Kingdom of Heaven, which we prayed for and still pray for all those who await the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. “Christ is Risen!!!” From the Metropolis of Cameroon
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MADAGASCAR
Our Mission: the illumination of the world Dear President and Board Members of the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity, Christ is Risen! Despite our financial difficulties, the struggle of the Mission continues on this beautiful and muchafflicted island of Madagascar. Day by day, our Church is growing, not only in human resources but also in terms of building facilities, that is Holy Churches, the orphanage in the capital city -which is also funded by a noble donor of your Fraternity-, a school at a university level, and all these, always in conjunction with our general charity action for the relief of the destitute, the sick, 20
and all those in need of love and moral as well as material support. We have repeatedly said that Mission is not only “the declaration of the Divine Word and people‘s Evangelism” but also an offer of charity and actual material relief and assistance. The most important is that we confess all these to people regardless of their religious convictions, colour and racial or national characteristics. Our Faith is vibrant and pure like solid gold, and this is the way in which it should be offered, exactly as it was handed down to us; “Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst , give him
drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.” (Rom.12, 20) This is what the greatness and the differential power of Orthodoxy, that is why it is being embraced by more and more people in the Third Continent; the disinterested, selfless love. A love that does not expect a reward but only aims at the people’s illumination and salvation of soul, which are the “coals” of Faith, as mentioned by the Apostle of the Nations in the quotation above. Therefore, we are very pleased to announce to you that the Mis-
sionary work, always in collaboration with our priests, is advancing, and we are now ready to begin the construction of a Holy Church at the city of Diego in the North. It is a city, where the first baptisms took place a few years ago, and at this time, there are a sufficient number of catechumens. This Holy Church should be intended to meet the needs of our Church in a region where the Orthodox Faith has just made its presence felt, particularly now that the first Orthodox Church is going to be erected. Its estimated cost is approximately
Waiting for drinkable water
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â‚Ź25,000. We are aware of the financial difficulties Greece and other Orthodox countries are going through but we are also aware of the warmheartedness and eagerness of the Orthodox people, who, despite the severe economic crisis that is plaguing their countries, still remain pioneers in philanthropy and missionary action. It is some poor countries today that evangelize a big continent which until yesterday was living in the darkness and in error under the delusion of idolatry,
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paganism and any heretical sect whatsoever. Besides, this is the mission which can bring us into prominence as pioneers of faith on the world stage. We would like to thank once more, not only the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity, but also the generous donors who have contributed and still contribute to the continuation of the Missionary Work, which, after all, we always start together and hope to be able to complete by the Grace of God. †Ignatios of Madagascar
Filing with water a tank, funded by our Fraternity
TANZANIA - MWANZA
Giving education to the children of Mwanza Dear Friends of the Mission, Christ is risen! Allow me to convey you the wishes of our Orthodox brothers of the Holy Metropolis, which I serve. By the Grace of God, there are two middle schools operating at the Holy Metropolis of Mwanza. The first is located in the Rubaale region, is named “Saint Sosthenes” and started operating in 2009, while the second one is in the Kayanga region, is named “Aristotle” and has been operating for two years now. There are 62o students in both boarding schools. You see, it is often a big incentive to education in Africa, if there is food provided at the same time... Each student pays 150 euros annually for tuition fees, food, foot-
wear and other expenses. These revenues are not sufficient to meet all the needs mentioned; as a result, there is a deficit of 40,000 euros on an annual basis. I am making an appeal for financial support to your warmhearted readers with any amount of money they can afford so that a part of such needs can be met. I would like to thank in advance the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity, which always cares about providing a solution to the financial problems that our humble Metropolis of Mwanza has to confront. I am really grateful to you for your valuable help and support. With love in Christ † Ieronymos of Mwanza 23
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Bringing drinkable water to the steppes of Madagascar
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BURUNDI & RWANDA
Challenges for the future of the Church Dear brothers in Christ, Christ is Risen! It is a great joy and honor for me to communicate with you in order to make you participants in the work which is being performed, by the Grace of God, with the blessing and love of His Beatitude Theodore II, Patriarch and Pope of Alexandria and All Africa, and of course, with your own contribution and support, material as well as spiritual. I have been offering my ministry to the Holy Diocese of Burundi and Rwanda for about 15 months
Buramata
now. Our primary concern is the further improvement of the way the local Church is organized and the appeal to the people who want to learn more about her and enter into the bosom of Orthodoxy. As you already know, in the capital city of Burundi, Bujumbura, there are some churches operating, such as the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Theotokos at the city center and St Arsenios Holy Church in the industrial area, while St Demetrios Holy Church at Tsarama district is still incomplete and is used for catechism.
About two hours distance from Bujumbura lies the Orthodox parish of Buramata, whose residents are war refugees. As it is easily understood, the region has huge lacks and needs, the most immediate being the people’s need for evangelism, fighting hunger, provision of better education 26
and health care and configuration of the social environment. It is in these fields that we are taking action. More specifically: Catechism After a three-month-catechesis, more than 600 catechumens have been added to the Orthodox Church, while 120 couples had a religious wedding after their baptism. The number of catechumens is increasing on a daily basis. Ηealth On each one of our visits, we distribute medicines to all those who need them. Also, we contribute actively, within our capabilities, to poverty alleviation in cases of natural disasters. Εducation In September, the beginning of the school year, we conducted the Blessing of Water service, distrib-
uted stationery items to the pupils and bought bicycles for the teaching staff members who live away from school, which is attended by about 600 schoolchildren, boys and girls. Social environment We offered a considerable -for our meagre finances- amount of money to several Orthodox and not only cooperatives, such as the bread-making co-operative and the rice farming ones. Confronting poverty We are implementing a feeding program which includes providing a meal (rice and beans) on a daily basis, not only to the school children but also to the teaching staff. As far as I know, all the members of the Orthodox Church of Buramata are pleased with our contribution by 80% to their survival.
Offering bicycles to teachers
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Rwanda
Today, there are more than 100 people who have already been baptized, while another 3,000 are catechized every Saturday and Sunday after the morning prayer. There are already 15 parishes operating under the supervision of the catechists. The Divine Liturgy is only conducted once a month because there is no local priest; therefore, a priest from Burundi is responsible for serving the Divine Liturgy here in Rwanda. With the blessing of our Patriarch, we have sent to our Orthodox Ecclesiastical School “Makarios III� in Nairobi, Kenya, two young men from Rwanda so that they can study Theology and enter priesthood. Ac28
tually, the one was ordained priest a few days ago. We maintain excellent relations with the authorities of Rwanda. In fact, they seem to care about the way our Church is organized. The communities where Orthodoxy has a strong presence are the regions of Kaziba, Rwabatanzi, Kigali and Nyamata. The mayors of all the provinces invite us and ask for catechetical centers to be created, however, there is no infrastructure for the realization of their wish, at least for the time being, due to our inability to buy the land required for the erection of churches. We are currently designing a
new education system for young men and women, in cooperation with the mayors of several regions. We also operate the Sunday school, which is intended for children, after the Divine Liturgy. Moreover, I would like to let you know that according to the law in Rwanda, I could not take any action without being a permanent resident of this country. As a result, I had to rent a house myself. We need to have a permanent home, by buying either a site in order to build a house, or a ready-made one. The purchase of a site is about 30.00035,000â‚Ź while that of a ready-made house comes to 70.000-100,000 â‚Ź.
On closing my letter, I would like to remind you of a few other problems, too, several of which already existed, and some new ones, which have arisen on the way, such as erection of churches in Rwanda, creation of a polyclinic and of places of assembly, fundraising for scholarships for destitute students and also erection of a Middle School in Buramata. Finally, if I am not being too demanding or annoying, we need some money for buying items that concern the hygiene of the young women and schoolgirls, who miss classes at school during the difficult days of the month. Innocentios of Burundi and Rwanda
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Ministering to the poor “ Head north and you will bring honey on your head. Go east and you will carry milk in your hands. Move south and you will be satisfied with sugar. March west and you will walk supported by a sugar cane. ”
Τhis is a traditional saying of the place of our ministry, very characteristic of this beautiful land of Madagascar. I first heard it in an address to our Metropolitan, and it really made such a great impression on me that I asked the speaker to explain it to me after the charming greeting he extended to our Shepherd, the clergy and the people that had gathered that day on the occasion of a festive event. This is the people we were called to serve: so poor but at the same time so rich... We are in the poorest districts of Tulear in the Ambani region. You look around you and all that you see is vast stretches of desert land. Now in the quiet night outside the Holy Church of St John the Russian I can hear the muffled sound of the rough sea coming from neighbouring Mozambique. Our weariness is endless.
My good friend priest-monk and doctor, really exhausted, is resting in the mud hut that the parishioners of the village have prepared for him in order to host this man who offers them invaluable help. A whole day is not enough to examine people. What to remember first? The breastfeeding mothers with their infants burning with fever from malaria? The lad with the abscess from advanced streptococcus? The dying child who we had to baptize out of schedule as a matter of urgency hoping for a miracle? And you know well that the Miracle here is a fact as you see right in front of you the people that you had given up for dead until yesterday, now living like risen from the dead by the Grace and Mercy of God. Think of the little children at the Church who are praising the 31
Lord despite the fact that they are literally starving to death. The young man who filled with joy and satisfaction told me in the confession that he was freed from the sin that had been dominating him for so many years. My brothers’ pain, when they confide that the food stocks for the family have long been exhausted since the crops have all dried up due to prolonged drought. The people from the outlying villages begging for catechesis. It is true; we are so powerless! Without God’s helping hand we are really incapable of serving in such an over-sacri32
ficial corner of the earth, where every morning rises the hot sun of poverty for the inhabitants of this desert land and of an endless struggle without limits or compromise for the humble workers of this truly multi-dimensional as well as extremely important ministry called the Mission. The night has fallen and now you are seated beneath the darkened sky. You are admiring the exquisite starry clarity, but at the same time you feel the sandy dust of the sea breeze penetrate through your clothes and saturate your lungs. It seems as if nature
itself wants to remind you at any time of the irrefutable connection between donation and pain and of the value of joy when it springs from sorrow and deprivation. I cannot describe the feelings and the emotional swings one can experience in this field. In a field where we are well aware that we did not happen to be here “because of our own righteousness –for we have not done anything good upon the earth” but because of Christ’s mercy and compassion. Here you know well that
when a little child embraces you out of gratitude, your entire existence inside of you can change and that even the slightest effort pays off. Your small contribution can literally save souls. Your little word can change a whole community. And naturally you do not expect any other miracle but the one you see and experience: this early Christian simplicity and transformation of the people who look like infants suckling the heavenly “milk” that the Father is offering to them in this inconsolable life that fell to them as a lot and do-
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nation at the same time. For the last time I look in awe at our Church, burned by the sun and smothered in dust, and ask from her patron Saint, St John the Russian, whom I particularly revere, to grant that I will never be forcibly separated from his flock that I love so much as a member of them and as their servant. “Look”, I talk to myself, “look once more and direct your gaze to the north. And you will harvest the honey of the Divine Word which you gave to the hungry bees-those simple, poor people. You will harvest it one hundred34
fold within your poor heart. Now head eastward and you will drink from the milk you offered to the thirsty children yesterday. Not your own milk; yet, it was your own thirst you satisfied as well as your miserable and painful existence." Now I feel a little friend of mine, dirty and in rags, press my hand with his little black hand and turn it southward, my longed-for poorest South, and whisper in my ear: "it’s from there that you will be satisfied with the sweetness of 'sugar'. It’s by us, the poor and the destitute, that you will be satis-
fied with 'sugar' and the sweetness of the heart and conscience." And suddenly he turns it westward. Where the red sun lets its fiery rays paint our big red island for the last time. He changes color in his voice and warns me like a big man: "I don’t promise you embossed gold rods. I have nothing like that to give you. I will give you a reed in your hands to support you on your long marches through the dust and mud. Like the simple reed our Lord bore in His hands before that ultimate Sacrifice of Crucifixion. For
our life here is an endless march through pain and death. Beware though, for this reed is a pure sugar cane. At the end of your course, at the sunset of your life, open it up and eat the sweetest ‘sappy sprout’ it hides inside. A 'sprout' that will sweeten your embittered heart forever in eternity. This is the quality of the people you serve, my good father and friend. Don’t you think that they are really worth your sacrifice?" Hieromonk Polycarpos of Hagia Anna
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Teaching at the Orthodox Theological School of the Congo 36
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aint Athanasius the Athonite Theological School, a faculty of the Orthodox University of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, started operating at the Mont Ngafula region in Kinshasa in September 2007. Attendance at school is five years. The School offers three directions: a) The Bible-Patristic Theology-Ecclesiastical History, b) Liturgics and c) Organization and Administration of Church Life. The number of students during the first academic year of the School (2007-2008) amounted to 70, and has remained broadly stable until today. On average, there are 15 students per class. Attendance is compulsory. The presentations delivered for each lesson last two hours each, which is strictly observed. The teaching staff comes from DRC, Greece, France and Australia. Teaching is held either in person or by teleconference. The school is situated up on a green hill, about 25km outside the capital. When approaching it, the first thing one can see from afar is the imposing dome of the Church of St Athanasius the Athonite, which dominates the center of the internal yard of the Institution. Monastic architecture was undoubtedly the source of inspiration for the creator of the wide building
complex. An imposing protective enclosure surrounds the particular premises of the school, which are circumferentially arranged around the temple. It is thanks to generous donations that all the necessary premises of an educational institution have been created, which are organized in such a way as to provide accommodation not only to the boarders and the teaching staff but also to all those who come to the School in order to offer missionary ministry as well as love and knowledge. The contribution of the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity to that field was great once more. I had the pleasure of being informed about this ambitious effort of the Mission in the heart of Africa by my colleague Niki Papageorgiou, who has taken an active part in it as a professor since the very first academic year. I must confess that I was really impressed and thought that I could contribute to something myself. So when Mrs. Papageorgiou conveyed to me the request of His Eminence Metropolitan Nikiforos of Central Africa to undertake teaching the course of Byzantine art, which I teach at the Theological School of Aristotle University, I had no qualms whatsoever. In fact, I wanted to go to Kinshasa in order to teach there in person, because 37
Professors and students of the Theological School
I believe in the power of personal contact with students. I have now joined the academic staff of the School since the academic year 2012-2013. The first courses (30 hours of teaching) were held for the first year students in January 2013. There was so much interest that the barrage of questions during the course resulted in my not managing to cover the material. For this reason, the next year (20132014), the course was also added to the second year curriculum. I'll never forget the way the second-year students welcomed me in February 2014. It was impossible not to cry. Apart from the courses, the daily schedule did not differ from the communal monastic life: Matins, breakfast, teaching session, 38
lunch, teaching session, evening prayer, dinner and Compline. After the Compline service and until the interruption in the power supply at about 10 pm, we would try to find a few hours to rest in the beautiful garden of the School. Most often, however, this was impossible, because we were approached by youths who needed to find answers to their queries, not only on purely theological issues. The discussions were fruitful for both sides. Therefore, the project which is performed in this academic institution is titanic. The problems are plentiful, the major being lack of financial resources in order to ensure free schooling for the students, supply of computers, printers, scanners, stationery and also books to
enrich the library. Students are required to prepare projects during their studies. However, the question is where to search for their material, if there are no suitable conditions. Here we have to note that the level of school infrastructure is tightly controlled by the official state. We believe that with the help of St Athanasius the Athonite, St. Barbara, whose temple was opened in the school courtyard this year, and all those who believe in the necessity of disseminating genuine Theology to the ends of the earth, any problems will be eliminated and the project will grow enormously. Today's students as clergy or laity will take over and will minister to their local church and their own seminary. Every Sunday the
brilliant 'Catholicon' of the school filled with poor, shabbily dressed children of the neighbourhood, who came perhaps to get the antidoron and a few candies, but attended the Divine Liturgy with great reverence. I want to believe that those children are the future students of Theology. I praise and thank God for giving me the opportunity to meet another world, and I hope he grants that I will be able to go there every year in order to teach and be taught and also in order to remember that some people in the world who are struggling for the obvious, might be entering the kingdom of God before us. Maria Kazamia Associate Professor - Faculty of Theology AUTH, Regular member of the Fraternity
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Educational Sponsoring Investing in the future
Participating in the program of educational sponsoring, our donators contribute to the education of indigent students. It is really touching for us to receive letters of thankfulness, such as the scholar's below. Dear friends of the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity,
Thank you so much for the extraordinary generosity you exhibited towards me as you accepted to sponsor me through university education. Upon the completion of my Theological Studies, I sought and was granted admission into the National Open University of Nigeria to study Cooperatives management on June 2 nd 2011. I am pleased to inform you that thanks to your provisions, am already in the second semester of the third year thus, looking forward to one more enriching year. 40
I am glad to have the opportunity to thank you personally for your dedication and plenitude of your contribution to Orthodox Mission in Africa or elsewhere. Permit me to tell you how consistently impressed I am with the depth of commitment demonstrated time and time again by you. Once again I offer my sincerest appreciations for your unflinching generosity validated as well by empowering individuals towards achieving their potentials. Thanks. Nwaba James
Philippines: The dawn of Orthodoxy The Philippines are a group of coral-embroidered islands, which the Pacific Ocean stole from the land of South Asia and made its own. They form a sea carved archipelago of more than 7,000 islands with a population of 95 million people. Each one of them, though, looks like a different painting of outstanding natural beauty. The people are characterized by politeness in speech and kindness. Their piety stems from as pure as crystal soul, while the religious feeling permeates throughout their society. The Grace of God, Who knows how to defy the odds, allowed our Orthodox faith, which leads to sal-
vation, to rise in this country as well, about 30 years ago. It all began in 1983, when Vincent Escarcha, a Roman Catholic benectidine abbot from the island of Masbate in Central Philippines, made a trip to the USA. There, on Holy Saturday, he met a large crowd of worshippers outside a Greek Orthodox Church and felt the urge to participate in the Divine Liturgy of the Resurrection. He was touched by the Orthodox worship and began to attend the holy services regularly, which lasted for six months. His quest for Orthodoxy did not stop there. After seven years of laborious research, studying and penetration into the Orthodox
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faith, in 1990 along with another 12 souls he accepted the pastoral visit of Metropolitan Dionysios of New Zealand and of the Bishop of Zela at that time, Fr. Sotirios Trampas. In the April of the same year, at the chapel of the Greek consulate of Manila, where missionary Fr. Athanasios Anthides had once conducted the Divine Liturgy, Fr Vincent along with a novice, four nuns and another seven women, were chrismated and formed the first nucleus of the Orthodox Church in the Philippines. The Orthodox Missionary Fraternity has embraced the Mission in the Philippines since its establishment, supporting the erection of the Holy Church of the Annunciation of the Theotokos in Manila and of the Holy Monastery of the Nativ42
ity of the Theotokos on the island of Masbate. Fr. Sotirios Trampas was the soul of the first missionary expeditions, which conveyed the Word of Orthodoxy to distant places. Today Orthodoxy is present at 10 regions of this tropical country and numbers about 1,600 people. The distances are vast, since the length of the Philippines measures more than 1,850 km. Most of the communities are on the northern island of Luzon, where the capital city, Manila, is located. On the central islands, the Visayas, the worshippers are mainly served by the monastery of the Theotokos and some other nuclei. Lately, Orthodoxy has also spread to the southern volcanic island of Mindanao,
where in December 2012 two new church communities of 70 believers were founded. Orthodox Filipinos are characterized by their zeal, but the Mission has several problems to deal with. The clergy there has not received full training; as a result, there is only one confessor for the whole archipelago. There are still lacking in even the plainest items of worship, there are no holy churches, while the existing ones need restoration. It is characteristic the fact that the six priests of the country have no second cassock to wear, while the baptisms are performed within bins instead of fonts.
25 years ago, we, the Orthodox, transmitted the light of true faith to these people. Now, we must support them in these difficulties that they are going through. Orthodox Filipinos ask for nothing that is not really necessary. They simply ask for our help, like brothers in faith, in order to worship God properly and decently. They ask us to teach them the orthodox virtues and also to give them a tangible example of our love in Christ. They have shown admirable patience for so many years.Their heart is expecting to welcome our so valuable to them help. Let's not turn a deaf ear.
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Columns of gratitude and heartfelt thankfulness Donations from 1.2.2014 to 30.4.2014
Names of the donors are available on printed edition only
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"For God loves a cheerful giver"
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Attributions 8 Roger Smith 23 the apostrophe 40 Colin J. McMechan 44 MissTessmacher 46 swirlingthoughts
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