New Year's Message 2001

January 1, 2001

The year 2000 was unfortunately a difficult one for our mission, with many obstacles and problems. The year began with the catastrophic cyclones, which caused damages to many of our Orthodox people's homes and to many of our buildings, including our residence and medical clinic. We also had the ongoing problem of malaria and the cholera epidemic, which affected many people. Despite all these problems, God never neglected us. Our mission's progress continued, with many people embracing Orthodoxy through Holy Baptism. The number of catechumens has also risen tremendously in the last year.

      Through the efforts of our priests and catechists, new parishes have been established for the first time in the East Coast of Madagascar.

      These parishes include the cities of Manakara Vangaindrano and Farafangana.We have also seen the building of eight churches in the state of Tulear, four churches in the state of Toamasina and two churches in the state of Tananarive. In the past year the mission continued its philanthropic work through the distribution of clothes and shoes to the people of all our parishes.

      Our mission also continues to support over 250 orphans, for which we provide meals, clothing and assistance for school fees and medical fees.

      Our mission has also supported various institutions in Madagascar by donating clothes, money and providing food for the people (eg. the lepers' hospital, prisons etc.) We also provided relief aid to the many people who were affected by the devastating cyclones early last year.

      Through various monetary donations we were also able to build two water wells for our parish of Sts.Peter and Paul in Fianarantsoa and St. Miltiades in Fiandanana. We were also able to make repairs to our clinic and residence which were damaged by cyclones.

      For the New Year 2001, we have planned many programs. We will be blessed by the official visit of our Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria, Petros, later this year. It will be the first visit of our Patriarch to Madagascar. During this time, we hope to place the foundation stone of our orphanage in Mantasoa. Unfortunately,  the building of our orphanage has been delayed as we have been attempting to purchase more land surrounding the area. Another big project we are hoping to commence this year is the building of a high school and lyceum in the suburb of Alasora (Tananarive). There is a true lack of good schools in this area, and through this project we hope to bring a good education to the children in this part of Antananarivo. In Alasora we also plan to start the building of our seminary, beginning with the chapel. As funds are collected this project will be extended to include the seminary lecture rooms, dormitories etc.

      We must truly glorify and thank God for His abundant blessings and Grace throughout the difficult year 2000. We must also thank our many faithful supporters from overseas for their on going help through various donations. Without the love and support of these people, our mission could not have progressed so far last year.

      I must also add that it is important that we do not always rely on external donations for financial support. For the progress of our mission, we ourselves must begin to be self-supportive. This can only be done through the mutual love and respect for one another and through the cooperation of all the members of our Holy Church. To assist with our mission's finances we will commence projects such as a technical sewing school in Tulear and various farming projects. In this way, our Orthodox people will be able to learn various skills and sell their products to create an income for their parish priests and teachers, maintenance of churches and schools and to provide financial support to their poor community members.

      It is with great joy, that I also mention that in the last year our mission work has also extended to the island of Mauritius. For the first time in history, we have officially formed an Orthodox parish in Mauritius with over 50 members. Many are interested in Orthodoxy in Mauritius where the majority of people belong to the Hindu and Muslim faiths. We hope that in the very near future we find land and suitable funds to build the first Orthodox church in Mauritius. Finally I would like to convey the many warm blessings of our Patriarch Petros to all of our people. I would also like to thank all of our priests and catechists and all of our Orthodox people for the support they have given us throughout the year 2000. I wish that our Lord Jesus Christ enlightens you and your families for a spiritually fruitful New Year. May God bless you all for happy and prosperous 2001.

Copyright © 1999 HEC-Diocese of Madagascar.