Orthodox Mission Worldwide

St. John the Forerunner Orthodox Church in Analavory, Madagascar. A parish of the Metropolis of Antananarivo and Northern Madagascar, Met. Ignatios served a hierarchical liturgy there last August. The Orthodox mission in Madagascar is 30 years old now, with well over a hundred parishes. It is a joy to see so many souls come to Christ there, but a challenge that arises is that the ratio of parishes to priests is worse than 2:1.The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few, and this situation is a major challenge for the Church in mission fields. By the grace of God, the faithful persevere.

Holy Voivod Neagoe Basarab Parish in Swansea, England. Inaugurated in 2023, it is a parish of the Diocese of England under the Romanian Orthodox Church. Serving in a space rented out from an Anglican church, the inaugural liturgy was attended by several representatives of the local government, as well as the Romanian ambassador to the UK. There are many Romanians residing in England and everywhere in Western Europe. There are not nearly enough parishes to meet their spiritual needs, but by the grace of God new parishes and missions are being formed all the time to bridge that gap, bringing to these places a witness of the Orthodox Church.

Mayan Orthodox community in Victoria, Mexico. Part of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Mexico under the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the clergy from Guatemala visited this nascent parish this past May. While most Mayan Orthodox Christians are located in Chiapas, this parish is found in the state of Guanajuato. The Orthodox Mayans who followed Fr. Andrés into the Church are spread far and wide, but their priests work hard to meet their needs. With the existence of a seminary now to train new priests, this challenge will God willing become easier to meet.

This last year, a bronze sculpture of the church's patron saint was installed in front of it. Abp. Kyrill of San Francisco visited for this momentous event and blessed the sculpture. It was made by Artproekt Russian National Artistic Studio, and this is the second work they have installed in the United States. The ability to testify of the rich heritage of the Church to the American people is a great joy for the faithful, and the parish is blessed to have this opportunity.

St. John of Kronstadt Russian Orthodox Church in San Diego, CA. Founded in 1967, it is a parish of the ROCOR Diocese of Western America. St. John had only been glorified in 1964, and this parish is one of the first in the world to be opened under his patronage, beginning life as a humble house church. A building was quickly purchased, but it needed extensive repairs before it was ready for use. The permanent church was consecrated in 1969, and in 2001 it underwent substantial renovations. An extension was built in 2009, helping relieve the cramped conditions caused by a low ceiling lack of air conditioning.

This last year, a bronze sculpture of the church's patron saint was installed in front of it. Abp. Kyrill of San Francisco visited for this momentous event and blessed the sculpture. It was made by Artproekt Russian National Artistic Studio, and this is the second work they have installed in the United States. The ability to testify of the rich heritage of the Church to the American people is a great joy for the faithful, and the parish is blessed to have this opportunity.

Church of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God in Malaya Shalga, Russia. A church of the Metropolis of Archangelsk under the Moscow Patriarchate, it was shut down by the Soviets in 1937 and ransacked. The far north of Russia is dotted with many wooden churches, some of which have already collapsed under the wear of the elements without people to care for them. AS such, volunteers have come from all over Russia to help with restoring and reopening these churches. This church was restored in 2013 with the help of Fr. Alexei, a priest from Moscow. While restoring the church he was blessed to discover a set of Eucharistic utensils that was not taken by looters. The restoration of the Orthodox Church in Russia is an ongoing process that must be undertaken in every corner of the vast nation, and it is laborers like Fr. Alexei and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that make this possible.

Sts. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in Lahore, Pakistan. Founded in 2018, it is a stavropegial parish of the Moscow Patriarchate. Orthodoxy is small in Pakistan and Christians are heavily oppressed by Muslims there. Despite the humble state of the mission in Pakistan, people have been coming into the Church, and just four have been received in this parish within the past year. The Metropolis of Tomsk has donated to help build a permanent church in Islamabad, and the plan is to do the same for other Orthodox parishes in Pakistan down the road.

St. Nectarios Orthodox Church in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The church is the seat of the Diocese of Goma under the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, and is currently undergoing renovations to make it suitable as a cathedral. The diocese was first created in 2018, but for a long time its episcopal seat remained empty. Not content to leave the land here fallow, earlier this year Bp. Timotheos was elected to oversee it. Prior to his election, he had served as a priest in the neighboring diocese of Kisangani. While Orthodoxy is still tiny in the Eastern Congo, the work is being put into growing the Church there as it has been growing elsewhere in the country.

Church of the Holy Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos in Melide, Switzerland. The parish was founded in 2010 in the Diocese of Korsun under the Moscow Patriarchate. Located in the Swiss Italian canton of Ticino, this is the first Orthodox parish in Melide though others exist some five miles north of there in Lugano. In 2013, the faithful were able to purchase a German Lutheran church that had been built in 1931, replacing their original home of a rented out Roman Catholic church. Last month, Met. Nestor came and consecrated the parish, an event that is a big step in the life of a parish and marks where it will reside long-term.