Author: Bishop Makarios of Nairobi

A visit to the house of two disabled children revealed the greatness of a mother who sacrifices her life without complaint. A deeply moving lesson from Kenya about true Christian love.

The dangers here in our mission are on the daily schedule, perhaps because we are so used to it that we no longer pay attention to it. Five murder attempts, robberies, assaults, fatal diseases, car accidents, etc. – not to mention more – because I deeply believed that the invisible hand of God never ceased…

Today, in a time of searching, a time of so many trials and calamities on a global scale, after more than four decades that I first set foot on this blessed land of the African continent, I reflect upon the extreme forbearance and condescension of our philanthropic Lord. I still remember vividly the first exploratory…

We are already in an age when people worldwide are suffering, enduring pain, pursuing a quest, seeking the truth and reality, the mystery that is called “life”. What is it that we all go through, which makes us move incessantly but people ignore and do not even want to talk about? So here’s the mystery…

Judging by our life style and what we take for granted, we could never imagine that a plate of hot food could save small children’s lives. Indeed, for us it is inconceivable and exaggerating if we claim that in the 21st century there are children who are thirsty and hungry and do not have direct…

Dear Mission Friends and Supporters, These days I am at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro on another mission of love and compassion toward our suffering brothers of the Maasai tribe: specifically, at our orphanage with these wronged little children. I spent time sitting with disabled children, blind, lame, deaf, etc. as I wanted to touch…

This year, one of the last pioneers in Kenya, Protopresbyter Benjamin Kiptalam Rotich (1926-2022), slept in the Lord. The funeral service was conducted in an atmosphere of deep emotion. When I think of the early workers of the Gospel and Orthodoxy, I wonder under which conditions they worked and struggled when, even today, we have…

Indeed, by the grace of God and the action of the Holy and Ruling Spirit, the message of Orthodoxy is carried and planted and germinates in all the widths and lengths of the African continent, always, of course, with the blessings and blessings of His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria and All…

It could be said that our Missionary course has neither a beginning nor an end. We set out on a mission without knowing where we will end up: a life of adventures and surprises from one end of the African continent to the other. We still have a long way to go in order to…

And yet he came. Who? The one who this year has completed thirty years of High Priesthood and sixteen years at the helm of the Orthodox Church in Africa. He himself considered that his presence was necessary and imperative. The father of the great and historic Church of St. Mark had to show his love…

I always write down my thoughts, my ideas, my concerns and my feelings, not only now with the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing rise in global hunger- especially here in Africa. Surprises come unexpectedly but they almost always give a hopeful message, although nowadays the situations we are going through are difficult and quite often…

This period every year, here, on the Mission premises, the conduction of the morning and evening sacred services along with the active participation and attendance of the students of our School, creates a solemn atmosphere full of devout reverence, as chanting is rendered in the best way possible in the various local dialects of Africa….

I read with great interest the article of my dear friend and brother in the field of Overseas Mission Mr. Charalambos Metallides for a plea made by His Eminence Metropolitan Nikiphoros of Kinshasa for financial support to the School of Theology of Congo University. As we are dealing with exactly the same problems, I also…

The birth of Christ, the King and Ruler of the universe, is an event that truly shocks every Christian believer. God, out of His infinite and boundless love for the people He created, came from heaven to earth. Thus, He became man, so that all of us who are here on earth can become like…

Dear friends of the Mission, Sitting in my office and planning the daily schedule, I suddenly noticed someone come in. It was the person in charge of the kitchen for the little children who we offer breakfast and lunch daily. He stood in front of me and courteously as well as shyly said to me:…

Our Orthodox Church, once she decided to deal with Mission Overseas, set as her priority, among other objectives, these small, innocent creatures…

The whole spectacle was reminiscent of a biblical disaster, since there was not a single green leaf on the surrounding trees or any other vegetation. We arrived, therefore, and found ourselves in front of the Masai huts, built of dry grass. The women came out first, and then the little children. The whole spectacle was overwhelming. The people were starving…

While he was walking and monologuing, he suddenly saw a car driving around with abnormal turns and movements. He immediately ran after it and, in spite of the danger of being injured, skilfully tried to get in front and succeeded in stopping it. To his great surprise he noticed that the driver had lost consciousness and the car was moving without control

It is painful, every time I am tempted by this temptation with little ones and orphans that surround me every day. But I have the consolation that there is room, and plenty of it, for God Himself, who transcends all barriers and limits, precisely to rest and rest the souls of these little children, if we are moved and act effectively for their salvation…

Kenya has acquired two new holy temples to proclaim the joyful message of the Resurrection of the Lord…

His simplicity and his love for God made him worthy, through all these existing difficulties, to celebrate a church wedding and to experience the great sacrament of marriage in a church. His wife, a young girl, who was very modestly dressed, listened attentively to the blessings and the whole service in the local dialect of the tribe and in Swahili…

The tradition of Orthodoxy together with local customs form a wonderful mosaic, rich in content. People continue their traditions, their daily habits in a new, now, perspective. It is that of new life. This is the true path of Orthodoxy…

One day, after vespers, he followed me to my office. The questions relating to Christ, the Apostles and, in general, Orthodoxy were frequent…

The Metropolis of Kenya is undertaking a crusade to rescue young children, not only for daily food, but also educational opportunities for the young ones by paying €20 per month. Let’s support it.

The Africans were waiting for him and wanted to see him in person, to kiss his hand, to see him not only in the photos and the wall calendars that the Metropolis publishes every year…

The month of August is considered the holiday season. However, during this period, the Metropolitan of Kenya continues his pastoral visits throughout the country…

When I first travelled to the neighbouring country of Uganda, I was informed that I had to bring water with me on my journey, one or two bottles. Since then it has always accompanied me on my various tours…

It is a fact that funeral customs differ from one tribe to another. Most tribes give the impression that death is an event of great joy. But the Maasai were quite different…

Following the inauguration of the second Apostle Peter’s Church in the region, the Turkana Orthodox are moving forward with greater optimism for the future.

“Every year a group of Orthodox missionaries from the Orthodox Christian Missionary Center based in Florida, USA, has been sent there since its establishment in the 1980s…”

The Orthodox Mission in Kenya also reaches out to the Turkana tribe

People, and especially children, are forced to carry on their heads huge quantities of water, in large containers, to drink, to cook. Sometimes they have to travel 5 – 10 kilometers to find such water, which is definitely dirty…

The needs have increased. Today one hundred and fifty children are accommodated. The place needed more buildings and almost reconstruction…

A special food and education programme for children with a payment of 20,00 € per month

I could not imagine that one day, after more than thirty years, I could write such a title. This means that we have now reached a critical situation from a financial point of view, since, as I write to you today, both in the Patriarchal School and in the Municipal School, we eat every day entirely on credit.

30 years in the missionary arena for the salvation of souls