By Geron Metropolitan Makarios of Nairobi • Part II
In this regard, we quote the exact text from Fr. Chrysostomοs’ diary notes where he describes his arrival in Kampala and his first meeting with the then Metropolitan and our African brothers:
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“It was almost 10 am when we arrived at the rented abode of His Eminence Metropolitan Nikolaos of Irinoupolis. Fr. Efstathios knocked on the door twice.“Who is it?” “It is me.” His Eminence got up. In the meantime, they invited us to the house next door which belonged to an expatriate, where they welcomed us and we all sat on the veranda. His Eminence got ready and came there, where he received us warmly and cordially. We were offered breakfast and we sat in the hall. His Eminence notified his friend Fr. Spartas and the other black priests. Three of them came: Frs. Cyril, Athanasios and Joachim. We exchanged greetings wishing each other “Christ is Risen”. They were all wearing the Greek priestly vestments. They sat down with us and we talked until past noon. They departed. Meanwhile, the meal was ready. We had lunch and took a short rest. A bed was moved to the dining room for me. In the afternoon, at around 5 p.m., we all went with the escort of a Mr. F. Sideris to the old church of Fr. Spartas, the “Orthodox Greek Church of Sparta”. It is a low rectangular tin roof structure, situated near the top of a hill. The black people around Fr. Spartas have enough facilities here, such as schools and a small hospital, all of which are incomplete and sketchy, but they do exist and that is really something. They are all covered with tin. It is here that His Eminence is thinking of building a small church and a rectory for me and complete the schools and the hospital. Later, there are plans for the construction of a magnificent Church and Cathedral on the nearby hill above. We stayed there until late and came back. We spent time discussing and having dinner. They suggested that we go to the people next door and sit for a while, but my head is now spinning like a water mill. I asked to be excused and stayed behind. I sat down for a while to write a letter and then I lay on my bed. It did not take me long to fall asleep. This is how one of the most important days of my life had passed. “May the name of the Lord be blessed and honored forever and ever.” Whatever I say or write will not be enough to express my feelings or praise the Lord as much as it is worthy. Great emotions are only expressed through silence…”
Here we should mention that in the early 1960s, the then Metropolitan Nikolaos of Irinoupolis had commissioned the then African pioneer Fr. Ruvim Mukasa Spartas to write a letter to Fr. Chrysostomos Papasarantopoulos, who was already anxious to reach the African continent. On March 29, 1960, Fr. Spartas wrote to Fr. Chrysostomos:
“I bring to your attention the command of our Most Reverend Metropolitan Nikolaos of Irinoupolis and of all East Africa that His Eminence wholeheartedly accepts you to come near us so that you can enlighten us in the truth of Orthodoxy. He only asks you to wait for a while so that he can prepare everything that is required for your final stay here. He warmly thanks you for your devotion and self-sacrifice in favor of our Faith. May the Omnibenevolent God bless you with warm love and good health.”
On May 10, 1960, when Fr. Chrysostomos was still in Alexandria, Metropolitan Nikolaos wrote a letter to him informing him that:
“…Your fervent zeal and your desire to serve the Mission in Uganda made me think a lot. Certainly not because we do not need workers in the Lord’s vineyard, we do need many, but because the local Church is very poor… for this reason, we decided to hire you. Inside this letter you will find a note which I ask you to fill out so that we can get you a permit to enter the country.
A month later, on June 9, 1960, Metropolitan Nikolaos, enthused by the presence of Fr. Chrysostomos in Kampala, delivered the following letter to him:
“We hereby appoint you Parish Priest of the Orthodox Christians in Kampala and Secretary General of the Missionary Department and we earnestly exhort you to carry out your duties in the fear of God”.
(To be Continued)
