Orthodox Mission #22 by Orthodox Missionary Fraternity

orthodox mission

Founded in 1963 Honored by the Patriarchate of Alexandria #22 October-December 2017 Editor: Nostis Psarras Ss. Missionaries Cyril and Methodius

In this Issue 04 06 08 10 14 16 19 20 26 29 30 33 35 36 40 44

Metropolitan of Pentapolis Indonesia India Madagascar Congo (DRC) - Katanga Ghana Congo (DRC) - Kinshasa Congo Brazzaville Nairobi Nigeria Malawi Tanzania - Arusha Kenya - Nyeri Kenya - Kisumu Niger river Columns of Gratitude

You can give your love for the Orthodox Missions abroad via Paypal at paypal@ierapostoles.gr, by check or by deposit in our bank account:

ALPHA BANK • ΙΒΑΝ: GR93 0140 4050 4050 0200 2000 170 • BIC: CRBAGRAA Other bank accounts: omf.gr/ways-give/ An ofiicial receipt for your donation will be issued and mailed to you.

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 communications @orthodoxmission.org.gr Registered Charitable Association Aim: Moral and material support for the worldwide Eastern Orthodox Missions Spiritual founder:  Archimandrite Chrysostomos Papasarantopoulos Founder

:  Pantelis Bayas

Great Benefactor :  P. Papademetracopoulos

Board of Directors Demetrios Sotirkos Chairman

Nostis Psarras Vice chairman Angeliki Arnaouti Secretary General Charalampos Metallides Τreasurer Constantinos Metallides Secretary Assistant Evangelia Traicoudes Treasurer Assistant Panagiotis Anastasiades Member Nicoleta Modiotou Member

Angelos Vogiatzis

Member

Holy Nativity 2017 May the grace of our newly-born Christ shine upon you and the nations in the new year 2018

Metropolitan Ignatios of Pentapolis The Path to Heavenly Exaltation On the dawn of November 9, 2017, the holy feast day of St. Nektarios of Pentapolis the Wonderworker, Missionary Ignatios Mandelides Metropolitan of Pentapolis fell asleep in the Lord. He worthily bore the title of the saint in Aegina, honorably given to him by His Beatitude Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria. Born in 1930 in Edessa to parents uprooted from the territories of Asia Minor, he was only a child when he felt the fragrance of the grace of Christ in his soul. Going up the stairs of time, he received his degree in Theology in the year 1950. He was ordained Deacon in 1968 and Elder one year later. He did his first spiritual service in Larissa, where he distinguished himself for his high spiritual values and his charitable action, which he handed down to his spiritual children. Later, he was invited by the late missionary Fr. Chariton Pnevmatikakis to walk alongside him in spreading the Orthodox faith to our African brothers in the city of Kananga, Congo. In 2003 he was consecrated Metropolitan of Central Africa (DR Congo, Congo- Brazzaville, Burundi, Rwanda) by the late Pope and Patriarch Peter Z. of Alexandria. ÂŤA new struggle of self-sacrifice has begun for my littleness,Âť is a phrase that he told us when he visited the offices of the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity, which was a loyal succorer in his missionary testimony in Africa. His spiritual distinction was the crystal source of his virtues accompanied by humbleness on the path to heavenly exaltation! The establishment of the Orthodox University - to which our Fraternity has contributed financially as well - in the capital city of Congo, Kinshasa, is one of his most remarkable achievements. A physical accident followed by malaria brought him to the Greek land for eternal repause. The funeral service took place at the S.C. of Saint Nicholas in Pefkakia, Athens, on November 11, and was headed by the Exarch of the Patriarchate of Alexandria His Eminence Metropolitan George of Guinea, and many other prelates from Africa and Greece. Our Fraternity was represented by Treasurer Charalambos Metallides. Christ is Risen! Nostis Psarras 5

INDONESIA

Need for Ecclesiastical Books Dear Friends of the Mission, We praise God for your continued support to us; you are always by our side helping us meet our needs, and we are deeply grateful for that. We warmly thank you for the 10,000 euro you sent us. This amount of money was used for buying Father Chariton Zega a truck which will help him and his family earn their living, since, as you know, our priests here in Indonesia do not get a salary. With this money we will also pay the teachers for our schools in Sumbul village. We have been thinking of writing Orthodox books for years. These books are usually requested by people who want to learn more about Orthodoxy. Until now we 6

have managed to get very few books printed in Indonesian. Now we have 8 books ready for printing, all written by Presbytera Elizabeth and Fr. Chrysostomos Manalu. The books are: 1. Prayer Book. It contains morning prayer, prayers for various needs, instructions on confession, supplications, some troparia and many more. 2. Ancient Greek for the Saint Paul Theological School here in Medan. 3. Satan and Exorcisms. Asia, particularly Indonesia, is the land of evil spirits. Presbytera Elizabeth translated the exorcisms, which we read to some people, and by the grace of God they were cured. 4. 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Com-

mentary on the first epistles written by Saint Paul. 5. Jehovahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Witnesses. In the last 3 years the Jehovah Witnesses have made huge efforts for their Mission. It is our duty, the duty of the Orthodox Church, to testify that they are not Christians, so as to protect our flock from going the wrong way. 6. Orthodox Spirituality. 7. Synods and Heretics. 8. Introduction to Orthodox Theology. These are the 8 books that must be printed, so we make an earnest appeal to your kind heart for help. We need your assistance to carry out this great project. As for our hospital here in Indonesia, things have been really difficult so far. I honestly do not know

what to do anymore. I will leave it to the mercy of God, for I am just too tired. Even though our Theological School is doing well, its graduates are being taken by the Protestants. Unfortunately we do not offer them jobs in our Church. Now we have 3 families whose men want to become priests. They were taught the ecclesiastical things and finished the St. Paul Theological School, but until now they have not yet been ordained as we have been waiting for the blessing of His Eminence to do that These are our problems, brothers. Pray that our good God will strengthen us and that Our Lady Theotokos will embrace us. Wishing in the Lord, Fr. Chrysostomos Manalu

Baptisms in Sumatra

INDIA

Working for hope Dear Friends of the Mission, Rejoice in the Lord always. It is with great joy that I recall our meeting at the Fraternity Offices, in this blessed place where, armed with Faith, abundant Love and Zeal, you fight in the rear and support the Orthodox Mission around the world, part of which is our humble missionary effort in India. I am well aware of the difficulties that our country is experiencing and the needs of our Greek compatriots and, to be honest, I find it really hard to ask for financial assistance from Greece. We experience the results of the crisis in India as well, and despite our faith in Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love and providence, it is humanly impossi8

ble not to feel anxious, since we are responsible for so many souls. So far with the help of God, we have been able to keep the following programs running: 1. The Calcutta soup kitchens: Breakfast milk for homeless children and lunch for the blind and the disabled elderly. 2. Free medical and pharmaceutical treatment at the five Mission Clinics. 3. The operation of the five schools of the Mission in the villages where there are Orthodox churches and parish communities. 4. The operation of our two Orphanages, one for boys and one for girls, which we believe are the nursery of future Missionaries.

5. The smooth functioning of our English school on the premises of the Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Orphanage, attended by our orphaned children and not only. All of the above have resulted from enormous efforts and a great deal of concern and anxiety, as revenues are constantly falling, while needs and living costs are rising. During this anguished effort, we received your donation of 13.300 euros, which will be used according to the purposes designated by the donors, whom we thank from the depth of our souls. We were especially relieved by your donation for the soup kitchen for the less fortunate. I cannot describe it with words! We were about to discontinue this program due to lack of funds and our whole existence was suffering thinking all these blind, disabled and elderly people who for years survive

only thanks to this little food that our Mission gives them every day. It grieved me but I had no way out. The solution was finally given by the all-merciful Lord through the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity that all these years stands by our side like Simon of Cyrene in the gloomiest moments of our cruciresurrectional course. All oceans have a bottom. Truly I tell you, however, that my gratitude to your Fraternity is bottomless. How could I reciprocate? I have no time to write long responses and articles. I only have a prayer from the innermost of my soul. May God grant health and strength to all of you, so that with the same zeal and sacrificial love you will keep on serving the work of God for the evangelization of the nations. With honor and love in Christ, Sister Nektaria

At the fish pond of our orphanage

MADAGASCAR

New Projects, New Blessings By the grace of God and with the blessing of His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodore, our Church’s mission and charity work progresses to the glory of God and to the salvation of His people. The words of the Lord referring to the Gospel are always contemporary in our minds as well as in actual practice. It is our love for our brothers that makes us want their evangelism and the salvation of their souls and it is this love that always keeps us alert and in readiness. With the eyes of our soul, we see in depth the holy mission of our Church spread the sacred Gospel so that these people become real children of God by grace through the Holy Sacraments. Last September, many people who had been catechized before, 10

partook of the first Mystery of our Church, Baptism. “Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth”. The church fonts as well as the rivers become the Siloam’s fonts that regenerate our newly-illumined brothers. This joy gives us strength to defy the troubles, discomforts and dangers that we encounter and continue our struggle in distant Madagascar. We felt the same joy when we finished the construction of a middle school in Mahasolo village, where several years ago we built the sacred church of the Holy Trinity. I remember old Abraham and his wife Sarah, full of enthusiasm and love for Orthodoxy, becoming Orthodox and building a church-a mud hut at the beginning. Since then, he

has been keeping a guest book, and every time we go there, he reminds us which priest celebrated the Divine Liturgy the previous time and when-that is, the exact date, and his signature underneath. Indeed, what a moving thing to do! After the school construction was finished, the Consecration and Opening date was set with the participation of political authorities, the schools of the surrounding areas, as well as the Orthodox school, which is temporarily housed in an old building. The celebration began with the rise of the two flags (of Greece and Madagascar), and our emotion culminated when the national anthem of Greece was heard.

With their work, our missionaries far and wide are worthy representatives of our small but honored homeland. There were speeches given by many people about the nice work that will offer the poor children of this remote village the chance to attend school tuition-free and help them further their education so that they will become people useful to the society. Here we would like to express our deep gratitude to the school donor for his generous support in memory of his late daughter Despina. Eternal be her memory! The missionary struggle continues in the charity field as well, with the female orphanage being the first and most important project.

Our orphans in Antananarivo

Sleeping quarters The orphanage has been operating since last year and today it hosts 50 orphaned girls. We earnestly thank the anonymous donor of the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity for the orphanageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interior equipment. Several beds have been built on the first floor as well as wardrobes. Also on the ground floor there is a refectory with several tables and seats for approximately 150 children. We praise God for His providence and His care not only for the construction of the building but also for its interior fittings. There are two problems that we have had to face for the last two years. The first is the typhoons, which leave considerable damage on their way. Due to landslide, two 12

churches in different villages have suffered great damage and have been rendered non-operational. The sacred services take place in schools next to the churches. Since this has been going on for quite some time now, the Orthodox Christians are, in a way, complaining and are asking for a new church to carry out their worship duties. We earnestly appeal to the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity and to all Christians to help us rebuild these sacred churches. We are well aware of the crisis that our country is going through, as well as most peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s narrow resources. However, we believe that when we give from the little we have, this money is blessed by God, therefore the new sacred

church will eventually be blessed and rebuilt. Severe weather conditions cause big damage to buildings (churches and schools), with a resulting need for constant repairs and maintenance. Strong winds blow off buildings roofs, as the day before yesterday the mighty winds ripped off St. Christinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s church roof-top in the Tulear region. The second problem started at the beginning of October. Since then, the capital city of Antananarivo has been infested with mice. The people are terrified as there are many victims of the infectious diseases that mice carry and spread every year. All schools are closed. The construction of the Ascension Church in the Tulear region

has been completed, and will soon be consecrated. This was another great blessing coming from a donor of your Fraternity, whom we are grateful to. What is pending though, is the completion of the interior equipment. Once again, I appeal to your kind heart for supportto the extent this is possible- so that the churches can operate regularly and the faithful can perform their duties unhindered. Finally, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity, which always stands by our missionary work by implementing new projects and by providing financial support for the general needs of the Mission. â&#x20AC; Ignatius of Madagascar

Soup kitchen for orphan and needy children

CONGO (DRC) - KATANGA

All to the glory of God Dear brothers in Christ, By the Grace of God we have completed 29 years of ministry in the black continent, the vast Africa. The lot given to us by the Lord is, as you already know, Kolwezi and the whole of Katanga province. All this time our eyes have seen a lot of things. Naturally, we have faced numerous difficulties and plenty of adversity, we have lived unequalled moments of sorrow, grief, anguish but joy as well, through which one can see the grace of God, which always covers us protectively, regardless of whether we feel it or not. We sometimes start a project from scratch with no prospects of completing it and then the Lord comes to our assistance, always providing a solution, so eventually this project is fulfilled to the Glory of God. After 14

all, this is the ultimate purpose of our humble ministry here: everything is done to the Glory of God. Thus, no matter what project we are working on, whether it is school or church construction, performing baptisms, priest ordinations, or charity, everything should be done not in praise of ourselves but to the Glory of His Hallow Name. Undoubtedly there are plenty of needs, but it is practically impossible to cover them all. However, it is your love that helps us move forward and makes our efforts bear fruit. This year it was imperative that we have two new churches erected as the flock is growing bigger and bigger and the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist should not be performed in mud-huts or mud brick churches. So far, 45 churches have

been constructed, while there are another 65 mud brick ones that are operating. The fact that these humble churches have a makeshift iconostasis, no pulpit or iconography, no window or door frames, no tiled floor, are by no means less blessed than the completed one. We could say that there, God’s grace is the same or even greater. However, it is for purely practical reasons that such churches should be replaced by constructed ones since in periods of drought, strong winds raise clouds of dust which comes in during the D. Liturgy, and in rainy seasons the mud bricks get wet, so the risk of collapse is high, as it happened at St. Menas’ church at the time of the Divine Liturgy. It was a tragic case indeed when at the time

of the Communion Hymn, the parish priest Fr. Lazarus, a pure-hearted Levite, came out at the Beautiful Gate in order to preach the sermon, and the whole of the eastern wall behind the Sanctuary collapsed with a thunderous sound. This is why once more we appeal to your love and ask for your support for the reconstruction of the two aforementioned churches, whose cost is estimated at 50,000 euro each. We will be grateful to those friends of the Mission that will undertake the funding of this project, and their names will always be remembered by our African priests in memory eternal. With love in Chrisτ † Meletios of Katanga

GHANA

The Orthodox Christian Youth Camp 2017 Over 200 Orthodox youth between the ages of 12 and 22 gathered at the St. Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College, Larteh, in a ten-day Youth Camp organised by the Orthodox Church, Ghana. On Tuesday 22 August, the young campers started arriving in chartered tro-tros (the mini buses used for public transport here), in taxis and even some buses. They were registered and put into two main groups under their supervisors or Camp Guides. There was immediately a lot of bonding between the young campers and the camp staff. There was an infectious joy all around. Soon, there was a slogan ringing out from gathering to gathering, from class to class, from event to event:

Learn the Orthodox Faith! Live the Orthodox Way! The idea was to create and provide an atmosphere of complete immersion into Orthodox life as was possible. This would be one way of strengthening the faith of our young ones, and protect them against aggressive and harmful proselytism. Daily activities included Morning Prayer and Bible Study in groups, followed by Matins. Breakfast was then followed by two study sessions with a short break in between; and then a lunch break followed in the afternoon by afternoon activities that included crafts, sports and games, talks on life issues targeted to this age group and lots of play. There was barely enough time to freshen up before we all crowded

into the now too small Chapel of the Resurrection for Vespers which, like Matins, the campers sang with gusto. At each of these services one of the leaders, a local pastor gave a pep talk on how to “live the Orthodox way” and be a better Orthodox Christian. Vespers was followed by supper and an evening programme of meaningful and educative entertainment. Evening Prayer followed in small groups before the campers retired to bed. The campers received many great ‘take-aways’. Prominent among these were the eye-catching inflatable solar lamps that will surely make studying a bit easier for the young ones in their rural communities, or when power fails, as it still often does, for the few in urban homes. Many were those

who were proud to show off their bright string back packs displaying the camp logo, and the gifts they had made for their mothers on their return home. As a first, this was a great camp, a great success. The chant of the children on the last day of the camp said it all. As they gathered in the small hall for last instruction, and in the grounds in front of the Chapel for the closing ceremony, they chanted: Yɛpɛ a yɛnkɔ! This does not translate well into English. They simply meant: ‘We don’t want to go!’ That chant ebbed only when they were assured that this would be an annual affair and that next year they would have not less than two weeks. That news was greeted with loud cheers of joy. From the Holy Metropolis

A Thirst-Quenching Gift Dear friends of the Mission, Firstly, once again I would like to express my deep and sincere gratitude for your undivided material, moral and mainly prayerful support to the missionary work of our Holy Metropolis. I wholeheartedly thank you for your love and your noble donation of 7,500 euro to our Metropolis to meet the multiple functional needs of maintaining and continuing our missionary work in this fertile missionary province of the Patriarchate of Alexandria. With this letter, I hereby wish to ask for your assistance for the drilling of a water-well in Empremai village in Ghana. In this village, we have just completed the construction of a new elementary

school, which will offer free education to the children in the area, who would probably otherwise remain uneducated. The building complex is ready, but we need to drill a borehole so that students can have access to clean and safe drinking water. The total drilling cost along with the equipment is estimated at 4,000 euro. I am well aware of the fact that the current economic conditions are extremely unfavorable and most often prohibitive. However, I draw courage from your love for the Mission and look forward to your positive response to our request for helping the young school children. With love in Christ, â&#x20AC; Narcissus of Accra

CONGO (DRC) - Kinshasa

Let us not forget Dear Brothers, I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I dare appeal to the charitable feelings of the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity, wishing its members and friends good health by the grace of the Holy Triune God. As you certainly know, the economic problems we have to face are many. We struggle hard daily in order to be able to meet our current needs... We are unable to pay the salaries of the teachers at our Orthodox schools. There is no public education here and our needy brothers could not possibly afford to pay the tuition fees. It is also absolutely necessary that we cover inpatient

hospital care. There are many poor indigenous brothers in our region who come in tears asking us to pay the costs so they can go to hospital. Also, we should not forget the medical clinic you funded in the Shamana area, the heart of the Congolese jungle, which may be a caring nest for our brothers who live isolated there, but naturally, it has its own operating expenses. It is imperative that we find the amount of â&#x201A;Ź 10,000 in order to cover the cost of the aforementioned needs. We wholeheartedly thank all of you for your unconditional love, and humbly we pray that the Good God will always give you His abundant blessings. â&#x20AC; Nikiphoros of Kinshasa 19

CONGO BRAZZAVILLE

Come Over into Brazzaville and Help Us Every Divine Liturgy is a synopsis of the Life of Christ. A synopsis that is not symbolic but real. What we have seen, what we have touched, we receive it. It is the Body of Jesus Christ. Thus, through the Divine Liturgy, we participate in the Life of Christ, which for all of us is called Church Life, while partaking of the Body and the Blood of the Lord, we are integral members of the heavenly One, Holy, Indivisible, Catholic Orthodox Church. The earthly Life of Christ ends with His promise to the Apostles to go to the ends of the world to preach the Gospel to all nations baptizing them in the name of the Holy Trinity. At the dismissal of the Eucharist Gathering Rite, the last words of the

priest give us «Blessing of the Lord and Mercy», since we have tasted the Heavenly Bread. We come out of the Church filled with the overflowing blessing of God, undeniable witnesses to His Mercy. It is the «Blessing of the Lord and Mercy» that we carry on with the Mission to our African brothers. We came to their hospitable land and established local Churches by the Grace of God and with the support of the Greek brothers so that the Holy Spirit comes down and enlightens this thirsty for Eternal Life land and the Light of Truth shines for every man who comes into this world whether that place be Greece, Russia, Ecuador, the distant countries of Congo-Brazzaville and Ga-

bon, Central and West - Equatorial Africa... There is no Orthodox church in the center of Congo-Brazzaville. Yet, the state has already offered a large plot of land to the Orthodox Diocese, requesting in the most formal way the establishment of a place of worship of the Triune God! «Come over into Macedonia and help us!» Brothers, help build a Church, ring other orthodox bells on the continent of the future and dissolve evil darkness. “Let the light of Christ shine before men so that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”! A similar problem exists in Gabon, even though Orthodoxy was officially recognized there a year ago, an act necessary for our Church to operate freely in that place. The absence of a sacred church prevents the establishment of an Orthodox

parish community, which will be the nucleus for spreading the message of the Resurrection across this country. Gabon is particularly plagued by emerging religious movements and neo-Protestant organizations of American origin, by heresy and fallacy, by superstition and fears cultivated by the spiritual leaders of traditional religions with the aim of manipulating people through their subjugation to them. The necessity of establishing an Orthodox parish in the country of Gabon raises a spiritual alarm for everyone. Without the worship of God, everything is done in vain, precisely because every work has value when it is sanctified. Besides, from the earliest Christian years we see that the place of worship of the Triune God and the celebration of the Divine Liturgy was a fixed point of reference

among early Christians. It was in those holy places that the Apostles performed the Divine Liturgy and the faithful communion partook of the Body and Blood of Christ. This is the heritage of Orthodoxy. If the purpose of the Church is the sanctification of man, then there are roads that lead to it, which our Lord Himself has inaugurated. Therefore, no one can claim that he was saved by Christ, that he is in the Church, that he has lived his personal resurrection, and turn his back on those whom Christ called the least of His brothers. The more humble one is in this world, the more elevated he is in the eyes of God, and this is something that the Church of Christ never forgets. If the purpose of the

Church is the sanctification of man, then the path to sanctification is the healing of the fellow human being who is suffering. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Churchâ&#x20AC;? cannot possibly be understood without practical love! The protection and care of orphans is not alien to Orthodox tradition. From the age of the Holy Apostles and the later period of the Great Fathers of our Church to this day, the Church of Christ has covered spiritually as well as materially the children without a family not only by helping them survive, but by bringing them up with spiritual values so as to make them useful Christian citizens in the society, equal to the rest. This is the Church tradition,

Distribution of goods to the Pygmies

which we, the contemporary, cannot possibly leave in oblivion. Since 2007, when with the blessing of our Patriarch Theodore II the «Saint Eustathius» Orthodox Orphanage opened its doors, it has embraced «the little brothers of Jesus», children without a family, becoming itself a large orthodox family so that these children grow up like all the rest of the world, with safety, proper nutrition, orthodox upbringing, equal education, decent living. It is said that «the soul of a man is more valuable than the whole world.» This is the worldview of our Holy Church. Thus, she stands separately to each one since she is responsible for the Salvation of everyone. I appeal to your loving heart for help, brothers! The joy on our children’s faces is the greatest promise

that the word of Savior Christ on this land bears fruit. We are all responsible for this joy and the continuity of the great work that is taking place. Let us struggle on this road, aiming not at the earthly but at the heavenly. After all, the Homeland is one and the same for all of us. This is theso-called heavenly Jerusalem, which the Lord promised to us. Indeed, on world maps the Congo and Gabon are quite far away from us. And yet, Christ brought us all together, made us a family. How can I watch my brother suffering without feeling for him since we are parts of the same Body? Let us respond to this question through the attitude we are going to keep in life. † Panteleimon of Brazzaville and Gabon 23

Consecration of a new waterpump in Tanzania, funded by our Fraternity

KENYA - Nairobi

Relief Mission Aid Now that I am writing these lines, I am in a remote area near the borders of Tanzania. For days now, our Maasai Priest has been urging me to visit their region to see with my own eyes the horrible situation not only of our faithful, but also of the entire population of the region in general. And naturally, I thought to myself: ÂŤIs it possible in the 21st century to have people starving to death because they do not have the necessary daily bread in order to survive?Âť Without any delay, along with my usual team, we filled our small mission van with all sorts of food

and set off for our destination, where we finally arrived after a sixhour journey. You can imagine the joy of our priest when he saw us. He could hardly find any words to thank us, knowing why we had gone there. Instantly, the priest got onto the mission van and gave us instructions on where to go and what to do. We were all very curious to see what we would meet. After a while, having previously traversed areas dug into the soil due to the drought that has been going on for several years, we entered an area literally nestled in the huge rocks. Indeed, the whole sight re-

minded of a biblical disaster, since there was neither a green leaf in the surrounding trees nor any other vegetation. When we arrived, we stood in front of the Maasai huts, made of dry grass. The first to come out were the women followed by the little children. The whole spectacle was shocking. The people were really starving. If it is ever possible, in the century that we live in, to have people, especially little children, all skeletal, who do not have a little food to feed on! Fortunately though, thanks to what our priest had told us, we brought plenty of food supplies. The priest spoke to

them about our visit and the reasons for our meeting. The tribal chief gave us a warm welcome and expressed his gratitude for the philanthropic feelings of the Orthodox Church, particularly stressing the undeniable reality of the famished little children. So we saw with our own eyes how much these people are suffering, literally starving and lacking all the basic essentials for survival. It is a sin in our century to let these children undergo so much suffering while we live in our comforts, and yet, we are not content and complain about not having enough

goods. We, by comparison, have a lot of material goods whereas others living next to us are dying of hunger. Unfortunately poverty and misery abounds not only in the Maasai region but also in the capital city of Nairobi. On a daily basis 350 children, orphaned or abandoned, ask for our protection. We give them breakfast and a hot meal, cooked with sympathy and love. The whole program only costs â&#x201A;Ź 1,000 per week and relieves all these little children who otherwise, could not survive under any other circumstances, would have no protection, no care

from anyone. We should never abandon this God-pleasing work, which, from our experience, saves lives and gives hope and a message of joy and optimism for the future. Let us hope that God will send forth kind-hearted people who will support it so that we can keep it running. We earnestly thank the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity, who for decades has been conveying these messages to the broad public in order to raise their awareness and, if possible, to find supporters. â&#x20AC; Makarios of Nairobi

NIGERIA

Anniversary of Gratitude Dear Friends of the Mission, On Saturday, September 23rd, 20 years were completed since the establishment of the Holy Metropolis (Diocese at the time) of Nigeria. For many years now the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity has been a succorer and supporter at every step of our ministry here in various ways, always showing sympathy to our problems, struggles and anxieties and willingness to provide help. Over the years, and always by the grace of God, we have built a brotherly relationship, founded on mutual respect and trust. Despite the objectively adverse conditions and the breadth of the Fraternityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

activities, our Metropolis has become the recipient of your love and goodwill. On behalf of all of us, clergy and laymen, I extend our heartfelt thanks and express to you, your associates and members as well as to the known and unknown donors, our deep gratitude for your decisive presence in the life of our local Church. We wholeheartedly pray that the Lord will continue to support your life and your multifaceted and very important activities, giving you health and longevity. Please remember us in your prayers. With a thankful heart and love in Christ, â&#x20AC; Alexander of Nigeria 29

MALAWI

Responsibilities and tasks of the Orthodox clergy Since all of us have tasted the sweetness and uniqueness of the Orthodox Church, it is only natural as well as our duty to want to pull into the Orthodox Church those who are currently out of it, regardless of whether they are idolaters or heretics! How then will we draw the heterodox into the Church of Christ? The answer is given by Christ Himself on the Cross with His sacrifice. The sacrifice of the leader of our faith is His only sermon against worldly logic/reason since the early Christian period. The sacrifice of the contemporary priest, who is duty bound to perform the bloodless sacrifice of Christ again and again in the history of the world, 30

gives the opportunity for salvation to each one of our fellow human beings by enabling them to have a personal relationship with Christ, which makes him a beacon in the darkness of our timeâ&#x20AC;Ś When we priests live a pure and holy life, when we know and respect the rules, teachings and doctrines of our Church as well as the commandments of God, when we shed tears of repentance and we humbly call for the mercy of God, when we are suffering for our brothers in other confessions that live in error, then holding the prayer rope, we fervently pray that all the people of the earth will know our Faith, which is the only true faith!

Great and true missionary is not the one who conveys faith with words, but the one who lives it. The one who prays with tears in front of the icon of Christ and the Virgin Mary that God will enlighten all people to return to the Mother Church. The Orthodox Church is open to all people. It embraces and expects everyone to move forward and respond to the call of Christ Himself, thus becoming partakers of this heavenly calling: «Come and see!» If we pray to Christ this way every day, our churches will be full. It is through repentance and a mighty warm prayer that we will bring them all to Christ. If we live our life partaking of the Holy Mysteries, with

sincere confession and Holy Communion, then we will achieve our purpose: to help all people know the true Church. Unless we have a spiritual father, we will not be able to succeed pure prayer and repentance. We will lose the path that leads to Christ and salvation. It is absolutely necessary for us to go to our spiritual father quite often and honestly confess our sins, our mistakes and our queries. The spiritual father has a threefold role: to hear our sins, to solve our questions and to give advice, guidance and counsel as well as his blessing for what we do in our lives. Next I will refer to the priest’s duty to his parishioners. It is our big responsibility to keep those who

A new water project funded by our Fraternity

have shown interest in Orthodoxy and to do everything in our power so that those who are inside the Church and are lukewarm, will acquire a living spiritual consciousness. How, then, can we win souls from the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tempest and lead them to the safe harbor of the Church? All the Orthodox priests in our parishes must be active. The morning and evening services (the Matins, the Vespers, the Supplication Canon) should be conducted every day if we want to attract the grace of God. Every night, if every one of us, each one according to their own penance, dedicates two hours praying the rope and making prostrations, this will draw the grace of God. It is this very Grace that will help us and provide solutions to our problems, not our mind or our actions! Another very important thing

is for the priest to have a strong interest in the parish. He should run to the sick, read Orthodox books and have a steady seminar attendance every month. He should neither improvise in his sermons, nor express divergent new opinions that sound good and modern. He should only preach what is confirmed in the conscience of the Orthodox Church and comes from the Holy Fathers; only this can be taught by the Orthodox priests. Finally, a priest should preach in catechetical schools, organize sports events, games with children as well as various activities, show love and affection to children, be close to the people, comfort and help his flock, and then, the miracle will come and our parish will be full of conscious Orthodox Christians! Amen. Fr. Ermolaos Iatrou

Group baptism

TANZANIA - Arusha

Medical Clinic Operation My beloved brethren, With feelings of sincere gratitude and deep emotion I would like to thank you for the donation of the amount of â&#x201A;Ź 5,000 to my humble Diocese in support of the operation of our medical clinic in our missionary center in Kidamali, Iringa. It is an undeniable fact that without your moral as well as material support in my first steps in my Diocese, it would be impossible to move forward, due to urgent needs and insurmountable difficulties. In this beautiful but extremely poor corner of the earth, in every step we take we encounter human pain. The people, poverty-stricken but happy, always with a smile on

their faces, live in simplicity the hardness of their daily routine, being totally deprived of the most basic necessities, but always calling upon God and worshipping Him. It is a marvel to experience a Divine Liturgy in Africa. How much attention and devotion they all show, even small children, in chanting and in partaking of the Holy Communion! At a height of 1500 meters, on the huge Rift Valley plateau, lies the area of Iringa, which is generally assumed to be the poorest and toughest area of Tanzania. For six to eight months every year it is plagued by extreme drought, with the winds blowing through the bare trees and drying up the already arid scenery.

In this tough area, there is a great need for providing health care to our brothers. Our fellow-humans there are suffering from hunger, malaria, typhoid and many other diseases. As a result, the number of orphaned children is growing every day. With our humble abilities and with timid steps, we began operating the medical clinic in our missionary center in Kidamali, Iringa, which was rebuilt thanks to the donation of Theodoros and Melpomeni Geraki’s family from Thessaloniki and to which crowds of ailing people arrive on foot from the surrounding areas. It is evident that it must be organized in the

form of a polyclinic, with a variety of specialties, due to the large number of illnesses and the rudimentary state health care. The current cost of running our Clinic for doctors’ salaries and free medicine amounts to € 2,000 per month. Despite the difficulties, we got started with the hand on the heart and in the hope of your loving contribution! Dear brothers in Christ, please pray that the Word of the Gospel will be spread with good words and acts of true love, and that the bells of Orthodoxy will ring in every corner of Africa. Amen. † Agathonikos of Årusha

Το γραφείο της Κλινικής στο Κινταμάλι

KENYA - Nyeri

The Lord Jesus Christ in the Midst of us Dear Friends of the Mission, May the blessings of the Lord be upon you and upon all those who work tirelessly to serve the thirsty continent of Africa to get rid of poverty, hunger and disease, and most importantly, upon those who work for the Word, the Gospel of Truth. I would like to thank you from the depths of my heart on behalf of the Holy Diocese of Nyeri and Mount Kenya. Thanks to your support, we are able to help the needy, treat ailing people, offer training to orphaned children. We have an orphanage that houses 185 children, all coming from a harsh or problematic home environment. Most of them have gone through

unspeakable difficulties on the road. My prayer is that you continue supporting the needy and the orphaned children and helping us build churches that reflect the beauty of Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kingdom. The church in the photo is dedicated to Apostle Barnabas and is situated in a rough location. I pray to the Holy God to send us kindhearted sponsors for the church construction. I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to His Beatitude our Patriarch, who is so much interested in the enormous needs of the poor children of Africa. We are deeply grateful to you and keep you in our prayers. â&#x20AC; Neophytos of Nyeri 35

KENYA - Kisumu

Raising hope Dear Friends of the Mission, Christ be with us all! I feel greatly honored to contact the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity in order to express my sincere gratitude for the support you have given to our new Diocese, which actually promotes the spirit of brotherhood and Orthodoxy that exists between us. The Lord continues to work wonders in our new diocese. Not at the fast rate one would expect of course, but we have already gone a long way. I will mention some of our achievements. We have completed 90% of our office construction. Fortunately, we no longer have to pay rents as we have already moved into our new offices. With the blessings of our Patriarch, we have got a monastery ded36

icated to St. Cleopatra, and soon Saint Anthonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s monastery is going to be completed. We already have five nuns. Finally, we managed to get a car to visit the far reaches of our diocese. This enabled us to perform several baptisms and church inaugurations. As regards drillings, we have purchased a good drilling rig. We are currently building the St. Athanasius Middle School at Nandi, which has about 140 students. It is a building that belongs to the Sts. Paul and Dionysius parish, the first Orthodox Church in the Busia district. In our schools we were running a feeding program for poor children, but for the time being we have stopped it due to lack of funds. Unfortunately, our educa-

tion support program is not going well as we have many children and young people whose education has been discontinued due to lack of funding. We also made a lot of ecclesiastical gatherings, in which we taught them about Orthodoxy. Unfortunately, we still have many more problems to deal with and we need your prayers as well as any other form of assistance. Nevertheless, it gives us a great joy to know that there are many people who still pray in the province and that the number of our parish communities is growing! Now we have about 300 parishes, half of which have permanent buildings. We need about 10,000 euro for a simple, plain Orthodox church that holds 50 people and about 5,000 euro for the com-

pletion of each incomplete church. Then, we have the Saint Tabitha Orphanage, for which I have a dream: to see it growing, to see all the children there have food, clothing and uninterrupted education. The amount of money required for each child is about €1 a day. Another challenge that we have to face is the stipend of our priests. We would like to be able to pay them with at least € 190 monthly, but so far we haven’t got the luxury to give them even € 50. Bear in mind that we have 110 clerics in our diocese. This year, I hope, God willing, to have the construction of the classrooms at St. Athanasius School completed so that next year we can go on with the construction of the next school. We need three classrooms,

which will cost 1,800 euro each. I also want to share with you, my beloved brethren, the miracles that our Orthodoxy works in our continent. In our diocese the people are flocking into our churches. To my great surprise, many people have embraced monasticism. This good news is partly due to your own help, this is why I share some of our anxieties with you, since I know that with your wisdom, guidance and prayer we will overcome the difficulties in the years to come, and thus, the light of Orthodoxy will shine in all the corners of the world, especially in Kisumu. I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart, brethren, for your unconditional love and

support. I particularly want to express my sincere gratitude to all the Greeks who help spread our honored faith in Africa. We all thank you wholeheartedly because you have changed our lives here in Africa, despite all the difficulties you have to face in your own country. Thank you for standing by our side, not only by providing us with material assistance but also through prayer and companionship. Please remember us in your prayers, especially me, the unworthy Shepherd of the Holy Diocese of Kisumu and all Western Kenya. May the blessings of our Lord be with you. â&#x20AC; Athanasios of Kisumu

Shipments of Sacrifice and Love What is really required for the implementation of a humanitarian aid shipment to the countries in need? Most people will answer “money”, several others “items offered”, others “special means of transport”. Undoubtedly, all these are necessary. However, the most important of all, the «salt» of this ministry is the sacrificial love that is proven - if it is truly selfless – by means of our works of offering to our fellow human beings. Our Holy Father St. John Chrysostom says characteristically, «It is a great reward in Heaven when you can minister to the other people’s needs besides yours. There is heavenly reward not only for him who gives, but also for him who properly co-ordinates the delivery of what is given. This very same spirit is what prompts the Apostles to elect seven deacons exclusively for «the daily ministration» (Acts 6:1). This also dominates the Apostle Paul’s enlightened mind, as he offers personal effort and time

to initiate the collection of the brothers’ contributions for the persecuted Church of Jerusalem (2 Cor. 8:1-10). Our Fraternity, a genuine child of the Church, co-ordinates the delivery of the offered humanitarian aid. It classifies the supplies into groups, packs them and sends them safely to countries like Malawi, Sierra Leone, Congo, Madagascar. Thus, the natives taste in practice the selfless love of their fellow human beings, the missionaries are strengthened in their struggle, the donors’ minds are at rest thanks to the proper management of the offered aid, and the volunteers - many of whom are not in a position to contribute financially - participate in this effort by making time for ministry, proving once again that no one is superfluous, no one is left out, but we are all different but useful members of the same body whose head is Christ Himself! Constantinos Metallides

Niger River

Traveling on a dream shell Niger River flows through West Africa for a route of 4,180 km. It is the third principal river on its continent after the Nile and the Congo. Its source is located in the Fouta Djallon plateau of Guinea. From there it overlooks the sea of the Atlantic Ocean. The distance is only 280 km, so the river promises that, after its vigorous mission, it will donate its large volume of water to the Gulf of Guinea. Its course follows a curved bow on the surface of the thirsty land. It runs through 4 countries: Guinea, Mali, the Republic of Niger and Nigeria, where lies its delta, which covers an area of 36,000 sq km. It forms a natural habitat for birds and animals in the bosom of the jungle. It allows us to travel on a dream shell onto its aquatic vein ... We follow it, letting curiosity guide us: We begin to descend to the northern part of Guinea, which leads to the Sahara border. In the 11th century the Arabs migrated to the South, and the Fouta Djallรณn region welcomed them. It is in this place that important civilizations flourished and great African kingdoms were established. We traverse the countryside of Mali. The landscape opens the entrance to mystery for the visitor. The capital city of Bamako welcomes us, with the palm trees standing on the banks as if they want to show us their 40

respect. Here the river boats begin their social mission, that of transporting goods to the inhabitants that are valuable for their survival. Going past the picturesque small towns of Segué, Markala and Mopti, we are heading up northwards. There lies the city of Timbuktu dressed in white. At this height, the river begins to turn to the East, at the city of Burem. It has already formed a crescent. During the day the sun sends its rays like fire arrows, while the night keeps us cool with its star-embroidered cover. We descend to the old city of Gao with its famous ancient kingdom. Leaving the last village with the fish spread out to dry on thin hanging rods and the pirogues resting, we enter the Republic of Niger. Children holding drums in their hands wake up at dawn, as the capital city of Niamey south of the country welcomes us. Time is unfolding the days ... Today 3 August the people here commemorate the anniversary of independence. The street parade of various tribes in varied costumes creates new aesthetic images. On their white horses, one can distinguish the supremacy of bravery. Their swords of all kinds, spears, shields, bows, are fine examples of craftsmanship. The national anthem of Nigeria joyfully and proudly ac-

Γουϊνέα: Στις πηγές του Νίγηρα ποταμού

companies the lips of the inhabitants leaving proud melodic sounds in the countryside. From the Republic of Niger, crossing the river is just 300 km distance. We marvel at this mythical country and bid farewell before entering Nigeria. The population of this country is about 200 million inhabitants, the largest in Africa. A few kilometers further down to the right are the natural borders with the Republic of Benin. The months from May to November are the rainy season. The water level in this period is rising constantly. The storms seem to be playing, competing with each other which one will feed the Niger with more water before the river distributes it to the irrigation channels. The tribes here are the Hausa and the Fulani. They impatiently await the leaden clouds to come. Only the sun seems to protest, perhaps because the heavy rain will hide the beautiful images created at dawn. To the south and east, the river converges with its tributaries Sokoto, Kaduna as well as Benue, which springs from North Cameroon. At this junction, the town of Lokoja is developing into a thriving activity center. There we find riverboats carrying cotton, skins and other commodities. On the way, the river islets are covered with beautiful trees. The tropical vegetation is present 42

with palm trees and banana trees. The wonderful surprises are going on ... At nights on the river flow we see little lanterns moving to the rhythm of a slow dance... Naturally, the light comes from the pirogues of the fishermen as they throw the nets, hoping for tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s survival. Multicolored parrots chirping, announce our entering into the river delta. The images are indelibly recorded in memory due to the majestic beauty of nature. We end up our journey having captured unforgettable impressions. Arriving in the city of Port Harcourt, Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second most important seaport, the landscape changes radically. Here the oil industries wake us up from the peacefulness of nature, and make us face todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reality. Man develops knowledge but nullifies logic. Nostis Psarras

The grandiose arch of the Niger River surrounds the following Missionary Metropolises: a) Metropolis of Guinea (Sierra Leone - Gambia), b) Metropolis

of Accra (Ghana - Ivory Coast), c) Metropolis of Nigeria and Benin. The Orthodox Missionary Fraternity embraces affectionately the long-suffering peoples by offering them all kinds of humanitarian assistance.

Madagascar: Holy Ascension Church Funded by our Fraternity 44

Columns of Gratitude Donations from 1.8.2017 to 31.10.2017

Donorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; names are only published in the printed edition

For God loves a cheerful giver

Donorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; names are only published in the printed edition

Attributions

This work is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license. Similarly licensed works of the following creators were used in the respective pages::

10 Rod Waddington 20 Nigel Voaden 26 Franco Pecchio 36 Franco Pecchio 36 Francesco Veronesi 40 Wikipedia 42 Julien Harnais