My dear brothers and fellow companions, Christ is Risen.
Our joy is great because always during this Resurrection period, the group baptisms of the catechists take place. By the Grace of God, 500 new members received Holy Baptism and became members of our local Orthodox Church. How can one describe the overwhelming feelings at that time? You see people’s faces coming out of the sacred mystery with the light of Christ on their faces. The children’s eyes look shinier. The teenagers’ faces much brighter. The faces of the adults full of joy and hope because even at the eleventh hour they receive the same wage as those at the first hour.
For us, our greatest joy is the spiritual progress within our Diocese. To see the natives holding the rosary in their hands and hear them say the Jesus prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me” in the depths of Africa; To see them coming to the Sacrament of Confession with a broken heart and a contrite spirit; To see them walking for hours to get to Church to receive the Body and Blood of Christ because this is what gives them strength to continue their week.
We are truly grateful first to God, then to Our Lady, and also to the Patron Saints of our Diocese, Holy Elders Joseph the Hesychast, Daniel of Katunakia and Ephraim of Katunakia. Then to all of you who first pray for us and then support our work through the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity. Thanks to your love, we were able to build Churches in honor of all the Patron Saints of our Diocese. Thanks to your love and support, we created rural health clinics. We drilled wells. We built schools and much more.
My dear brothers, as your brother in Christ, I want to share with you my thoughts about the future of Mission in Southern Madagascar. My little experience over the years has shown me the following: In the villages where we have built churches and there is a permanent priest living there, the progress is great. It is very important that the priest can live in the village where he serves and not go there only at the weekend for the Divine Liturgy. When I go to the villages, the people ask for a permanent priest in their Church. The truth is that only then does a Church grow.
As a Diocese, we started building a small house next to the church to be the home of the priest. The cost for the construction of such a little house is €5,000. I come once again humbly asking for your forgiveness and at the same time for your support so that we can build a house for every priest of our Diocese, which will greatly benefit the Mission.
I thank you wholeheartedly for your love and trust. Christ is Risen.
The Least Servant of God, Bishop Prodromos of Toliara
