“Christ, the true light, the light that enlightens and sanctifies every man who comes into the world”

One more testimony, one more prayer of the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, for the truth and the light which the face of Christ radiates. The Fathers tell us with certainty that it not only enlightens but also sanctifies every person who comes into contact with this light, which our Church calls the universal mission of illumination to “All Nations”.

Saint Cyril of Alexandria says that Christ is “essentially Light”.

This true light is sought by people in every corner of the earth through their spiritual concerns.

A light that gives hope, joy and meaning to transcend death, to meet the living Christ, the perfect man and God, to live with him the sanctification through the way to the Resurrection!

This path always passes through the Crucifixion.

The Cross and the Mission are constituted, co-exist, sympathize and co-articulate the mission of the Church, as a revelation of God, to preach the Gospel “to the ends of the earth”.

“This is the will of him that sent me, that whosoever believeth on the Son, and believeth on him, may have eternal life… and I will raise him up at the last day.”

This Resurrection is what the Greek Missionaries live and reveal, this testimony they share with the world, as a precious gift, as a sacred legacy of the experience of the Risen Christ.

This is the truth that they carry “throughout all creation” with a clear conscience in the words of the Apostle Paul repeating once again “for the ignorance of God, I say to your shame”.

For this agnosia of God, the Fraternity fights with all its strength alongside the Missionary Scales, in order to support and strengthen the work of material and moral support for the glory of God!

Let us draw strength, my brothers and sisters, from the words of the Holy Apostle John Chrysostom, who tells us with certainty that “godliness is insatiable”, that is, the work done for God never tires!

Again the Saint says “do not leave all the burdens to us clergy… you can do much for the Mission”.

You know, brothers, because you are members of this Fraternity, with how many tears, sweat and blood this light of Christ is transmitted through the missionary work to all the Nations!

Let us draw strength, my brothers and sisters, from their words and let us work within ourselves the missionary conscience.

The fathers say that we must direct our consciousness towards God, towards our neighbour and towards the creation of the created world!

And the first is man’s awareness and debt to God, the second is man’s debt to his neighbour, and the third is thanksgiving to the Creator and the forgery of life…

For “every creature of God is good, and nothing that is rejected is received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word of God and by faith.”

Permanent programmes

The total amount offered for the Missions was 805.000 €. More specifically, in 2024 we strengthened the following programmes:

• Soup kitchens: we funded 11,530 meals for the hungry.
• Baptisms: We managed 136 baptism registrations, which took place in Arusha, Malawi and Bukoba.
• Scholarships: We awarded 18 scholarships in Katanga and 10 scholarships in Jinja, to provide learning opportunities for young people in Africa. In addition, we awarded an increased monthly scholarship to an African postgraduate student in Greece, from the proceeds of the Porlighi Endowment.
• Priests’ salaries: we sent 24.400 € for the salaries of priests in Accra, Bukoba, Jinja
• India Orphanage: We supported the operation of the orphanage in Kolkata, India, which has proved to be a life-saving experience for dozens of children, with the amount of 18,380 €
• Kinshasa Theological Seminary: For the production of new members of the Orthodox Church in Kinshasa, we donated the amount of 9,000 €.

Overall overview of remittances

In addition to the above, the Fraternity sent to the missionary echelons the amount of 568,000 euros, of which 138,000 euros for general needs

In total, the Fraternity in 2024 supported 30 missionary teams as follows:

Βόρεια Αφρική	Πατριαρχείο Αλεξανδρείας
Δυτική Αφρική	Άκκρας Καμερούν Μπενίν και Τόγκο Σιέρρα Λεόνε
Κεντρική Αφρική	Γκόμας Κανάγγας Κατάγγας Κινσάσας Μπούνιας
Ανατολική Αφρική	Ανταναναρίβο Αρούσας Γκούλου Ειρηνουπόλεως Καμπάλας Μαλάουι Μπουκόμπας Μπουρούντι Ναϊρόμπι Νυέρι Ρουάντα Τζίντζας Τολιάρας
Κεντρική Αμερική	Μεξικού – Αϊτή
Νότια Αμερική	Μεξικού – Κολομβία
Μελανησία	Νέας Ζηλανδίας & Ωκεανίας
Νότια Ασία	Σιγκαπούρης – Ινδία
Νοτιοανατολική Ασία	Σιγκαπούρης – Ινδονησία – Ανατολική Ιάβα Σιγκαπούρης – Ινδονησία – Κεντρική Ιάβα Σιγκαπούρης – Ινδονησία – Μεντάν

Water supply

In addition, to address the pressing problem of water scarcity, the Fraternity also funded 22 new drilling projects in African countries last year with a total of €99,000 in funds, as follows:

No	Region	Project	Amount 2024	Status
1	Accra	Well at the Holy Baptist Gomoa Akropong	2.175,00 €	Completed
2	Accra	Well in Metamorphosis Accra	2.000,00 €	Completed
3	Accra	Well in Agios Nikolaos Tema	2.000,00 €	Completed
4	Accra	Well in Tsiaveme, Dzodze, Volta	2.000,00 €	Completed
5	Accra	Well at Atsiakorpe, Afite, Ketu North District	2.000,00 €	Completed
6	Arusha	Well in Mkobe	5.000,00 €	Completed
7	Gulu	Well in Karamoja	5.000,00 €	Completed
8	Kananga	Well in Kananga	9.500,00 €	Completed
9	Katanga	Well at the I.M. of the Holy Apostles of Tsampoulas	From 2023	Completed
10	Katanga	Well 10/2024	5.000,00 €	Completed
11	Malawi	Well 8/2024	5.000,00 €	Completed
12	Bunia	Well 4a/2024	5.000,00 €	Completed
13	Bunia	Well 4b/2024	6.000,00 €	Completed
14	Togo & Benin	Well in Soumbou, B. Togo	6.000,00 €	Completed
15	Bunia	Well 4c/2024	6.000,00 €	Near completion
16	Accra	Well 10/2024	2.000,00 €	In Programming
17	Accra	Well 8/2024	4.000,00 €	In Programming
18	Accra	Wells 12/2024	8.500,00 €	In Programming
19	Gulu	Well 12/2024	5.000,00 €	In Programming
20	Katanga	Well 10/2024	5.000,00 €	In Programming
21	Bunia	Well 5/2024	5.300,00 €	In Programming
22	Toliara	Well in Mahabyka	2.334,05 €	In Programming
23	Toliara	Well at Ramafana	From 2023	In Programming
24	Toliara	Well in Abataka	4.990,71 €	In Programming

Epilogue

Our times are characterised by contradictions, conflicts and lack of values!

Our world suffers from inward-looking egoism, selfishness and arrogance!

Christ calls us through our weaknesses to overcome ourselves, and to find ourselves in the near and far man, to overcome traditions, habits, customs and customs, overcoming our fears and becoming fellow companions with “Always the Nations”.

It is the duty and obligation of every Christian to speak about Christ, to inspire with his life, to preach with his ethos, to express with his grace, to teach with his attitude the mystery of Christ.

The nations must understand that the Christian religion is not the religion of a wise man who had the divine inspiration and discovery of a Confucius or a Buddha, but it is a revelation of this Word and God!

Are the Gentiles, then, co-heirs and co-participants of the promise in Christ through the Gospel, as Paul states in Ephesians 3:6?

If so, let us then sing at Vespers on the Sabbath before Easter, “Anastasio, God judge the earth, that you may be anointed in all the nations”.

Charalambos Metallidis

President