Let us rejoice, brothers, in the joy of God. Let us praise our Creator and let us ascribe words of thankfulness and gratitude unto Him for the marvels that we see take place around us every day…
The spread of Orthodoxy over the world since the time of the Apostle Paul to the present day is a great miracle. Also, miracle is the construction of the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian in the land of Malawi.
In fact, it is one of the many miracles that occur daily. It is God’s answer to the fervent and incessant prayers of our indigenous brothers. They had been praying continuously for five years so they could acquire a sacred church. Under the guidance of indigenous Father Sophronios they had been gathering for five years in the grass hut they had constructed in order to make their congregations and find a way out of the deadlock caused by the problems of their pained life.
Nothing could stop them or deter them from their goal. Trouble or pain, adverse conditions, scorching heat or threatening rain, mud or mold did not dishearten them.
Finally, gratitude pervades us all, indigenous and non-indigenous, for the pious sponsor from Greece, through whom the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity undertook the financial cost of the erection of the Sacred Church. Thanks to the donation of this generous brother, the church is becoming large and spacious, about 350 square meters, in order to accommodate big congregations, and also strong and stable so as to resist the passage of time.
By the grace of God, this project may have taken a long time to start, however, it progressed really fast once it got started. Work began five months ago and God willing, the church will be ready in a month.
The thankfulness and gratitude of the native parishioners of the Ss Cosmas and Damian church is great and their prayers for the noble brother who made this donation will be incessant, since in every Divine Liturgy celebrated in the Church, the prayers for the founders always have a special place, as is the case with every sacred church.
From now on our prayers for the near future will be focused on finding a noble brother who will carry the financial burden of building the rectory next to the newly erected church, that is, the small house for the Orthodox priest. This way, by living next to each temple, the priest along with his family becomes the guardian, the caretaker and the guard of the Orthodox Church property.
Let us all rejoice in the pure joy of the parishioners of the newly established Saints Cosmas and Damian parish in Malawi. Brethren, let us participate ourselves simply, humbly and in secret with our own little prayer in securing and consolidating our Orthodoxy in this small piece of land in remote Malawi, too.
Father Ermolaos from Malawi
