Directions to Orthodoxy - Fr. Athanasios Akunda: A Mission Priest to South Africa

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Fr. Athanasios Akunda: A Mission Priest to South Africa
Posted on Mon Aug 20 2007

Orthodox Christian Mission Center

The first time I heard of Fr. Athanasios Akunda was during one of his regular calls to the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC). As a recipient of OCMC Support a Mission Priest (SAMP) funds, he would contact the office often to offer a kind thank you and to let us know that we were in his prayers.

One of two SAMP priests in South Africa, Fr. Akunda used the small stipend, made possible by Orthodox Christian donors in North America, to dedicate his life to a ministry of bringing people to Christ. I was given a new appreciation for what this meant when I met him during a short-term OCMC Mission Trip to his country earlier this year.

Our team consisted of three people who had been invited by His Eminence Seraphim to teach at various Orthodox communities in Pretoria and Johannesburg. Fr. Akunda greeted us our first day in South Africa. As head of the Missions committee for the entire diocese he was tasked with coordinating the logistics of our trip.

He was soft spoken, possessing a profound understanding of the Faith. Hailing originally from Kenya, he began his theological training at the Makarios Seminary in Nairobi. He would continue his studies and receive his Masters in divinity from Holy Cross Seminary in Brookline, Massachusetts. More impressive than his academic credentials, however, was his deep love for Christ and his steadfast dedication to establishing the Church throughout the world.

Fr. Akunda’s gift for the work of missions was the reason Archbishop Seraphim brought him to South Africa in the 1990s. His efforts, combined with the work that had been done by the St. Nicholas of Japan Mission Society and Dn. Steven Hayes, resulted in Orthodox mission parishes springing up in places like Shoshanguve, Mamelodi, Eldorado Park, and Yeoville, among people who were not traditionally Orthodox. Relying solely on public transportation, Fr. Akunda visits these far flung communities regularly.

In recent years, at the request of the Archbishop, Fr. Akunda also started a catechetical school to prepare indigenous South Africans for the priesthood. We were privileged to teach at this school several times.

The young men that Fr. Akunda is cultivating are being given his same zeal for missions. In spite of the fact that the school’s library consists of only two shelves of books, Fr. Akunda and the seminary faculty have been able to lay solid theological foundations among the students.

Spending time in South Africa afforded a wonderful insight into the fruit that the SAMP program can bear. For only fifty dollars a month, SAMP supporters make the work of clergy like Fr. Akunda possible. It is hard to imagine any donation that has more direct impact on those in need than supporting a mission priest. Every year these priests engage in outreach and evangelism that touches the lives of thousands of people.

There are currently 319 priests in 21 countries enrolled in OCMC’s SAMP program. In the past twelve months alone, hierarchs from seven countries have submitted 58 clergy to the Mission Center for enrollment. Donors are still needed to help provide the financial independence that these faithful servants need to dedicate their lives to shepherding their flocks.

Please continue to pray for Orthodox clergy serving abroad. To make a donation in support of a mission priest, please contact Kenneth Kidd by phone at 877-GO-FORTH (463-6784), or by e-mail at SAMP@ocmc.org . For more information about OCMC or the Support a Mission Priest (SAMP) program, please visit www.ocmc.org.

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