Worcester, Massachusetts, December 3, 2018
Bp. Athanasius (right). Photo: orthodoxmissionkenya.org Prayers have been requested for His Grace Bishop Athanasius of Kisumu and Western Kenya of the Patriarchate of Alexandria who has currently in the ICU at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts.
His Grace Bishop Neofitos of Nyeri and Mount Kenya writes on his Facebook page:
Beloved in Christ, through the blessing of the Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa THEODOROS II, we ask for your special prayers for our beloved brother in the Lord Bishop Athanasius of Kisumu and western Kenya.
Reports are: He is very ill in ICU at St Vincent hospital in Worcester Massachusetts USA.
It is hard and unbearable to see him go through this pain. Lord have mercy on him and may the Lord’s WILL be done to heal him.
Let us PRAY.
Fr. Dimitrios Moraitis of St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Worcester writes that Bp. Athanasius fell ill just after celebrating the Divine Liturgy at the cathedral three weeks ago:
I just left his Grace Bishop Athanasios Akunda, who is in ICU at Saint Vincent's Hospital in Worcester. Three weeks ago he celebrated the liturgy at Saint Spyridon Cathedral and became very ill, and has been in the hospital since. The bishop is very, very ill. I ask you all to please keep him in your prayers and ask for a miracle to be done. I’ve never met a more holy or humble man in my life.
May the Lord have mercy upon him!
***
spc.rs Bishop Athanasius’ biography from the St. Barnabas Orthodox Mission in Kenya page reads:
H.G Bishop Athanasius Akunda was born Amos Akunda in Kenya in 1971. He was the eldest of six children whose father is a theologian from St. Tikhons Theological Seminary. He became Orthodox at the age of 8 after his parents converted to Orthodoxy. He attended Makarios III Seminary in Kenya and graduated with a Diploma in Theology followed by a Masters of Divinity at Holy Cross School of Theology. He graduated with a Doctor of Divinity from the International Institute of Church Management and a Doctor of Theology from the University of South Africa. He also completed a Diploma and Post Graduate Diploma in Education Management at the India Institute of Management, and a Certificate in teaching English as a foreign language at the Cambridge Institute of English Language in Boston. H.G Bishop Athanasius Akunda worked in African literature, Christian religious education, Social education and Ethics at Ebukhaya High School, Ebusiloli High School and Ngoro Orthodox High School in Kenya. He held the position of Catechist in Western Kenya, and Secretary in the office of the Archbishopric of Kenya. He was ordained as a Deacon in Kenya in 1998 by His Eminence Archbishop Seraphim and later on ordained as a Priest at Pantanassa Church in 2002.
In 2010 at the Church of St. Athansios in Benoni, on the feast day of that church, he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite by His Eminence Archbishop Damaskinos. He has served as the Parish priest at St. Seraphim in Soshanguve and at St. Raphael, Irene and Nicholas in Yeoville, Johannesburg. He was also Dean and lecturer at Petros VII seminary. He was the parish priest at St. Nicholas of Japan from 2009 to 2015. Other positions he has held include Director of missions from 2003 to 2008 and Vicar in charge of missions since 2010. Bishop Athanasius Akunda has represented the Patriarchate of Alexandria at the World Council of Churches, and the All African Conference of Churches. He left St. Nicholas to serve at the Patriarchal Seminary “Makarios III” in Nairobi, Kenya, in May 2015. He was appointed by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Nairobi as the Director of missions and lecturer at St. Makarios Seminary in cultural anthropology, pathology and teleturgics. He was elevated to Episcopal throne of Kisumu and All western Kenya on 24th of November 2015.
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