The Orthodox Missionary Fraternity continues its work in Africa, bringing the light of Christ's true faith to God's children there.
April 2017 Chikwawa-Malawi
The Orthodox Church in Africa falls under the jurisdiction of the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa Theodoros II, and its history goes back to the first century. The tradition of the patriarchate is that it was established by St Mark in AD 62.
In Malawi, Orthodoxy was for a long time confined to immigrants from Orthodox countries, mainly those of Greek descent. and a few churches built by Greeks in some of the big cities,
It is true that we often hear about the difficulties, obstacles, problems that concern the local missionary divisions. Many times, however, theory differs from reality.
Going to Malawi, you experience this reality, from the way you are treated by the natives, from various third-world diseases and more generally from the adversities of everyday life. Amid this difficult situation though, abounds the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. How? Not through reasonable explanations
In 1st of April in our trip to Chikwawa with the blessings of our Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa and the help of our Lord Jesus Christ, we presided over the blessing of the foundation stone of the new Orthodox church located in the Wakhala –district of Chikwawa.
Chikwawa is a picturesque district that lies along Malawi’s biggest river, Shire, in the south of the country. Its population is almost 360 000, and it is 37 km away from Blantyre, the commercial city of Malawi. The climate is extremely hot with a rainy season from August to March. Malaria is endemic here. Mosquito repellent is expensive for the average Malawian, and people would rather buy basic food than the lotion.
Chikwawa was the first town in Malawi to be seen by European explorers,has two major tribes: the Sena and the Mang’anja, who have intermarried over time so it is hard to distinguish one tribe from the other except by their differing accents.
Rivers of Fear Run Through Malawi as Crocodiles Stage a Big Comeback. Crocodiles "are a big problem," said, chief of the village where Skiper lives along the Shire River, an outlet of Lake Malawi. "Nobody can go and even take a bath in the river; not even the animals can go near. When they go to the river to drink, they are killed."Nile crocodiles are terrorizing communities along the Shire. Many communities around the world may take water for granted; but for those living along Malawi’s longest river, the Shire, water is something to die for. The 400 kilometre long river is the main outlet of Lake Malawi as it flows south into the Zambezi River.
While the Shire River is the most convenient water source for people living on its banks, it is also home to killer crocodiles. Women and children, required by tradition to fetch water for their households, are most at risk from the crocodile attacks.
Figures on crocodile attacks here are unavailable ,in our conversation with some hunters they believe that at least one Malawian is killed or maimed by a crocodile every day and that as many as two victims fall prey daily during the warm season from October to April.
"Most of the cases are not reported; people just go missing," said Wisdom Mwanza, director of planning and development for the District Assembly in Chikwawa, one of the areas hit hardest by crocodile attacks.
In his speech,his Eminence Archibishop of Zambia and Malawi Mr.Ioannis several times underlined the importance of this event, and namely that of the blessing of the new church in this side of Africa. The admirable effort of the missionaries regarding the translation of the sacred texts. A painstaking, costly and deeply spiritual work, which, as it appears, will constitute a huge legacy for the people of Malawi one day.
Full of hope His Eminence said: “We are at the beginning of the road. We are beginning a great work and we pray to the Almighty God that His blessing may accompany us until the completion of this work.”
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