In one of our previous communications, I told you about a remote village in the Iringa region, which is perched on a 2,000-meter-high mountain, Mkombe. The panoramic view is absolutely wonderful, with the imposing mountain overlooking the green Rift Valley, which is home to Ruaha Safari, where the waters of the great namesake river linger. This, of course, happens during the rainy season, i.e., from December to May, when everything is green. When the rains stop, from June to November, what you see is a sad yellow landscape, which puts both people and animals in search of coolness and water…
In this quiet village, in a dreamy environment, live about 400 inhabitants who are mainly engaged in the cultivation of vegetables and corn. The half-naked children play carefree under the hot sun with toys that they make themselves, such as makeshift cars, balls made out of rags, cloth dolls, which, of course, in their imagination make them travel to another distant world, colorful, fairer, different from the world of adults.
With the caring support of these pure people, a while ago, a makeshift beautiful grass hut was made, in which we regularly performed the Divine Liturgy. Neither the cheap construction material, nor the reddish soil on the floor, nor the tattered but spotless clothes of our poor believers, prevented the Grace of the humble Christ, who was born in a similar hut in Bethlehem, to come and nest in the hearts of the faithful of Mkombe. You could see on the sunburnt faces and in the wet eyes of these poor people the thirst to see, to touch, to commune with their Heavenly Visitor who agreed to come to their beautiful and hospitable village. From the moment the priest says: “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”, a great heavenly gate opens, in which if someone enters, they forget the earthly, time stops and they live the eternal.
So, when we shared with you the joy of such a Divine Liturgy and sent you photos from our little straw palace, you immediately took the initiative to build a church that would be made of stone in Mkombe, dedicated to the memory of Saint Parthenius, Bishop of Lampsacus, that humble saint who, before his ordination as a Bishop, practised the profession of fisherman. According to his life, he fished and distributed the fish he caught to the poor! How much this humble saint who cures cancer will be rejoicing now for the “House” you built for him in Mkombe! It may be away from the sea, but from now on, from this very place, he will be able to fish for human souls for the heavenly Kingdom!
This is so because by the grace of God, the new stone church in honor of St. Parthenius has been completed. With the considerable and wholehearted support on the part of your blessed Fraternity, in less than four months our church was ready. Great is our gratitude to Mr. Sotirchos, our humble and modest friend, an unsung hero, so noble and always so willing to help, for adorning our iconostasis with the beautiful icons he painted!
It was very moving to see from the first moment of the beginning of the construction works of the church the whole village participate in its foundation. Even small children carried stones from the adjacent mountain, contributing, with their meager strength, to the construction of their own church, which may not have Byzantine grandeur or “golden onion-shaped domes”, but it fits nicely into the environment and attracts and makes the souls of our humble brothers to look prayerfully to the Lord.
This new church of St. Parthenius is truly a jewel in the area and can be seen from miles away as it is perched on a high mountain, and at the same time it is for us an encouraging message of God’s providence for the continuation of the work of our ancient missionary Patriarchate. It is true that an unjust war was recently waged against our Patriarchate, unfortunately by the sister Church of the Russians.
Honestly, my brethren, I would rather work in the grass hut of Mkombe forever and associate with its humble villagers than work in “golden palaces.”
I always hope we keep in mind that Christ “for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble”, and that “we do not theologize like Aristotle, but like fishermen”, as Saint Gregory the Theologian wisely said, and as Saint Parthenius actually did. In other words, we do not approach Christ with philosophical arrogance, but with the knowledge and experience of the Holy Apostles, who were ordinary men and plain fishermen.
Please, brethren, pray for the sudden and unjust temptation of our Church in Africa. We are sure that “the Church when attacked, wins” because this has been proven by the centuries-long history. But this war is unprecedented for the History of our Church, that is, to have a sister Church invade with hostile motives the territories of another Church with a Synodal decision! Please, pray so that the Most Sweet and Humble Jesus protects our faithful and gives courage and strength to our Patriarch and to all of us in order to overcome this temptation. May the grace of God be always with you!
With infinite gratitude and heartache,
Agathonikos of Arusha
