With the grace of God and the blessing of His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodoros, the missionary and charitable work of our Church continues to advance for the glory of God and the salvation of mankind. The words of the Lord mentioned in the Gospel are always relevant in our minds and in practice. Love for our brothers and sisters for their evangelization and the salvation of their souls always keep us alert and ready. With the eyes of our souls we see in depth the holy mission of our Church to spread the holy Gospel, so that they too may become children of God by grace through the sacraments of the Church. Last September, many people who had previously been catechized received the first sacrament of our Church, Baptism. Much joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. Both the bathing pools and the rivers become the pools of Siloam that regenerate our newly enlightened brethren. This joy gives us the strength to defy the hardships and suffering as well as the dangers to continue our struggle in distant Madagascar.
We felt the same joy when he finished a high school in the village of Mahasolo, where several years ago we built the Holy Trinity Church. I remember Elder Abraham and his wife Sarah, full of enthusiasm and love for Orthodoxy becoming Orthodox and building a church, mud hut at first. Since then he has kept a visitors’ book and every time we go he reminds us the last time which priest went to Mass, what date and his signature underneath. What a touching thing that is! After the school was finished, a date was set for the inauguration with the participation of the civil authorities, the schools of the surrounding areas and the Orthodox school, which is temporarily housed in an old building. The celebration began with the hoisting of the two flags (Greek and Malagasy) and our excitement peaked when the national anthem of Greece was played. The works of missionaries everywhere are ambassadors of our small but glorious homeland. Speeches were made by many about the fine work that will give the poor children of this remote village the opportunity to attend school for free and climb the school ladder to become useful people in society. Many thanks to the donor of the school and also wishes for the repose of his ever deceased daughter Despina. The struggle continues in the charitable sector with the first and foremost project being the girls’ orphanage. The operation of the orphanage had begun last year and today it accommodates 50 orphan girls. Many thanks to the anonymous donor of the Orthodox Foreign Missionary Brotherhood for the interior equipment of the orphanage. Several beds have been built on the first floor as well as wardrobes. Also on the ground floor is the dining room with enough tables and seating for about 150 children. We praise God for His providence and provision, not only for the construction of the building but also for the interior furnishings.
For about two years we have been facing two problems. Hurricanes in their path leave significant damage. Due to land subsidence, two temples in different villages have been badly damaged so that they cannot function. The services are held in the schools next to the Holy Temples. Because some time has passed, the Orthodox Christians are protesting in a way because they are asking for a new temple to perform their duties. We appeal to the Orthodox Foreign Missionary Brotherhood and to all Christians to help us to rebuild these holy temples. We are aware of the crisis that our country is going through and the tight finances that people have. However, we believe that with the people’s savings, the new temple will be blessed and rebuilt. The weather conditions cause a lot of damage to buildings (temples and schools), resulting in the need for constant repairs and maintenance. Strong winds blow the roofs off buildings, as the day before yesterday strong winds blew the roof off a church in the Tulear area, St. Christina’s. Since the beginning of October we have had an onslaught of rats in the capital Antananarivo. People are terrified and there are many victims of the infectious diseases they carry and spread every year. Schools are closed.
The Holy Church of the Ascension of the Savior in the Tulear area is completed and we will soon inaugurate it… This was another great blessing of your Fraternity from a donor to whom we are grateful. Pending completion of the interior furnishings. Please, as much as possible, please strengthen us so that the temples can function and the faithful can carry out their duties unhindered. We conclude with many thanks to the Orthodox Foreign Missionary Brotherhood, which always strengthens our missionary work by creating new projects and also financial support for general needs.
†Madagascan Ignatius
