Patriarchal exarch for Africa begins journey to Kenya

Communications Service of the DECR, 13.08.2026.

On 12^th August 2026 the visit to Kenya of the Patriarchal exarch for Africa the metropolitan of Cairo and North Africa Constantine began. Accompanying him were the chairman of the missionary department of the Patriarchal exarchate of Africa Father Georgy Maximov and the personal secretary reader V. V. Dendyuk.

On this day the bishop visited the parish of the martyr Sophia in the village of Gitima in the deanery of Nieri. Metropolitan Constantine consecrated the foundation stone for the future Church of the Holy Martyr Sophia.

Before doing so, metropolitan Constantine baptized eight local people. Another five were received into the Orthodox Church through the sacrament of chrismation.

Metropolitan Constantine greeted the dean and the rector of the parish Father Basil Vaichu and addressed his archpastoral word to the gathered faithful.

The metropolitan handed to Father Basil a diploma for coming first in the African exarchate competition on Africa and Orthodoxy. The work for which he received the diploma was a biographical sketch entitled ‘The Pillar of Faith: The Life and Legacy of the Elder Joseph Gakuyou Teuri’. The parish presented metropolitan Constantine with the gift of an icon of the Mother of God and some incense.

After the service metropolitan Constantine met with the teachers of catechism who helped the dean in the parishes. The metropolitan conversed and prayed with them, reports the website of the Patriarchal of the exarchate for Africa.

Then the exarch inspected the construction site of the clinic of the Patriarchal exarchate for Africa. The project, carried out by the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage, heralds the beginning of the Russian Orthodox Church’s involvement in the sphere of medical care on the continent of Africa.

The metropolitan of Cairo and North Africa Constantine also blessed motorcycles donated by people in Russia for all clergy of the deanery of pastoral and missionary needs. After this he then held a general gathering for the clergy of the deanery of Nieri at which they discussed various issues involving the work of the exarchate in Kenya.

At present there is a film crew in Kenya from the diocese of Yekaterinodar headed by the director of the missionary department of the diocese Father Yevgeny Ignatov. They have been blessed by the metropolitan of Yekaterinodar and Kuban Basil and the metropolitan of Cairo and North Africa Constantine to work on a documentary film on Orthodoxy in Africa. Filming has been financed by the Foundation for the Support of Regional Cinematography under the Union of the Cinematographers of Russia.

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Patriarchal exarch for Africa begins journey to Kenya

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons