On the eve of Christmas, the first community in Angola, numbering more than 200 people, joined the Russian Orthodox Church.
On January 5, 2025, in Luanda, the capital of Angola, a Russian priest of Angolan origin, cleric of the Ekaterinodar Eparchy, Priest Raphael Da Conceição, administered the sacrament of Baptism to 27 local residents.
Further Father Raphael performed the rite of joining to the Orthodox Church more than 200 more believers who transferred from the non-canonical structure. Then the priest served the Divine Liturgy, during which the newly enlightened received Holy Communion.
These people learned about the Russian Orthodox Church from the Internet in 2022. They contacted the chairman of the Missionary Department of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa, Priest George Maximov, and the leader of the community, the former «priest» of the non-canonical structure Anthony expressed the desire of the whole community to become members of the Orthodox Church.
These people were told that the Russian Orthodox Church is the Orthodox Church.
Antony and his community proved ready to fulfill the necessary conditions, Antony himself immediately agreed to leave the ministry and move to the Russian Orthodox Church as a layman. He then took online courses from the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa in Côte d'Ivoire.
In the framework of the activities of the Russian missionaries from the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa made several more visits to the deceased and conducted enlightening talks. The catechesis of the community was conducted for more than a year by Priest George Maximov, A.V. Lyulka and Priest Raphael Da Conceiçao.
The Russian missionaries met with Antony at the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa several more times and conducted enlightening talks.
In 2024, Patriarchal Exarch of Africa Metropolitan Constantine of Zaraisk met with Anthony during his archpastoral visit to the African continent.
All this time the community was studying Orthodoxy, people gathered for morning and evening prayers and were very much looking forward to being accepted into the fold of the true Church of Christ.
Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa/Patriarchy.ru
