35 children baptized at Kenya orphanage

A joyous mass Baptism was recently celebrated at the St. Irene Orthodox Mission and Orphanage in central Kenya, reports Fr. Constantinos Eliud.

The sacrament of holy Baptism was celebrated for 35 children of the orphanage on February 18, after which they all partook of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Fr. Constantinos reports that this was the first such mass Baptism in St. Irene’s history. There are now more than 60 baptized children at the orphanage.

St. Irene’s was founded in 2010 by Fr. Constantinos and his presvytera Teresa Jepchumba. It currently has a population of 140 vulnerable children, 40 of whom are orphans who live entirely at the orphanage. The mission announced in January that it was able to acquire permanent land to house the orphans.

The mission is among those associated with Orthodox Africa, whose founder, Fr. Silouan (Brown) offered us interview both before and after his missionary trip to Africa in 2016. 11 children were baptized at the St. Barnabas Orphanage and School when Fr. Silouan returned in May 2017.

Learn how to get involved and help the work and children of St. Irene’s here.

Also, watch the community’s festive procession on the feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy: