The world's first Church of Saint Chrysostomos opened its doors

There are days that do not end when the sun sets. They remain in the heart and continue to speak to people for many years.

Such a day for me was the Consecration of the Church of Saint Chrysostomos the Missionary, here in Southern Madagascar.

With the blessing of His Beatitude Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria and All Africa, we were deemed worthy to perform the Consecration and, on the following Sunday, the first Divine Liturgy in this new Church.

From early morning, I understood that something special was happening. People began to gather. Some came from nearby villages and others from further away. Children, elderly, mothers with their children, entire families. On their faces, there was a simple, pure, true joy. They were not just waiting for a ceremony. They were waiting to acquire a Church of their own.

And as I watched them, I thought about how different the concept of the Church is here, in a place where often people begin their spiritual life in a makeshift space, under a tree or in a simple hut. Here, the Church is not something taken for granted. It is a gift. It is a miracle. It is the fruit of prayer.

And when the time came for the doors of the Church to open, I felt a deep emotion. The people were waiting. And when the doors opened, they began to enter with a touching simplicity. Some made the sign of the Cross, others looked around silently, others smiled. For some of them, it was the first time they had entered such a Church.

Then I thought. Not only are the doors of a Church opening today. A new page is opening in the history of this small Orthodox community.

And my thoughts immediately went to the man to whom the Church is dedicated. To Saint Chrysostomos Papasarantopoulos. Saint Chrysostomos was not a man born into comfort. He was born in 1903 in Vasilitsi, Messinia, into a family of struggling workers. From a young age, he knew toil and deprivation. His father’s death forced him to leave school at a very young age to work and help his family.

But within him, there was a thirst that was not quenched. The thirst for God. The thirst for knowledge. The thirst for prayer.

At the age of just sixteen, he was led to monastic life. Later, although his life had already passed through many difficulties and ministries, he never stopped seeking knowledge. At the age of 55, he earned his degree in Theology.

And perhaps this is one of the first lessons his life teaches us. It is never too late when a person has a purpose blessed by God. But Saint Chrysostomos did not stop at knowledge. He wanted to transform it into an offering. During his studies, he came into contact with African students, and through these acquaintances, the desire for Africa began to grow within him.

And when the time came, he did not consider his age. He did not say that he was too old. He did not say that the difficulties were many. He did not say that Africa was far away. He set out. At the age of 57, in 1960, he left Greece and began his missionary journey in Africa. He passed through Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Congo, leaving behind people who came to know the Orthodox faith through him.

Even before he started, he had sought the spiritual blessing of Saint Amphilochios Makris in Patmos. He spoke to him enthusiastically about his plan to work in Africa.

He did not go to Africa as a man who simply wanted to fulfill a personal dream. He went as a man who wanted to pave the way. And indeed, he paved the way. A path that many other missionaries later followed. A path that continues to this day.

And there, before the doors of the new Church, I felt that this path had reached here. From that Greece of Saint Chrysostomos, from his monasteries, prayers, and struggles, from East Africa where he worked, from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Congo, his sowing has reached Southern Madagascar today.

And his name was not merely written on a marble slab. It was written in the heart of a people. This was perhaps the most moving element of the day.

When the Consecration service began, the Church slowly filled with people. The voices of the chanters united with the prayers of the people. The incense filled the space and, for the first time, the new Church began to acquire what it was truly built for: life.

And then came the first Divine Liturgy. The “Blessed is the Kingdom…” was heard for the first time. It was not merely the beginning of a service. It was the first prayer of a new parish life.

I looked at the people and especially the children. I thought that these children would grow up here. They would learn to make the sign of the Cross here. They would be baptized here. They would receive Communion here. They would get married here.

Some of them, perhaps, one day will become catechists, priests, and workers of the Church themselves. And then I understood even more why Mission is worthwhile. Because we are not just building buildings. We are building the future of the Church.

During the Divine Liturgy, in the silence created when one stands before the Mystery, I felt that the presence of Saint Chrysostomos was particularly strong.

He who once left Greece to pave the way in Africa, today had a Church named after him in yet another part of this great continent.

And how strange are the ways of God! A man from a small village in Messinia, who knew poverty and deprivation from childhood, became one of the pioneers of Orthodox Mission in Africa. The Church of Alexandria ranked him among its hagiological tradition as a Saint, recognizing the offering and testimony of his life.

And today, here in Southern Madagascar, we felt that the sowing of that man continues. Another Church. Another village. A few more families who know Christ. A few more children growing up within the Church.

This is the miracle of Mission. And in this miracle, the Orthodox Mission Fraternity now has its own share. Because without your love, without your offering, this Church would not be here today.

Once, Saint Chrysostomos left Greece to plant the seed of Orthodoxy in Africa. Today, here in Southern Madagascar, a new Church becomes another fruit of that sowing. And perhaps this is the most beautiful message of the day. Mission never ends. It continues through people who imitate the pioneering Missionaries and continue their work.

Saint Chrysostomos Papasarantopoulos opened a path. Today, we have the blessing to walk on it. And this Church is another step. Another “yes” to Christ. Another light in Africa.

From my heart, then, a big thank you to all who became part of this effort. And especially to the Orthodox Mission Fraternity, which with its love and sacrificial offering made this dream a reality.

Saint Chrysostomos Papasarantopoulos, Missionary of Africa, intercede for us all.

Glory to God for all things!

† The Bold Prodromos