Annual Report 2025

“I give you a new commandment,” says the Lord in the Gospel of John. “Love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Another year, dear friends of the Mission, has passed, filled with efforts, initiatives, thoughts, and decisions for the God-pleasing work of evangelism.

A work of love that knows no boundaries. Love expands the mind, discovers paths, reveals souls, following and traveling in its own unique way. Only with the power of love can we travel, reach those who await us, in their Ithaca, in the harbor of their boundless love. Christ came into the world for this, for love. Not for death. Death is caused by man; the life of love and joy is given by Christ.

The joy of love is the essence, it is the element of a Christian. If you believe, you are always joyful with the joy of love and offering. The joy of ministry. Because He said: “I give you the joy of peace, the joy of love, My own joy, not the worldly joy of this world.”

Joy and love spring from within us. We do not wait for others to make us happy, because Christ makes us happy, and we love the whole world.

Therefore, as members of this Fraternity, let us serve this blessed work, this ministry in the name of Christ with love. Let us go where the Spirit of God leads and guides us, to bring His love, without limits and borders, to the world.

Canonization of Saint Chrysostomos Papasarantopoulos

2025 was marked by an event of historical significance for the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity: the official canonization of the missionary Fr. Chrysostomos Papasarantopoulos by the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa. Fr. Chrysostomos was the spiritual founder of our Fraternity and a pioneer of Orthodox mission in Africa, and his recognition as a Saint confirms the sanctifying power of missionary work.

Several members of the Fraternity traveled to Egypt to celebrate this event in person. The joy we experienced was deep and authentic: in the consciousness and hearts of all of us, Fr. Chrysostomos always remained a man of God, the Saint of the indigenous people. He dedicated his life to humanity, struggled alongside those he loved to overcome darkness, fear, superstitions, and death. They loved him deeply because he offered them love, he gave them hope: the treasure of Orthodox truth and the truth of the Resurrection.

As part of the celebration, the Fraternity organized an event for the first official commemoration of Saint Chrysostomos as its patron, featuring Vespers and a documentary screening about his life and work.

Humanitarian aid

With a spirit of offering and love, the members of the Fraternity continue to work in the warehouses in Filyro, Thessaloniki, collecting, sorting, and dispatching material aid to mission outposts around the world. In 2025, eight containers of humanitarian aid were sent, as follows:

Date	Destination
26/1	Kananga
16/3	Northern Madagascar
30/3	Bulgaria (orphanage, hospital)
22/6	Ghana
17/10	Benin and Togo
30/11	Southern Madagascar
25/11	Bulgaria
30/11	Bulgaria

They all await, they all need this help. The needy and the helpless, the poor of the earth, await something from the Mother Church to sustain them through their difficulties. Then the missionary, along with them, chants “Blessed be the name of the Lord,” thanking the Author of life and Savior of the world.

Financial aid to mission outposts

In 2025, the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity sent remittances to 31 mission outposts across four continents. The total amount reached 513,706.41 euros.

These remittances correspond to the following areas of activity:

A/N	Program	Remittances
1	General needs	€187,200.61
2	Wells – Tanks	€73,286.00
3	Holy Temples	€67,409.80
4	Clinics	€51,690.00
5	Schools	€39,000.00
6	Other needs	€31,000.00
7	Baptisms	19.000,00 €
8	Orphanages	€17,220.00
9	Soup kitchens	€15,500.00
10	Scholarships	€8,400.00
11	Priests’ salaries	€3,000.00
12	Humanitarian aid	1.000,00 €
Total		€513,706.41

The largest portion of funds was directed to the general needs of the outposts (€187,200.61), wells and water tanks (€73,286.00), and the construction or completion of holy temples (€67,409.80). A significant part was also allocated to clinics, schools, and baptisms, reflecting the Fraternity’s holistic missionary vision: soul and body, faith and charity.

Events

In 2025, the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity continued to organize monthly gatherings with missionaries and bishops from every corner of the world, offering members and friends of the Fraternity the opportunity to hear firsthand about missionary work and to feel a more vibrant connection with the remote communities they support.

Also significant was the speech by Metropolitan Elder Makarios of Nairobi at the Theological School, as well as the aforementioned event for the first commemoration of Saint Chrysostomos Papasarantopoulos, patron of the Fraternity, with Vespers and a documentary screening.

Project Funding and Implementation

In 2025, 39 infrastructure projects were initiated, continued, or completed with the support of the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity, across seven categories: land acquisition, holy temples, clinics, buildings, wells, schools, and missionary center buildings. The projects span three continents and ten countries, from Africa to Oceania and Latin America.

Among the most significant achievements of the year are: the completion of the Holy Temple of Saint Athanasios in Cereté, Colombia, the completion of the Holy Temple of Saint George in Tonga, New Zealand, the equipped Kitamali maternity clinic in Arusha, Tanzania, the construction of two priests’ houses and the repair of a school also in Arusha, as well as numerous wells in Uganda, Ghana, Togo, Katanga, Madagascar, and elsewhere, providing potable water to communities that until now lacked this basic necessity.

Επίλογος

Mission is the harbor that storms and rough seas do not shake. It is the harbor for every soul that can find refuge, cast away fears and insecurities. It is the harbor of faith and hope for a better world.

Έναν κόσμο που πολλές φορές ο Θεός αποκάλυψε τον εαυτό του σε αυτούς που δεν τον περίμεναν και σ’ εκείνους που δεν τον υποψιάζονταν. Όπως λέει και ο Θείος Παύλος:

«Ποιος πράγματι γνώρισε τον νου του Κυρίου; Ή ποιος βουλεύθηκε μαζί του; Ή ποιος έδωσε πρώτος σ’ αυτόν, ώστε να δύναται να απαιτήσει ανταπόδοση;»

Mission is the vehicle, it is the means, it is the Lord’s commandment, expressed and revealed through the ages. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen!

The Chairman of the Board of Directors

Charalambos Metallidis