With the blessings of His Holiness Pope and Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria and All Africa, His Eminence Metropolitan Makarios of Kenya, during the festive days of the Twelve Days, proceeded to the inauguration of two new holy churches in two different regions. The first is the Holy Church of the Resurrection of Saviour and Paul the Apostle of the Gentiles, on 28 December 2016 in the most remote corner of Kenya, close to the border of Somalia, at the very end of the Indian Ocean, in a small but dynamic parish in the village of Beketoni, next to Lamu Island. This area, wounded by the recent events with jihadists and Islamic fanatics, was not accessible at all. That is why the trip and the inauguration visit were often and long postponed. But this time, even though the whole area is strictly surrounded by security forces, preparations were made and the visit was finally carried out under draconian security measures.
From the Patriarchal School “Archbishop of Cyprus Makarios III” to the final destination took two days, with an overnight stay in Malindi. Everyone feels very small and weak, when the human factor comes first and the great protection and stewardship of God Himself, who, together with His Saints and Friends, directs our life and action, especially in these very special cases. It is precisely here that the living words of the Apostle Paul come to mind for our own case, “I live not myself, but Christ in me.” Thus all that is strange and frivolous in us of little faith is met in a wonderful way with the holiness and blessedness of our saints. Thus it is now necessary to understand how important is this act of consecration in this remote part of the world, since with the placement of the holy relics the whole visible and invisible nature of our Creator God is sanctified and transformed. And certainly nothing stopped us. No heathen power in the densely populated, almost exclusively Muslim region could crush the plan of God himself. It is simply that the whole village can proclaim the Apostle Paul’s “we are redeemed by the death of this man” (Rom 5:10). And the second temple is located outside the famous town of Nakuru with its famous lake of thousands of flamingos and wild animals in the adjacent jungle. In this area there are already consecrated churches, such as the church of the Resurrection, the church of St. Raphael, St. Nicholas and St. Irene, the church of St. Nektarios, etc. Soon two more churches will be inaugurated: those of St. George and St. Paraskevi.
The inaugurated Church of Agia Sophia will serve the needs of the residents of the area who belong to the Orthodox Church, who used to use a makeshift church until recently. His Eminence, after visiting this village for several years, thought, precisely because of its importance with the creation of particularly new educational institutions and many industrial enterprises, to lay the foundation stone and slowly, with the zeal and enthusiasm of the priest and the parishioners, the building began. After superhuman efforts it was only recently completed. This orthodox church is so impressive and is located right next to the road. It causes the admiration of passers-by, who stop to look at it and then, on entering, are even more impressed by the beautiful Byzantine icons that adorn the iconostasis and the surrounding walls of the church. So, two more new holy temples have been added to Kenya to proclaim the joyful message of the Lord’s Resurrection throughout time, and more and more souls will find peace of mind and be led, in the end, to their salvation. May the name of the Lord be blessed and given, who this time also received us and gave us a message of hope and optimism. Amen!
From the Holy Metropolis