The Locomotive of Orthodoxy On January 12 the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria elected my minority as Metropolitan of the First Diocese of Kinshasa. Until that moment, my heart and my whole existence were devoted to the H.M. of Kananga.
However, God’s plan and obedience to the church led me to this new ministry; to a place where a new spiritual field was opening before me. A field in which my late predecessors, Kyprianos, Nikodemus, Timotheos, Ignatius and Nikiforos, had already worked tirelessly and with fervent divine zeal. The magnitude of my predecessors’ spiritual work set the bar of expectations very high. Given this, with the blessings of His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, with the love and support of The Most Venerable Ephraim Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Vatopedi, of the Missionary Associations and of many brothers in Christ, we are already proceeding to serve the many and great needs of the Holy Metropolis of Kinshasa.
Already, with the help of God, a plot of land was purchased in Kinshasa, where the Sacred Church of “Our Lady of Axion Estin” is being founded. In the city of Boma, a plot of land was bought and the church of the Holy Unmercinaries is being founded, while in the province of Bandundu, on a plot of land bought by the late Metropolitan Nikiforos of Kinshasa, we are establishing a church named after “All Saints”. Besides church construction, the infrastructure of a Metropolis requires many other spaces, and for this reason we have renovated spaces necessary for the Mission, while our desire and need is to build offices to house the services of the Holy Metropolis.
The whole project, however, is thwarted by the huge size of the area of the H.M., which is vast. It includes cities of four or two million people and many other large cities without the slightest Orthodox presence; without a church, without a priest or catechists. There is an urgent need for the immediate construction of churches, schools, as well as priest ordination aiming at making the presence of the Mission and of Orthodoxy in general felt.
It should be noted here that the Theological School “St. Athanasius the Athonite” has been established in our Diocese, which now also operates as a monastery. This Theological Seminary is a nursery for tomorrow’s priests, catechists and associates, not only for the Kinshasa Metropolis but also for the other metropolises and dioceses of the country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its operation, however, creates a huge financial burden as it requires salaries for teachers and employees, daily feeding of about 60 people with three meals a day as well as expenses for medicine, oil, electricity, water and others, being the largest expense of the Kinshasa Metropolis. However, it must continue to exist at all costs, for both the present and the future of Orthodoxy in the Congo.
Also, as soon as kind-hearted donors are found, we should proceed with the construction of churches in order to adequately meet the worship needs of the faithful. A special case is the effort that was started many years ago by the late Metropolitan Nikiforos of Kinshasa for the construction of a church in the city of Kinshasa with similar specifications, so that the disabled Orthodox who are in a wheelchair can go to church. So far the services have been held on the pavement. For this reason, our afflicted brothers cannot receive Holy Communion, because on the one hand we cannot perform the Divine Liturgy in the street and on the other hand, it is dangerous for them to go in the wheelchairs miles away to the other two parishes to attend the Divine Liturgy. This need would be solved by buying a plot of land for the construction of a suitable church. However, the amount required for the plot alone exceeds $ 200,000, while the church construction is estimated to cost half the money.
The late Metropolitan Nikiforos of Kinshasa built a beautiful small hospital in a slum area of Kinshasa. Now, in order to be put into operation initially (even as a simple doctor’s office), its monthly operating expenses must be secured: salaries for a doctor, microbiologist, nurse, secretary, cleaner as well as consumables such as water and electricity). There is no other hospital or doctor’s office in the slum area and its operation will meet a great need of the people
Last but not least, my dear dream: the establishment of a Missionary Division in Kinshasa. In its Center, where St. Marc’s Sacred Church is located, the Greek Community offered a very large plot of land to the Diocese years ago. In this space, I envisage the establishment of a missionary division with a large cathedral, rooms for catechetical sessions, libraries, care centers for the poor, metropolitan headquarters, reception areas, guest rooms, a special room for speeches and events. We want this space to be the lung of our Church, the center of all spiritual and missionary activity. And I am convinced that in addition to meeting the needs, this project can help decisively in promoting Orthodoxy in Kinshasa.
I keep saying “we must not waste time”. Souls must know Orthodoxy, we must rush, we must present to the world the tradition of the Holy Fathers. Thank God, there are people who want to support in various ways and lift the cross of the Mission along with us.
Theodosius of Kinshasa
