My brothers, Christ is risen!
Since from the Apostle Paul there is the recommendation “inform your ministry…”, I would like to briefly mention some of the humble activities of the Metropolis that are always connected with adventures, struggles, anxieties, hardships, sorrows, prayers and joys that come to stimulate our spirit and struggle.
Our priests are not enough to cover every parish with their parish priests, so we try to send our priests to other towns and villages to catechize, baptize, confess and minister to the faithful, and of course to organize these parishes as much as they can. Of course, every missionary outreach, which presupposes love and missionary fervour, is also associated with many difficulties. The roads are almost non-existent and the movements of both priests and myself are always an adventure. But even in these adventures there are blessings lurking. You will say and ask what blessings? Every time we get stuck with the car or there is a breakdown, the people of the region afterwards wish to hear us speaking about Orthodoxy and there are many times when some difficulty in the course of the missionary expedition will become an excuse to set up a new parish. But in order to be able to better meet our obligations, we need a Land Cruiser and motorbikes, so that we can visit our African brothers and sisters in all places.
Our Metropolis has about two hundred parishes but we have only twenty-five built churches. With the rains, the services in the grass huts are difficult, as we cannot protect the Saints, but they are not enough to cover the faithful. So I ask all the brothers to support us in this matter. Of course, by the Grace of God and the love of the Orthodox Foreign Missionary Brotherhood, two Temples of St. Paisios Athonite in Kanaga and Holy Trinity in Kabinda have been completed. Both the donors and the missionary brotherhood will be forever remembered for these great benefactions. Glory be to God for all!
Our daily concern is also the provision of food and medicine to our fellow human beings who are sick or hungry. Our heart beats and tells us to be at their side, because in their face we see Christ. There are many times when we have to help more for surgeries, medical examinations and more, all of which are done with your love.
With God’s help, we also proceeded to ordain new clergymen who are called to become new missionary priests carrying to every part of our vast metropolis the preaching of Christ unadulterated through our Orthodox Church. But in order for our clergy to be able to devote themselves to the work of the Church, we must provide them with a living for their families, so that they can be free to do missionary work. We therefore ask for this offer of love to our Metropolis.
We are pleased to announce the construction of the first Monastery of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in Kanaga.The work of the first Monastery of the Metropolis of Kanaga is proceeding at a fast pace in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary. On the day of the feast of the laid the foundation stone and the work began immediately, with the construction of the first chapel in honor of St. Paisios of Mount Athos, a small bell tower and an outdoor area for a starting point.
The Chapel of St. Paisios is already in operation, after we had previously celebrated the inauguration, bringing to the novice monks the blessings and blessings of His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, Mr.Theodoros II, who prays and rejoices, on the one hand for the first monasteries that are being created in his Patriarchate, and on the other hand for the young Africans who wish to be entirely dedicated to God.
The first five cadets live in two rooms, unpretentious and in a small living room, and so far, they have completed all the sacred services. They are now praying with joy and emotion in the chapel of St. Paisios. Their daily occupation is the cultivation of the fields of the monastery and the first live animals in the small farm they have built. The novices of the monastery beg daily the Virgin Mary to send donors to build the monastery’s church in her honor and to start the construction of the first cells and other necessary areas for the proper operation of the monastery. Until now, they see daily in all efforts and in all areas of the Monastery, that the hand of God prevails, so the young African novices believe, hope and expect the product of the love of many brothers who will want to assist the first Monastery of Kanaga.
With this, my brothers and sisters, I would like once again to thank you and ask you to keep us in your prayers and in your hearts.
✝ Kanagas Theodosius
