Dear friends of the Mission, It is with great pleasure that I am contacting you to inform you of the official visit of our Pastor, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria Theodore of Alexandria to Madagascar last June. This visit had been planned for a long time, so by the grace of God and the blessing of our spiritual father it was a great success. We praise God and thank all those who contributed to the good organization of the visit of the Prefect, both clergy and laity. We all tried to do our best for the glory of God and our Church. The Most Reverend Primate and his entourage arrived at the airport on 29 May. There a crowd of people, young and old, all dressed in traditional costumes and holding small flags of the Patriarchate and Madagascar, were waiting for him. Also present were representatives of the state, ambassadors and other officials. At the entrance of the Temple the priests and the people waited lined up in two rows and singing “Axion Estin” they all headed to the Temple. There a praise was given and speeches were delivered accordingly. His Beatitude thanked everyone for the welcome they had given him. The next day, the Saturday before Pentecost, the inauguration of the girls’ orphanage was held on a privately owned 10,000 square meter plot of land owned by the Mission in a suburb of the capital. Construction of the building had begun some time ago with the main funding from expatriates from Australia, with the blessing and support of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia. A wing was funded by an anonymous donor in memory of her husband Nicholas, through the Orthodox Foreign Missionary Brotherhood.
The work, by the grace of God, is finished, except for a few details and the interior fittings are missing. The orphanage was a dream that by the grace of God and the assistance of people was realized. Charitable work in my humble opinion must be intertwined with missionary work in these countries. The orphanage will care not only for orphaned little girls, but also for abandoned ones; and will provide not only shelter, clothing, learning, but also a bright future and restoration for these little children. The inauguration ceremony took place in a spiritual atmosphere with rich decorations, a large number of people and the participation of political and other church authorities. On the next day of Pentecost, the inauguration of the Holy Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary, located within the grounds of the orphanage, was set for the next day. The Church was built to serve the spiritual needs of the children who will be accommodated at the orphanage, but will also function as a parish church. It is located near a main road and in a good area. The inauguration ceremony was held with all pomp and solemnity, while His Beatitude explained the meaning of each moment. The service was late in ending, but the people and officials remained until the end. After the service, a common banquet was provided for the whole congregation with a rich traditional programme. On Monday of the Holy Spirit, a mass was held in the cathedral and His Beatitude honoured some priests for their diligent service to the Church, as well as lay people for their love and interest in Orthodoxy. After the Divine Liturgy His Beatitude met with all the priests of the Metropolis, listened to their problems and gave them advice and instructions for their spiritual progress. The next day His Beatitude met with the President of the Republic of Madagascar. The meeting was attended by His Excellency the Ambassador of Egypt, the Honorary Consul of Greece and Cyprus and clergy of the Holy Metropolis. His Beatitude informed the President about the missionary and charitable work carried out by our Holy Metropolis.
The next day, June 3, the inauguration of the University in Manakara was scheduled. This town is 600 kilometres from the capital and is located in the south-east of the country. This university was donated by Christians from Karditsa on the initiative of the Panos Archimandrite Fr. Kyriakos Tsolakis and was built at the request of the regional governor to meet basic needs of tropical plant agronomy and various other researches. On His Beatitude’s arrival in Manakara, the Patriarch and his entourage and all the Christians went to the Holy Trinity Church, built at the expense of your Fraternity, and a praise service was held. His Beatitude spoke briefly to the Christians and then they all arrived together at the University grounds, where several people and officials were waiting. The inauguration was attended by many students. The representative of the Government thanked His Beatitude for this great offer of our Church to the Government and conveyed the thanks of the President of the country. On June 4, His Beatitude was scheduled to visit the village of Arany for the inauguration of a high school. This village is located 2 hours away from the missionary centre. The school students wearing their traditional uniforms and holding flags in their hands sang traditional songs. The bells sounded joyfully until we reached the church. After we finished, we all headed to the high school next to the church for the consecration ceremony. On June 5, a Friday, His Beatitude and his entourage arrived in the largest city in the southern part of the country, Tulear. The church was packed with people, young and old, who had come from the villages to welcome the Patriarch. The Patriarch gave thanks and spoke in spiritual words about the salvation of the soul.
The next day the opening of the clinic at the missionary centre was scheduled. In this area of Tulear there is a clinic with several departments. The person in charge, Fr. Anastasios from Cyprus, a monk and doctor, thought it would be good to upgrade the clinic with more departments at the hospital level. The project was completed with a donation from an anonymous lady and on June 6 the inauguration took place. His Beatitude performed the consecration and then toured all the premises of the clinic. On June 7, Sunday, His Beatitude together with the priests officiated at the Tulear indoor stadium. The place had been suitably prepared with a raised platform with a large altar and icons, a throne, etc. People started coming in the morning as well as the officials. Our Christians by buses arrived on time even from the most remote villages. Soon the stadium was full. Everything was characterized by the splendor and majesty of the Eucharist. Both the Patriarch and the priests, as well as the choirs, created a spiritual atmosphere. At the end, His Beatitude preached the Divine Word, shared the faithful and at the end distributed the counter-bread to all the people. Everyone enjoyed and delighted in this spiritual feast, glorifying the name of the great God.
Immediately afterwards, at the missionary centre, a common meal was prepared for all the believers, since it was getting late, and many of them had to take the road back to their distant villages. The Patriarch’s visit was a blessing for the Holy Metropolis of Madagascar. His Beatitude’s presence was necessary because it gave us the courage to continue our struggle, to overcome difficulties and problems, to communicate with him like children with a father, to express our problems freely and to take decisions together for new projects in the future. This communication is necessary because we are facing many difficulties and problems and we need the intercession of our Patriarch with his many years of experience.
† Ignatius of Madagascar
