Canonization of Saint Chrysostomos the Missionary

With feelings of inexpressible joy, the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity welcomes the official recognition of the holiness of Archimandrite Chrysostomos Papasarantopoulos, the pioneer of Orthodox Mission work on the African continent.

This decision is received with enthusiasm by the Church of Greece, where he was born and served as a clergyman in the local Churches of Messinia, Edessa, Thessaloniki, Kalamaria, and Athens. It is also received with rejoicing by the African people, whom he loved so dearly and who today host his holy relics.

Saint Chrysostomos, despite his frail health and advanced age, did not hesitate to leave his homeland in 1960 and journey to Africa in obedience to our Lord’s great commission. With complete self-sacrifice, he planted the seed of Orthodoxy in Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, and Congo, leaving an indelible mark on the spiritual renewal of these peoples.

He was the inspiration and spiritual founder of our Fraternity, which supported his more than twelve-year journey in Africa with both word and deed. The first president, Pantelis Bagias, and the great benefactor, Panagiotis Papadimitrakopoulos, were his close collaborators in this vision. The Saint’s letters to the then Board of Directors of the Fraternity clearly document the progress of the missionary work, the challenges, the needs, and his exhortations for the continuation and strengthening of the effort.

We express our gratitude to the Second-Throne Church of the Evangelist Mark, to the Patriarchate of Alexandria, His Beatitude Patriarch Theodoros II, and all members of the Holy Synod for this historic decision, which honors the Church and its missionary spirit.

We pray that the official recognition of Saint Chrysostomos’s holiness will rekindle the missionary spirit in the hearts of the faithful and inspire new laborers in the Lord’s vineyard, especially in the blessed yet tested field of the African continent.

The Orthodox Missionary Fraternity

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