Through the miracle of modern technology, we have this brief video of the Divine Liturgy in Swahili! This is what evangelization means for us, bringing the Faith and Tradition to those who need and want it. If circumstances were only slightly different, there could be Carpatho-Rusyn missions in East Africa today.

The chief celebrant is His Grace bishop Jeronymos. The liturgy took place at Kisikizi, Tanzania.

I found it very moving, and inspiring to see the Faith spreading around the world and into every culture. I hope you do too!

Michael

But shouldn't that area of Africa be of the Coptic or Ethopian Liturgical tradition?

U-C

True, does that then preclude any possibility of the DL of St John Chrysostom from being celebrated in those regions? I would hope not. I'd rather see that than more Protestant worship.

What with all the diatribes back and forth over new music, new translations, old translations, old music, no music, no cantors, choirs and every other negative, Let's try to see some POSITIVE in the world!

Hear and see the Gospel Chanted in Swahili during a Divine Liturgy.
Or the Arrival of Bishop at another church in Tanzania.

In a perfect world, perhaps so.

The Greeks have been active in East Africa for a long time, mostly missionaries from Cyprus, I believe (not sure about that) and the churches they have established are subject to the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria. There was also a movement in central Africa of former Protestants who have been accepted into the Orthodox church of Alexandria, I believe these were originally an offshoot of the AME churches in the USA.

I still contend that there is no cultural reason that the Eastern Christian Faith could not be relevent to and adopted by all peoples. The theology, spirituality and liturgy is a great gift, and any church organization that has these and is not actively passing it on to the surrounding community has forgotten the Great Commission, and lost it's mandate.

That is why I hope that these video clips will inspire us. Eastern Christianity is growing in Japan, Kenya and even (gasp!) Italy. It has a hold of many generations among the Aleuts of Alaska and is newly budding in places like Haiti and Indonesia! The Faith is just like love in the sense that it has less meaning if it is not shared.

Let's talk to our neighbors about Christ our Lord, correct belief and proper worship. Let's pray for them and invite them to church with us.

Let's be evangelizers.