“Glory and honour and peace to all that work for good”
“Divine Grace, who always heals the sick and makes up for the lacking” helped, so that in just eleven years they were erected for the worship needs of our Mission in the Diocese of New Zealand:
- In the New Zealand region:
- The Church of St Nicholas in New Plymouth
- The Church of St Demetrius in Hastings
- The Holy Monastic Church of the Immaculate Archangels with the chapels of Saint Basil and Saint Amphilochios in Levin
- The cemetery chapel of St. Lazarus the Fourth in Wellington
- In the region of the island states of the South East Pacific Ocean, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa:
- The Holy Church of Agia Paraskevi with the Missionary Centre in Sabeto Nadi, Viti Levu
- The monastic church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary with cells for the nuns in Saweni Viti Levu
- The Holy Trinity Cathedral with the St. Tavitha Orphanage and the safe home for unprotected women in Saweni Viti Levu
- The Holy Church of Saints Athanasius and Nicholas Labasa, Vanua Levu
Total: 7 churches and 3 chapels
At the moment we are in Tonga, which is a kingdom and an hour and a half away from Fiji by plane, for the construction of the Church of the Great Martyr St. George the Trophy Bearer. On a previous trip we have bought a nice plot of land in the capital Nuku’alofa, just 80 meters from the sea and the public road, which is about the same distance as the Holy Church of the Great Martyr in the Therapeia of the Bosphorus of Constantinople, which unfortunately was demolished by the rulers, so that the public road could pass through it, as they said, and which, in a way, we want to “resurrect”. It took 50,000 TOP, or €25,000, to buy the land.
The cost of the building will reach 300,000 TOP, or 150,000 euros, since a house for the priest and the missionaries will be built next to the Church, as well as a small chapel of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul. We attach particular importance to the construction of Holy Temples, since for us Orthodox Christians, along with the preaching of the Holy Gospel, Divine Worship and even the Divine Liturgy is essential. The natives are simple people, with a strong religious feeling, and they are more impressed by the epiphany which the Orthodox Divine Worship offers than by the chattering and shouting of Christians of other denominations. We hope that this effort will also be fruitful with the help of the Holy Great Martyr George the Trophy Bearer and the blessing and benediction of His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. For any offerings towards the initiation and completion of this holy work, we warmly thank our dear subscribers in advance and wish Saint George to be a help to them and their families and to bless the life and works of their hands. Special thanks to the Orthodox Foreign Missionary Brotherhood.
May God claim all of us to always work the good for the benefit of our fellow man, the preeminence of His Kingdom and the glory of His Holy Name. Amen. May Mary be with us.
† New Zealand Amphilochius
