Wednesday 16 December 2009
Commemoration of the Holy Prophet Haggaios, Theophanos the Queen and Modestus Patriarch of Jerusalem.
8.00 a.m. The contractor and his crew get a blessing and start measuring and marking the foundation so that the next the building of St. Paraskevi, in the courtyard of the missionary centre in Sabeto, Nantes.
What happened to that terrible cyclone the day before yesterday, with its endless rains that turned all the surrounding meadows into lakes, tormented the trees and animals, forced the birds to hide in their hiding places, dragged people to their deaths and left many areas in darkness for days on end due to power cuts. Now an immense peace spreads everywhere. The clear blue sky with the warm sun and people’s lives at their normal rhythms are reminiscent of the first days after Noah’s flood. The courtyards and the surrounding trees are filled with birds flying happily and delighting the ear with their sweet chirps. Much beauty and grace today. Nothing is accidental. The first Orthodox Church is being built in Fiji, in the heart of the Pacific Ocean. The elements of nature share in their own way in our own joy, for which we thank and glorify with much gratitude the Almighty Giver of our Lord with much thanksgiving, and by praising and magnifying His holy Blessed Martyr Paraskevi, whose name and grace from today seal this beautiful corner.
+ The New Zealand Amphilochius
