Metropolitan Leonid of Klin, Patriarchal Exarch of Africa, wrote about the mission of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa at its present stage in his Telegram channel.
Priest Iakov Smuts continues to carry his ministry, nurturing the growing flock of the Russian Orthodox Church in South Africa. «After catechesis and catechetical talks, young Afrikaners get baptised. Before coming to the Orthodoxy they have gone a long journey of search from atheism and destructive sects to the true faith,» Metropolitan said.
«Owing to the hard work of another priest in South Africa, John Rossow, who translated the rite of the Divine Liturgy with detailed instructions for the priest from English (the English version was worked out by the Synodal Missionary Department of the Russian Orthodox Church) into Afrikaans. The service is performed by our clergymen following the practice of the Russian Church,» noted Archbishop.
According to him, «the clergymen of Exarchate of Africa are excited to see the surge of interest in Christian Orthodoxy from the local citizens, especially from the youth»
In order to introduce Orthodoxy to the residents Priest Iakov created discussion groups on social networks, where he regularly holds online meetings and streams. Moreover, Priest Iakov is giving a lecture on Orthodoxy in our chapel in Cape Town in late August. The chapel is now being reconstructed into an Orthodox church. Furthermore, a local newspaper’s representatives suggested Priest Iakov publishing a series of articles about Orthodox saints. Work on them has already begun.
On 10-11, August 2023 the priests of the Exarchate archimandrite Zaharia (van Vake) and priest Ioann Rossow will make a presentation at the conference «Afrikaans as a language of faith». In October, on the initiative of the authorities of Stellenbosch University (South Africa), priest Iakov Smuts will be giving lectures on Orthodoxy for the students of the theological faculty of the university.
Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa
