Young and old flock to hear the Word of God

Dear friends of the Mission,

Greetings in the Lord.

It is with great joy that I communicate with you to inform you about the progress of the works and the Mission in general.

By the grace of God and the blessing of our Patriarch, His Beatitude Theodore, all missionary and charitable works are progressing satisfactorily. We continue our outreach efforts in villages, as well as in remote areas, for catechesis, baptisms, and all other Sacraments of our Church.

The thirst of the people is great, both to learn about Orthodoxy and to participate in all the Sacraments of our Church. Very often, new parishes are established in remote villages where, until now, people knew nothing about Christ and the Orthodox Church. Truly, the grace of God goes before us, opening paths to the glory of God and the salvation of mankind.

The people’s thirst to hear the Word of God is evident. Young and old hasten, no matter how far, when the catechist and priest come to their area for catechesis. Orthodoxy brings them peace, and they do not tire of listening for many hours. The questions they ask are simple yet profound. I will never forget a time when a woman asked me: What is Christmas that you celebrate?

When catechesis is completed and funds are secured, we proceed with the erection of the holy church. Their joy culminates when the day of the opening of the doors arrives, with the participation of a multitude of people and political authorities. It then becomes a true celebration, and we are like one large family eating together. We glorify God for this Blessing. It is a great undertaking for one to renounce their previous religion and embrace Christianity, Orthodoxy.

Always, when we go to the villages, in addition to catechesis or another Sacrament of our Church, we also distribute food and clothing to them. This food arrives in containers from Greece, Cyprus, and Australia. These people are in need and ask us to give them whatever we have. Many times, they walk barefoot or wear old clothes and shoes. School children walk for several hours, in the summer heat and during the rainy season, carrying their few books or notebooks in their hands, as they do not have bags.

The love of people sends us, either from their abundance or from their scarcity, clothes, bags, or anything else that is very useful for these poor people. Here at the Mission, everything is useful. We glorify the name of God for this small help we can offer to these poor people.

In a few days, Christmas will be here. The whole world will celebrate one of the greatest feasts of Christianity. Will all people celebrate this great feast? Let us also reflect on the responsibility we have towards these people. Let us show our love, in any way we can, to our despised brethren. We are all children of God, and we all deserve to enjoy not only spiritual but also material blessings.

His Eminence Ignatius of Madagascar

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