Our brother, South African Orthodox priest Father Johannes repose in Lord
Christ is Risen - Truly He is Risen!
Johannes Matsobane Rakumako was born on 26 November 1968 in Pietersburg, (now known as Polokwane) in what is now the Limpopo province of South Africa, the son of William and Anna Rakumako. He died on 12 April 2011 in Tshwane at the age of 42 years, 4 months and 17 days. He was baptised on 29 July 2001 at St Nicholas, Brixton. He attended the seminary in Nairobi for 1 year until 2002. He was ordained Orthodox priest on 25 July 2004.
By Deacon Stephen Hayes
"The Lord knows how He formed us; He remembers we're dust. as for man, his days are like grass, as flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes through it, and it shall not remain; it it shall no longer knows its place..." {Psalm102(103):14-15}
On the early morning of wesdnday the 13th. of April 2011, the Orthodox Church bells rung, mourning the repose of our Dear brother and Rev. Fr. Johannes.
--------------
Dear brother and Rev. Fr. Johannes, you have left so soon while the entire Orthodox Church and particularly the missionary Churches were still in need of you.
It is since 2004/2005 that we met the Rev.Fr. Johannes after he has just come the Orthodox seminary of Nairobi in Kenya. He also spent some good years at the "Alexandrian catechetical School Petros Vll" in Yeoville, Johannesburg under the supervision of the rev. Fr.Athanasius. Fr. Johannes use to be a kind of a person with always smile on his face without discrimination or creating conflicts in his entourage.
He was a charismatic person with a spirit of leadership, that's why our Lord has found him good for leading His flocks as a sacerdoce.He has helped the Orthodox mission a lot, stating with Soshanguve to Tembisa, where he finally died; and he was described by the Archbishop Seraphim as" a hard worker, a priest who helped a lot the missionary work in Tembisa. He was also congratulated by the OCMC (the Orthodox Christian Mission Center) as "a hard worker for the local missionary churches".
Rev. Fr. Johannes has lifted up to the best of his abilities the unshakable teachings of the orthodox doctrine in township for the benefit of the local churches.It was always without fear that he could stand in his area and defends the vibrant and unshakable Orthodox doctrine.
During his long period of illness, rev. Fr. Pantelejmon and I, visited him and brought along with us some food but this couldn't help as his last days were approaching to rest in the Lord. Then it was only after few days that we heard of repose in the Lord, and at his funeral, the Rev. Fr. Stillianos supported the family with food and transportation of people to the cemetery.
Let's ask the lord God to find worthy to place him where the Righteous repose.
+ May his memory be eternal
Written by Chrysostome N. Luse
----------------
As we mourn our brother and concelebrant Fr. Johannes, we also thank God that he took him from us at one of the holiest weeks, the week of passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. I have known Fr Johannes for the past seven years since I came here. he had just returned from the seminary in Kenya where he had already completed the one year in the Orthodox Seminary. Because of the needs here, for the local young men to help in the mission, together with His Eminence, the mission committee agreed to retain him here so that he could complete his remaining studies here in SA at the same time becoming apillar of introducing Orthodoxy in this Holy Diocese.
In 2003 October, Fr Johannes by then Johannes, was admitted in our new Seminary where also he was appointed as the director of student life as he had alittle bit of seminary experience for the one year he was in Nairobi.
The following year he was ordained a deacon after getting married, I solemnised the wedding by the blessings of His Eminence Archbishop Seraphim now of Zimbabwe. he showed his dedication to his people, to the seminary and the church as a whole. Though not with much learning, he proved superb. He was later Ordained as a parish Priest and and took over St. Seraphim in Soshanguve where the Priest Fr Simon had just fallen asleep in the Lord.
He was later posted to Virgin Mary of Kykko in Tembisa where he ministered to the newly founded parish and also became the chaplain to the newly founded school, St Athanasius School.
He was very active and energetic and more organised.he was also my friend and my brother in Christ. Fr Johannes achievements and love of Christ cannot be expressed in this short space, But we know that God himself knows more than we do about his good ministry,and as the right time came he crowned him with his elect.
Though Fr Johannes did not have much learning, during his first year in Nairobi he translated single handedly the Orthros and divine liturgy from English to his local languages. This shows how much he loved his people and his Church.
He is not dead he is with us and will remain with us always. The memory of the righteous becomes the corner stone of the faith, God does not rejoice in the written letters of the prudents but he rejoices in the humble work of his saints, whose theology is written in their lives and their hearts and not only in their books. Who each and every day while falling like any other human kind, wake up after every fall stronger than before and change the lives of those around them. Fr. Johannes, left a great print that will remain he corner stone of the Church in South Africa. May God rest His Soul in a place of green pasture, where there is no sorrow or any other suffering but everlasting life. May he forgive him all that he may have done knowing or unknowingly for there is no one that lives and does now sin, except Christ who is our immortal King.
By Fr Athanasius Akunda
Source: www.svetitoma.org
