The month of August is considered the holiday period because schools, primary and secondary schools, are closed. However, during this period, His Eminence Metropolitan Makarios of Kenya continues his pastoral visits throughout Kenya.
So, on August 17, he celebrated mass in the makeshift Church of St. Macarius – made of mud – in a remote village in the Kakamega region. After the service and His Eminence’s sermon, a procession with the priests and the faithful set out for the adjacent river, where group baptisms of over a hundred people, from infants to the elderly, were celebrated. It was a sight reminiscent of the Jordan River. His Eminence, overwhelmed, thanked God for this blessing, the priests and catechists who work tirelessly for the advancement of Orthodoxy and the development and promotion of the Orthodox faith and tradition, among the afflicted people, inviting them to guard this treasure deep in their souls and lives through their frequent participation in the sacraments of our Church, so that they may eventually become partakers of the Kingdom of God.
On August 21, His Eminence was in Nyeri, in the parish of St. Anthony in the village of Isamara, where the next day a divine service was celebrated with the participation of priests from various regions and in the presence of hundreds of women who participated in a seminar of Orthodox spirituality. His Eminence, at the end, declared the opening of the three-day conference, stressing to the women the important role they play in the development of Orthodoxy throughout Kenya and called upon them to continue with even more faith and zeal their active participation in all the events of the life of our local Church. His Eminence had lunch with the Orthodox women and they sang Christian songs to thank him.
His Eminence then visited our large orphanage in the parish of St. Nicodemus Kasika, where one hundred and ninety orphans are accommodated. They gave him a warm welcome and he was overwhelmed and thanked them and told them that the Metropolis will continue to provide them with free food and education, and he himself will stand as their father and they will feel that they have this place as their home.
His Eminence recalled how this orphanage was started tentatively but steadily a few years ago, without any specific sponsorship, and thanked God that today this miracle is happening, thanks to your love, dedicated to His name and to the young and unprotected young people, who are looking for a better and happier future. Every child has his or her own story. Tragic as it may be, now at least there is at least the certainty and assurance that they have somewhere to belong and will thus be able to make a life for themselves, like any other human being. His Eminence, who has known these children since they were young, was overwhelmed and sat with them until late in the afternoon, playing, singing and walking around the surrounding green spaces of the orphanage, wanting to emphasize that the Orthodox Church is the Mother who protects, nurtures and helps all children, regardless of race or even religion. To thank His Eminence, the children danced and sang Christian and traditional songs. In fact, a teenager spoke on behalf of all of them, who, at the end, made an impromptu prayer, with stirring words to God to support and bless His Church.
From the Holy Metropolis
