With the grace of God and the blessings of the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, Theodore Theodore, the Venerable Monsignor of Alexandria and All Africa. Metropolitan Demetrios of Irinople completed another Orthodox School, that of “St. James” in the town of Kisaki, in Eastern Tanzania, donated by an anonymous friend of the Mission from Northern Greece. Although God has blessed these 14 years of His Eminence’s missionary work in Central and Eastern Tanzania, so that to date seven other schools have been built or thoroughly renovated by him, the needs are still great because of the increased and blessing-rich missionary fruitfulness. Very early in the morning of Monday, September 10, hundreds of students, mainly from the primitive Maasai tribe, indigenous priests of the region, Orthodox believers, teachers, but also mayors and community leaders began to arrive at the newly built school, school principals and other local government officials to attend the consecration ceremony of the first Orthodox school in Morogoro prefecture, in a new fruitful missionary effort in eastern Tanzania, where the majority of the inhabitants are Muslims!
His Eminence, speaking in Swahili after the end of the consecration service, praised the efforts of the Patriarchate of Alexandria in every corner of the African continent for peace, progress, education, health, prosperity and harmonious coexistence and wished teachers, students and parents a good, blessed and fruitful school year, for the good and progress of Tanzania and the African continent in general. Then, as a token of gratitude, the local king of the Maasai tribe, bestowed the royal honour on His Eminence Mr. Demetrios, who, it should be noted, is the first white religious leader in the Morogoro region to receive this honour! In conclusion we want to thank, once again, both the D. Council, as well as the donors of the Orthodox Foreign Missionary Brotherhood for their continued support of our missionary work here in eastern Tanzania, and to inform you that the land has already been purchased, in order to build the 36th church in Tanzania, that of the Immaculate Conception, which your Brotherhood has volunteered to finance and thank you once again for your constant prayer and support! Wishes for a happy and blessed Christmas!
From the Holy Metropolis
