Co-workers “throughout Macedonia” (Paul’s A’ epistle to Thess. 4,10), elected members of the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity of Thessaloniki, rejoice in the Risen Lord! “The Orthodox Church that is at Ghana, elected together with you, saluteth you”, (A’ Peter. 5,13).
By the Grace of the Holy Spirit, the blessings of His Beatitude Theodore II Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa and the honest votes of my fellow-Prelates in the “Vineyard” of Africa, my steps were led from the East to the West, from the Horn of the ancient Ethiopian land and the Red Sea to the headquarters of the Orthodox Mission in West Africa οn the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, in the Lord-blessed countries of Ghana, Ivory Coast and Mali, where the Orthodox Church of Accra “is located”. May the Name of the Triune God always be glorified!
Our Local Church in Accra has already come over six decades since its establishment (1959) marching towards a hopeful future, with rich spiritual fruits. Since the time of the late Metropolitans Efstathios Efstathopoulos (1959-1975), who laid the foundations of the Orthodox presence in the region, the multi-talented Metropolitan Ireneos Talamvekos (1976-1990), who worked tirelessly for the Mission, the much lamented Patriarch Petros Papapetrou (1990-1997), until today, the Orthodox presence and activity has been alive.
Together with our twenty Ghanaian and three Ivorian priests, who minister in our 38 parish communities in all the districts of the Diocese, we try to sow the Word of the Gospel of Christ and the teachings of His only true Orthodox Church amidst a jumble of heresies, quasi-religious sects, Protestantism and charismatic offshoots. The difficulties in understanding the Orthodox faith and tradition within this confusing environment are, by human standards, insurmountable. However, “what is impossible with men is possible with God”.
We have already started our missionary work by setting our main goals and priorities. The upgrading of theological education for the training of our members is absolutely necessary if we aim to spread Orthodoxy in the region. We want the young priests who will minister to the Church to be strong in faith and spiritual life so that they can face the difficulties of pastoral action. That is why we are carefully planning the continuation of the “St. Peter’s Technical School ” in Larte region, but also the creation of an Institute of Orthodox Theology, initially with two years of theoretical and practical training in all fields of pastoral activity. The said Institute will operate under the supervision of the first Orthodox Holy Monastery in Ghana, which we will establish.
We also aim to upgrade the twelve elementary schools of the Diocese, which are housed in dilapidated buildings, outdoor tents or grass huts.
Climatic conditions in the area are tropical, with humidity reaching 95% and torrential storms making travel for pastoral visits difficult. Roads are almost non-existent. The 35 central parishes and their chapels are in need of maintenance. The huge volume of water has created many problems on the roofs of our church buildings and in the houses of the priests. As you can imagine, it is extremely difficult for us to deal with this large number of needs on our own.
Our next goal is the operation of small First Aid Clinics of Primary care within the premises of our Parishes in order to provide health and prevention services to the residents of areas far from the big cities. It is unthinkable that in 2024 there are women in our villages who die during childbirth due to lack of obstetric care! Or even not being able to treat a fracture, for which one needs to travel a long way till the capital city of Ghana, Accra. We strongly believe that the Church must always be present, helping everyone indiscriminately!
All of you who support the actions of the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity are our guardian angels! With your small or bigger contribution, you send to all of us who work in the Mission the message that brotherhood, love, compassion, solidarity and support for the African Orthodox Brothers is profoundly powerful! The Fraternity, with its regular and continued financial support to the Holy Metropolis of Accra, takes care of our priests by providing them with the minimum monthly allowance that is necessary for their survival in order to support their families. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the President and the Fraternity Board for the aid you sent us in view of the Holy Easter period. On behalf of our Clergy, who remember the Fraternity in their prayers, we thank you wholeheartedly!
Please don’t forget our Church. May the Christ of Love and Mercy grant you His blessings!
+ Daniel of Accra
