Dear brothers,
Rejoice and be glad in the Lord. I would like to begin by thanking you from the bottom of my heart for your recent letter of congratulations to my unworthiness on the occasion of completing twenty years of archpriestly ministry in the African continent. Throughout these years, your Fraternity has benefited us in many ways, not only financially but also by publishing my writings in your magazine since my lay days. Everything is done for the glory of God and His Church.
I note my humble thoughts today and make a special request to all of you. For the first time in the course of our mission here in Africa, we have not paid our priests or given them the customary Christmas gift. For three months now, not only the priests have not been paid, but also the employees along with the teachers of our schools, of which I mention those of our Patriarchal School, our Teachers College and our Primary School, all of which are located and operating in the yard of the Metropolis.
I could not imagine that one day, after more than thirty years, I could write such a title. This means that we have now reached a critical situation from a financial point of view, since, as I write to you today, both in the Patriarchal School and in the Municipal School, we eat every day entirely on credit. In other words, we have not paid the people who cook for us every day so that we can function comfortably.
Is it possible? And yet these people know how faithful we have been to our obligations up to now, which is why they tolerate us and remain silent, in the hope that, as in the past, a donor will be moved and soothe our pain and sorrow.
The Holy Metropolis of Kenya is considered and is the largest on the African continent. Briefly, we recall that we have 300 parishes, 250 priests, 30 primary and nursery schools, 15 secondary schools, 30 medical centres, a Patriarchal School with seminarians from many countries of the African continent and a teaching college. All are under the direct care and spiritual guidance of His Beatitude Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria and All Africa.
I therefore implore your immediate support, especially in the matter of the salaries of our clergy, even fifty euros or a hundred, if you can, per month, so that we can breathe a little, or whatever you consider feasible on the part of your Fraternity.
We hope that, with God’s grace and help, you will be the good Samaritans to support us so that we can continue our work, which is a work of love, sacrifice and giving to our brothers and sisters in Kenya.
We thank you in advance for your contribution and your love.
With blessings and much love in the Lord,
† The Kenyan Makarios
