Visit to the Parish of Port Berge
Episcopal Visit with the Licensing of Two New Catechists.
I have just returned from visiting the parish of Port Berge. Port Berge is 318km away from Mahajanga City, but because the roads in Madagascar are so deplorable it took us 16 hours to get there.
(This is the main highway - not a back road!!! Like the TransCanada or I-95 in the USA!!)
Travelling with me was my two translators (I will explain why I have two translators in my next Substack….you can’t make it up!), my driver, and the administrator of the Diocese- Father Helarcin. Just before we arrived within the boundary of the parish my driver received a phone call to say that some Christians were gathering at the church to welcome me. By way of confession, we quickly pulled over so that I could be ‘appropriately habited’ for my welcome. I quickly put on a purple shirt and the expected attire of the Bishop. Some 5 minutes later I was welcomed by a throng of Christians. They had blocked off the main road to welcome me - to the great chagrin of some tuktuk drivers!!
Archdeacon Constant and his assistant Father Ndriampidy met me with great kindness. As we entered the Church of Saint Thomas together, Christians were singing, dancing, and praising God for the safe arrival of their new bishop. We prayed together in the church, in thanksgiving for our safe arrival. A little while later, we arrived at the second church of the parish of Port Berge - Saint Andrews.
Again Christians had gathered to meet and welcome their new Bishop, and again there was singing, dancing, and prayer. The greatest joy of this trip was visiting the Anglican school in Port Berge where there are nigh unto 700 students studying.
The school is about 15 years old and continues to grow each year. Though the school has very humble facilities, it consistently gets the highest academic ratings from the local government authorities.
This year the school will graduate its first class of students who will begin their baccalaureate studies – a very significant feat for a school of such humble beginnings.
Archdeacon Constant serves as both the parish priest, the headmaster of the school, and its only financial administrator -I ask your prayers as we seek a new headmaster and treasurer who will be able to run the day-to-day operations of the school, so that the Archdeacon can give himself to being a priest fulltime. Father Ndriampidy teaches the Bible to the students – it was wonderful to see his open Bible on the lectern in his classroom!
As the school has grown, so has the parish. It has outgrown its current parish church and has begun the building of a new (much larger) church building.
The funds for which have dried up with the retirement of the former bishop and his return to the Church of England. It seems that some donors there are not very enamoured about my coming to Madagascar from the Anglican Church in North America. It is sad that the politics of the church negatively impacts the poorest of her members. The project will continue however, as we trust and pray that God will provide.
The new church is being built as a multipurpose facility. It is large enough to accommodate the entire school population, which will allow for school assemblies, but will also be used as a classroom throughout the week. When complete, it will also be the meeting place for Sunday worship. The parish church will become the heart of the school campus and will continue to allow for morning and afternoon prayers with the students. Many of the students are Anglican Christians, but not all, so this educational opportunity is also an evangelical opportunity.
As always, I ask your prayers for the continued flourishing of the good work being done in Port Berge, and I especially ask you to pray for Archdeacon Constant and Father Ndriampidy.
