By the grace of God, today we made a pastoral visit to the Parish of the Holy Apostles in Diego Suarez.
There we had the blessing of overseeing the preparations for the forthcoming Holy Sacraments of Baptism, and at the same time we saw the progress of the works on the building complex under construction, which is intended to meet the growing needs of the Missionary Diocese of Majunga and North Madagascar in the area.
Recently our Missionary Diocese took another decisive step to establish and strengthen the Orthodox presence in Diego Suarez, by appointing a permanent priest to the Parish of the Holy Apostles. With this vacancy filled, the continuous pastoral care of the faithful is now assured, as well as the regular celebration of the Divine Liturgy and the Holy Sacraments of our Church.
The city of Diego Suarez holds a prominent place in the strategic planning of our Mission. Our aim and hope is for it to become the second great pillar of the growth of Orthodoxy in North Madagascar, alongside the see of our Diocese in Majunga.
Afterwards we went to the business premises of the Greek businessman Mr Taloumis, who has been active for many years in North Madagascar, running one of the most important salt production units in the region. Although he himself was away, we had the opportunity to meet his excellent associates. They received us very warmly, showed us around the premises and informed us in detail about its operation. Through his associates, we conveyed our warm and heartfelt thanks to Mr Taloumis for his constant and many-sided support of the work of the Orthodox Mission. Thanks to his generous financial sponsorship, the buildings are being built that will house the administrative, pastoral and guest facilities of our Diocese in Diego Suarez, laying solid foundations for the further fruitfulness of the church’s work.
Next, we visited the building site of the new Episcopal Centre, where we met the works manager and were briefed on the progress of the project. With special satisfaction we learned that the works are proceeding smoothly and on schedule, so that, God willing, the facilities will be fully completed and operational by the end of August.
We express from the depths of our heart our grateful thanks to Mr Taloumis for his precious and God-pleasing offering, and to all his Greek associates for the Abrahamic hospitality, the courtesy and the love with which they surrounded us. We wholeheartedly pray that the all-good God, Giver of every gift, may grant Mr Taloumis, his associates and their families health of soul and body, mighty strength and every blessing, repaying a hundredfold their practical love and support for our Orthodox Mission.
