Ορθόδοξη Ιεραποστολή
Orthodox Christian Initiative for Africa
Με μεγάλη συγκίνηση και θλίψη έμαθαν οι φίλοι της Ορθόδοξης Ιεραποστολής ανά το κόσμο την κοίμηση εν Κυρίω του Επισκόπου Κισούμου και Δυτικής Κένυας κυρού Αθανασίου. Προσευχόμαστε στον Κύριο Ιησού Χριστό να αναπαύσει τη ψυχή του εν σκηναίς δικαίων και να χαρίσει την εξ ουρανού παρηγορία στους Ορθόδοξους της Δυτικής Κένυας και όλης της Αφρικής για την ξαφνική αυτή απώλεια…
His
memory eternal ! Bishop of Kisumu Athanasius pray in front of God for
us, for the Orthodox Christians in Western Kenya and all over the Africa
!
Η Κένυα και οι Ορθόδοξοι της Αφρικής αποκτούν έναν δικό τους Άγιο στον Παράδεισο, κοντά στο Θεό, που θα προσεύχεται διαρκώς γι’ αυτούς, θα τους ευλογεί και θα τους προστατεύει και θα μεσιτεύει γι’ αυτούς στον Τριαδικό Θεό.
Εξάλλου για το λαό του Θεού, για τους Ορθόδοξους της Επισκοπής του
και όλους τους Αφρικανούς έκανε ιεραποστολικά ταξίδια για να βρει
βοήθεια για τους ιερείς, τις εκκλησίες και εκπαιδευτικά και φιλανθρωπικά
ιδρύματα της Δυτικής Κένυας.
Κύριε Ιησού Χριστέ, παράλαβε την ψυχή του δούλου σου Επισκόπου
Κισούμου και Δυτικής Κένυας κυρού Αθανασίου, και κράτησέ τον κοντά Σου
αιώνια !!!
In Memoriam: His Grace Bishop Athanasius Akunda
We were very sad to learn of the death of His Grace Bishop Athanasius
Akunda, Bishop of Kisumu and Western Kenya. He was a friend and
colleague for the 13 years that he worked in South Africa…
Like any human being, he had his failings and weaknesses, but these
were outweighed by his love, his gentleness, his sense of humour, and
his pastoral concern for people. In the 13 years we worked together, so
many things would have been impossible to do without him. We miss him
here in South Africa, but his diocese will miss him even more.
I hoped that I might live long enough to see him become Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa, but that was not to be.
May his memory be eternal!
Khanya (Orthodox christian blog from South Africa)
Στην αιωνιότητα ο Επίσκοπος Κισούμου Αθανάσιος (in Greek)
Today
January 4, 2019, We have received the sorrowful news of the repose in
Christ of His Grace Bishop Athanasios Akunda of Kisumu and all Western
Kenya, MAY HIS SOUL REST IN ETERNAL PEACE!
His
Grace has been bed ridden in Intensive care Unit (ICU) at St Vincent
hospital in Worcester Massachusetts ,USA since early December 2018 with
alternating health condition and hope of recovery but this morning he
was called by his Father in Heaven.
He has been much known for his
Kind and loving personality, being humble in nature and undoubtedly
portraying characteristics of a living Saint.
Uganda Orthodox Church
joins the Orthodox Christian brothers and sisters in Kenya in
celebrating the Life of our beloved Bishop and May the Almighty Father
rest his soul in peace and eternity.
It
is with great saddness that we have to report that His Grace Bishop
Athanasius of Kisumu and Western Kenyan has gone home to be with our
Lord. Please pray for his eternal repose and for the peace of the many
people all over the world who have lost a true Father in Christ. May His
Memory Be Eternal!
O God of spirits and of all flesh, Who hast trampled down death and overthrown the Devil, and given
life to Thy world, do Thou, the same Lord, give rest to the souls of
Thy departed servant Bishop Athanasius in a place of brightness, a place
of refreshment, a place of repose, where all sickness, sighing, and
sorrow have fled away. Pardon every transgression which he has
committed, whether by word or deed or thought. For Thou art a good God
and lovest mankind; because there is no man who lives yet does not sin,
for Thou only art without sin, Thy righteousness is to all eternity, and
Thy word is truth.
For Thou are the Resurrection, the Life, and the Repose of Thy servant
who has fallen asleep, O Christ our God, and unto Thee we ascribe glory,
together with Thy Father, who is from everlasting, and Thine all-holy,
good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever unto ages of ages. Amen.
So hard to say, you are no more in this world.
My brother in the Lord; Shine all the way…You have left this world to be
eternally a live in the other world where there is no pain, no grieve
nor sorrow.
Eternal be your memory. I will greatly miss you! Rest in Peace Άγιε (holy one) as I usually call you!!!
For honourable age is not that which standeth in length of time, nor
that is measured by number of years. But wisdom is the gray hair unto
men, and an unspotted life is old age. He pleased God, and was beloved
of him: so that living among sinners he was translated. Yea, speedily
was he taken away, lest that wickedness should alter his understanding,
or deceit beguile his soul.
For the bewitching of naughtiness doth
obscure things that are honest; and the wandering of concupiscence doth
undermine the simple mind. He, being made perfect in a short time,
fulfilled a long time: For his soul pleased the Lord: therefore hasted
he to take him away from among the wicked. This the people saw, and
understood it not, neither laid they up this in their minds, That his
grace and mercy is with his saints, and that he hath respect unto his
chosen. – Wisdom of Solomon 4:8-15 When I first learned how serious the
illness of Bishop Athanasius was my first reaction was to pray, as I
began to pray the above reading from the Wisdom of Solomon came to mind.
This scripture has always struck me when I heard it, perhaps it was
because of my own insecurity in life and maybe even because of a wish to
be “taken away from the bewitching of naughtiness” no matter why I have
always felt a strong attraction to this verse I can say without
qualification that I have never met anyone who more clearly embodied
this verse in their very person than Bishop Athanasius. In the Orthodox
ascetic tradition humility is seen as the mother of all virtues, while
most of us struggle to even be able to define humility let alone
practice it His Grace, embodied it.
As everyone who has ever encountered
Bishop Athanasius can attest too his Grace always put others before
himself; sometimes even to my chagrin. The first time I met him, he
picked me up to go visit one of his missions, upon picking me up he
pushed me to the front seat while he folded himself nearly in half to
climb into the back seat of his car with three other people and a goat.
In
the wake of Bishop Athanasios’ repose this morning, we are looking
ahead towards our next steps. OCMC will be helping with the costs of
making the necessary funeral preparations, bringing His Grace back to
Kenya, and ensuring that he’s able to receive the proper honors from his
diocese back home.
We’re hoping that as many of you as are able
will find it in your hearts to give generously and contribute to his
cause. We will need to raise a lot, but every amount – big or small –
helps us get there.
Donations will first be used to help subsidize
the cost of His Grace’s funeral preparations and travel to Kenya, and
then to help the diocese of Kenya with the costs of coming together to
honor His Grace. Any further funds raised will go to support the diocese
during this difficult time of transition, until it receives a new
bishop who will be able to care for the needs of his flock.
In this time of grief, let’s work together as the Church, to bring His Grace back to his family and diocese in Kenya.
We’ll continue posting updates about his funeral as they happen, so keep an eye on our page to stay informed.
God bless you all, and may the memory of Bishop Athanasios Akunda be eternal.
Please, see also
Εικ.: Άγνωστη εικόνα της Κρητικής Σχολής Αγιογραφίας, έργο ενός από τους
σημαντικότερους Κρητικούς αγιογράφους του δεύτερου μισού του 17ου αιώνα,
του Εμμανουήλ Τζάνε (γεννήθηκε στο Ρέθυμνο το 1610, πέθανε στη Βενετία
το 1690), αποκαλύφθηκε στη διάρκεια εργασιών συντήρησης στο ναό του Αγ.
Ιωάννη του Προδρόμου Κρανιδίου. Περισσότερα εδώ (από τον "Ριζοσπάστη", παρακαλώ) 
