Dear Friends of the Mission,
Christ is Risen! I pray that the Almighty God gives you health and joy throughout your life. We would like to thank you very much for your financial assistance, intended to be used for printing Orthodox books. This gift is very important for us. In fact, printing has already begun.
By the grace of God, we spent the Holy Easter period with devout reverence. A large number of our faithful attended the sacred services unfailingly. At the end of Easter Sunday, we celebrated the Vespers of Love and after that we all participated in a communal meal in our parish hall, where we stayed and conversed until late in the evening.
On April 12, 2018, we performed the marriage of my daughter Soteria Manalu at the St. Demetrius Church in Medan. Our Metropolitan in person presided over the Holy Sacrament and conducted the wedding along with all our priests who are serving in Sumatra. His Eminence said that the specific marriage was the wedding of the year!
After Soteria’s wedding, I left for Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia in order to perform the wedding ceremony of a parishioner. The following Sunday we celebrated the Divine Liturgy at our parish in Jakarta along with priests from other regions, and then I went to the Island of Timor for a week to preach.
As I have told you before, there is a young man from Timor who came near me in Medan for studies. Meanwhile, I performed his wedding and I ordained him to the priesthood. Now he is a deacon and his wife is pregnant. She is due to give birth in July. As you are well aware, priests in Indonesia do not get a salary. After childbirth, Deacon Savas will return to Timor. Unfortunately, we cannot afford to assist them on our slender means.
I would also like to mention something important. A Roman Catholic pastor came to our church in Medan six months ago. He left his parish and his priestly vestments and came as a layman to be taught about Orthodoxy. He is currently learning about the Orthodox faith close to me and eventually he would like to create Orthodox parish-communities in other regions. His name is Josephin. Of course, I have tried to help him both spiritually and financially, but more often than not, I cannot afford it. In order to enable our Mission here to make such an opening, we need a considerable amount of money in our fund. This is why, my beloved brothers, I make an earnest appeal to your kind heart to help our Mission in this little effort to the glory of the Holy Triune God.
Closing the briefing on the Orthodox Mission here in Indonesia, I would like to thank you wholeheartedly for your great love and support.
Fr. Chrysostomos Manalu
