Son of Kenyan PM Baptized in Nairobi

Fidel Castro Odinga, son of Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, has been made a member of the Alexandrian Orthodox Church by Metropolitan Macarius () of Nairobi. The metropolitan personally served Odinga's baptism and chrismation, giving him the name Macarius. Not long after Odinga's reception into the Church he was married to his Eritrean/Ethiopian fiancee by Metropolitan Macarius in Nairobi's Cathedral of the Holy Unmercenaries. More here.

In Memoriam: Mother Marina (Iltola) of Lintula

Abbess Marina (Iltola) of the Lintula Monastery of the Holy Trinity in eastern Finland has fallen asleep in the Lord at the age of eighty-two. Born in 1930 on the shores of Lake Ladoga, Mother Marina (originally named Maria) studied in Finland and the United States. As a young woman Maria worked in Finland as a teacher while remaining actively involved in the life of the Orthodox Church, even going to Kenya in 1977 as a missionary.

Not long after her service in Kenya, in 1982, Maria joined the sisterhood of the Lintula Monastery, being tonsured to the little schema in 1988. Ten years later Mother Marina was elected abbess of the Lintula sisterhood, in which capacity she served until her repose earlier today due to complications from an auto accident. May Mother Marina's memory be eternal! More on her life can be found in Finnish here.

Nuns Tonsured in Kenya

Two nuns were recently tonsured to the great schema at Kenya's first Byzantine Rite monastery in Kaanja, St. George's Monastery under the Holy Synod in Resistance of the Old Calendrist Greek Orthodox Church. More here.

British Release Documents on Mau Mau Rebellion

The British government is releasing documents of its colonial administrations to their successor governments, among them many dealing with the atrocities committed by the British against the Mau Mau and other nationalists in Kenya. More here.

Weekend Activities of Pope Theodore in Kenya

Pope Theodoros II (Horeftakis) of Alexandria kicked off his visit to Kenya with the Akathist at Nairobi's Cathedral of Sts. Cosmas and Damian and a meeting with Bishop Savvas (Zembillas) of Troas, an auxiliary bishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America who is responsible for overseeing its missionary outreach.

On Saturday Pope Theodoros visited the Archbishop Macarius III Theological Seminary in Riruta (a district of Nairobi), meeting with the seminarians and receiving a tour of the Seminary. The visit coincided with the 40th anniversary of the laying of the Seminary's foundation stone by Archbishop Makarios III (Mouskos) of the Cypriot Orthodox Church.

The weekend wrapped up with a hierarchical Divine Liturgy at Riruta's Church of St. Nicholas. During the services Pope Theodoros ordained Deacon Theophilus Everia to the holy priesthood. More on that here.

Pictured are Pope Theodore and Metropolitan Macarius of Nairobi concelebrating this past Sunday in St. Nicholas' Church in Riruta.

Pope Theodoros Begins Kenya Visit

Pope Theodoros II (Horeftakis) of Alexandria began his visit to Kenya yesterday, being met at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by Metropolitan Makarios (Tylirides) of Nairobi and Bishop Savvas (Heimonettos) of Bujumbura. More here.

Pope Theodore Begins Visit to Uganda and Kenya

Pope Theodoros II (Horeftakis) of Alexandria has begun a pastoral visit to the metropolises of the Alexandrian Orthodox Church in Uganda and Kenya. His visit began yesterday with his arrival in Uganda, where he was met by Metropolitans Jonah of Kampala and Jerome of Mwanza. More here.

Interview with Fr. Themistocles Adamopoulo and Orthodoxy in Sierra Leone

An interesting 2005 interview with Archimandrite Themistocles (Adamopoulo) about his life and Orthodoxy in Australia and Kenya can be found here. Since the time of the interview Fr. Themistocles has been placed in charge of the Alexandrian Orthodox Church's outreach in Sierra Leone as administrator of the newly created Diocese of Freetown.

Since Fr. Themistocles' arrival in Sierra Leone in 2007 the Church has gone from being non-existent to consisting of two parishes with four local priests, a large primary/secondary school in the capital, an agricultural school in the countryside, a clinic to assist in the rehabilitation of amputees, and an educational outreach in a women's prison in Freetown. In September 2011 an Orthodox university is due to open in the country as well.

More on the Orthodox Church in Sierra Leone and Fr. Themistocles' recent visit with Pope Theodoros II (Horeftakis) of Alexandria can be found here.

Pictured is Fr. Themistocles with patients of the amputee clinic in Sierra Leone.