Name-day of Metropolitan Amphilochius observed in Aldeia

His Eminence Amphilochius, Archbishop of Cetinje and Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral, Bishop-Administrator of the Diocese of Buenos Aires and South-Central American of the Serbian Patriarchate, visited the Serbian Orthodox community in Brazilian state of Pernambuco, while paying his pastoral visit to Brazil.

At the airport in Recife, the capital of the state of Pernambuco, the Metropolitan was welcomed by priests from Recife and other parishes and a few believers on 5 December 2014.

The next day, on Saturday, December 6th, on the feast day of Amphilochius of Iconium His Eminence Metropolitan officiated the Holy Liturgy with the concelebration of the local clergy at the monastery of Holy Trinity in Aldeia near Recife.

Metropolitan Amphilochius visited the missionary parish of Saint John Chrysostom in Caruaru near Recife. His Eminence also visited an estate of father Jairo, a former Presbyterian priest, who has built a chapel of Saint John of Shanghai, and after his return from Montenegro where he had seen the relics of Venerable  Simeon of Dajbabe,  he has erected a chapel dedicated to Saint Simeon as well. Metropolitan Amphilochius suggested that this place would be a perfect place to found a monastery.

The local television in Caruaru recorded also a short interview with the Metropolitan, who said, among other things, that he had come to Brazil to visit the priests of our Diocese in Brazil – in the cities of Campinas, Recife, Caruaru -  but also to visit other communities in Argentina, among which the monastery of Saint Nicholas in the town of Machagai in the Argentinian province of Chaco, where two Brazilian nuns live.

He also said that besides Argentina and Brazil, in recent years, he had been working on establishing communities in Chile, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Dominican Republic.

Metropolitan Amphilochius also met Roman Catholic Bishop of Caruaru Mons. Bernardin Marki, an Italian born, and thanked him for the aid to Fr. Jairo and the local Orthodox community. He and Benedictine sisters welcomed the Metropolitan, priests and believers at the Benedictine college of the Most Holy Heart of Jesus, which is used by Fr. Jairo and Orthodox community for the service of Holy Liturgy several times a month, since this parish has no church building. The television recorded this meeting, and a report on Metropolitan’s visit was broadcasted the same evening.

The visit to Caruaru was completed with a dinner at the Franciscan monastery.

Source: Diocese of Buenos Aires and South-Central America