“Glory, honour, and peace to every man who does good” (Romans 2:10)
The Divine Grace, “which always heals that which is weak, and completes that which is lacking”, helped -in just eleven years- in the construction of the following structures for the religious needs of our Mission in the Diocese of New Zealand:
- In the area of New Zealand:
- The Sacred Church of St. Nicholas in the city of New Plymouth.
- The S. Church of St. Demetrius in Hastings
- The Monastery Church of the Great Archangels with the chapels of Sts. Basil and Amfilochios in Levin
- The cemetery chapel of St. Lazarus of the Four Days in Wellington
- In the Southeastern Pacific island states of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa:
- The Sacred Church of St. Paraskevi with the Missionary Centre in Sabeto Nadi on the island of Viti Levu
- The Monastery Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos with cells for the nuns in the village of Saweni, on the island of Viti Levu
- The Holy Trinity Cathedral with the St. Tabitha Orphanage and the home for the unprotected women (Safe Home) in Saweni, on Viti Levu
- The S. Church of Sts. Athanasios and Nicholas in Labasa, on the island of Vanua Levu
Total: 7 Churches and 3 chapels
We are currently in Tonga, which is a kingdom half an hour from Fiji by plane, for the construction of the Sacred Church to the honor of the Great Martyr Saint George the Trophy-bearer. On a previous trip we bought a nice plot of land in the capital Nuku’alofa, just 80 meters from the sea and the main road, almost the same distance as was the Sacred Church of the Great Martyr at the area of Therapia in Constantinople from Bosphorus; unfortunately that church was demolished by the rulers for the public road to pass, as they said, and which, in a way, we want to “resurrect”. The purchase of the land cost 50.000 TOP (the currency of Tonga), i.e. € 25,000.
The construction cost is expected to reach the 300,000 TOP, i.e. € 150,000, since we also plan to build an on-site rectory for the parish priest and the missionaries, as well as a small chapel dedicated to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul.
We consider the construction of churches very important, since for us the Orthodox, along with the preaching of the holy Gospel, it is absolutely necessary to have the Divine Worship as well, particularly the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. The indigenous are simple, good-hearted people with a strong religious feeling and get more impressed by the solemnity of rituals of the Orthodox divine worship, rather than the chattering and shouting of the Christians of other denominations.
We hope that our effort will bear fruit with the help of the Great Martyr George the Trophy-bearer and the blessings of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
For any contribution in aid of the commencement and completion of this sacred work, we would like to thank in advance the warm-hearted donors and hope that St. George will be their helper who will offer assistance to them and their families and bless the life and the works of their hands. Special thanks to the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity.
May God make us all worthy to work for the good and the benefit of our fellow men, the prevalence of His Kingdom and the glory of His Holy Name. Amen. May the Theotokos be with us.
†Amphilochios of New Zealand
