History of the Holy Orthodox Church
Part V - Far Eastern Orthodoxy
- India
- Indonesia
- The Philippines
- Singapore
In November 1996, His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Holy and Great Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate established the Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. In the following month, Archimandrite Nikitas Lulias, a former SYNDESMOS Vice President, was elected as the first Orthodox Metropolitan of Hong Kong and enthroned in January 1997. In this exclusive interview with SYNDESMOS News, Metropolitan Nikitas shares his thoughts about his ministry in the Far East. The new Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia is perhaps the largest Metropolitanate in the world in both size and population. While it is an area that is distant from most traditional Orthodox lands, it is a diocese where Orthodoxy has been a part of life for centuries. We know that Orthodoxy reached the Asian lands, including Indonesia, in the seventh century. In China, dioceses, parishes and communities were firmly established in 1685. These simple and brief facts tell us that Orthodoxy is not a stranger to these lands, even though our faith tradition has had a limited role. The issue, though, is not what has happened in the past; rather, we are to look to the future and our hopes and dreams for bringing the truth of Christ to the thirsting people of the Far East.
One needs to understand that Hong Kong is a densely populated area. There may even be over seven million residents, with well over 90 percent being Chinese. Less than ten percent of the population is Christian. As part of the Christian minority, the Orthodox community comprises about 150 faithful in the Hong Kong area, although concrete figures do not exist. The community of Saint Luke is comprised of individuals representing a variety of ethnic backgrounds who have banded together in unity and harmony under the banner of a single community. Although the community has been in existence for years, the faithful have been served on a regular basis for about one year. Along with the regular cycle of services, the community has a religious education program for children and adults.
The purpose of establishing the Metropolitanate in Hong Kong was not only to minister to the existing community of faithful, but to preach the message of salvation to all, since God desires that all people should be saved and that they should come to the knowledge of His truth With these thoughts in mind, we have begun to translate brochures and other reading material about the Orthodox faith into Chinese. Along with the literature, we are reviewing liturgical texts. These things will be made available to the average person in his or her native tongue.
There have been comments and questions about the life of our community and the faith, especially since the "hand-over" or return of Hong Kong to China. The most honest comment about the situation is that we have noticed few, if any, changes. Life for us in Hong Kong goes on as usual. We need to be honest and admit that we are not a significant number as to cause concerns or problems. Further, the Basic Law [the name refers to the ordinances that will guide our life now that we are a part of China] we have guaranteed rights as religious communities. We worship freely, as do the other faith communities that are represented in Hong Kong. In fact, the other Christian communions have shown support for us in a variety of ways. We have been asked to lecture at both the Catholic and Lutheran seminaries. We will also be giving presentations on Orthodox Christianity for the Hong Kong Christian Council as we try to establish our distinct identity as Orthodox Christians.
Hong Kong, though, is also the administrative center of the Metropolitanate. Because Hong Kong is a city in which everything works -- the banks, the telephones, fax machines, etc. -- the diocese can operate with few problems as we try to serve the needs of the people.
There has been an established Greek Orthodox community in the Calcutta area for over 200 years. For a variety of reasons, though, the community has almost vanished. Bearing witness to the existence of the once-thriving community is the Greek cemetery. In the Calcutta area, the almost 5,000 faithful are served by five priests and one deacon.
These clergy are assisted in their ministry by lay people who serve as catechists. Under the leadership and guidance of Archimandrite Ignatios [Sennis], a priestmonk from the Holy Mountain, our clergy are Indian and use the Bengali language in liturgical worship.
The community operates a number of clinics, feeding programs and other social service ministries. We are most optimistic and hopeful that within the next year we will also have our own hospital. The Orthodox community also runs an orphanage and we are building another, which should open within one year.
The Orthodox community has been transformed in recent years, especially through the efforts of the indigenous clergy who minister to their own people. By traveling to the outlying villages and by combining spiritual comfort with various social services, the clergy have become true ambassadors of love.
Since our clergy are not graduates of Orthodox theological schools, we have had the good fortune to have mission teams from the United States and Greece who help in educating the clergy and catechists. They have been trained in various areas so that they may minister to the growing flock.
The Orthodox faithful in the Calcutta area face a number of problems and issues in their growth and development, although each day brings promises and hope. One of the greatest problems the Church faces is addressing the issues of poverty, disease and hunger. Since missionary activity is restricted, we preach the Gospel message through our labors of love. These not only befriend us to the community, but they also show that we are there to help the suffering society outside the walls of the Church. We do not limit our ministries to the members of our community.
The Orthodox Church in Indonesia has grown from the desire and will of the people. Archimandrite Daniel Bambang Dwi Byantoro studied Christianity and was led to the Orthodox faith. Through his efforts, several young men have studied at Orthodox theological schools and have been ordained. Father Daniel has translated a number of books into Bahasa Indonesian, the national language of Indonesia.
Since the nation of Indonesia is predominantly Muslim, the Orthodox Church has some unique practices which parallel Muslim traditions. Our churches have services seven times a day, since the largely Muslim population prays five times a day. The faithful enter the churches without shoes and the clergy serve barefoot. These expressions show the ability of the Church to adapt to local traditions.
In June 1997 we proudly announced the opening of the Holy Cross Orthodox Center in Solo, Indonesia. The Center will run a variety of programs to assist the clergy and faithful of Indonesia. Through the Center existing translations will be reviewed, other texts will be translated, articles will be prepared for local newspapers, and seminars about the faith will be organized.
The Orthodox Church in Indonesia is most fortunate to have four graduates of Holy Cross Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline, Massachusetts serving the Church. In positions as clergy and laypersons, these Holy Cross graduates have brought people to the Orthodox faith. [Holy Cross is a long-time member of SYNDESMOS.]
In September 1997 we proudly announced the opening of a new parish in Jakarta, Indonesia the parish of the Epiphany. Although the 100 or so faithful do not have a worship facility, they regularly meet for services in the home of one of the faithful. Land is to be donated for the building of the Church in the Jakarta area.
The Philippines are the only Asian nation with a large Christian population. In this great sea of people, we have three parishes and a convent. As in the other instances, our clergy and the monastics are native, indigenous people.
With the generous support of faithful from Greece, Australia, the United States and other lands, two beautiful churches have been built, one dedicated to the Annunciation in the greater Manila area and the other dedicated to the Holy Trinity in Los Banos. Along with the churches we also have several chapels and study groups. In both formal and informal settings we try to share the faith with the native people.
In the Philippines, the Orthodox community must clearly define its role and establish an identity so that Eastern Orthodoxy is not confused with the other religious traditions that are established or trying to establish themselves. There are, in fact, some groups that have identified themselves as "orthodox" although they are not part of our faith community. Among the people of the Philippines, there appears to be a thirst and desire for a spiritual life. In response to this, various traditions and groups have appeared in the Philippines.
At present there is no established Eastern Orthodox community in Singapore. The faithful we are not even sure of the number use the Armenian Church of Saint Gregory, where they are served whenever possible. Recently, it seems that the number of faithful has grown as Orthodox Christians from Eastern Europe have moved to Singapore for business reasons. There are plans to begin serving the community on a regular basis.
SOME FUTURE PLANS AND DREAMS
Since the goal of the Church is to preach the Word of God to all people, we have hopes and dreams that the Asian lands will someday be Orthodox Christian lands. For example, we are planning to establish parishes in Thailand and Taiwan in the near future. We are organizing a study program for people interested in Orthodox Christianity in the Hong Kong area. The program will be modeled after college courses. We are also proceeding with translations of liturgical and other texts into Chinese, Bengali, and Bahasa Indonesian.
The work in Southeast Asia is immense, and we continue to ask the prayers of all SYNDESMOS members to help us bring the Light of Christ to this part of the world!
GENERAL NOTE:
JURISDICTIONS ARE CONSIDERED TO BE CANONICAL ONLY IF THEY ARE IN FULL COMMUNION WITH THE VARIOUS LOCAL ORTHODOX CHURCHES WORLDWIDE.
