Mbale, Uganda, September 24, 2025
St. Patrick’s Church in Mbale, Uganda. Photo: exarchate-africa.ru
The Russian Orthodox Church’s Exarchate of Africa is witnessing a spiritual awakening in the town of Mbale in eastern Uganda, where dozens of people—including several from Muslim backgrounds—have embraced the Orthodox faith following a series of extraordinary events, Hieromonk Silouan (Brown), Dean of Eastern Uganda, told OrthoChristian.
Locals began reporting recurring dreams of a Christian priest coming to deliver them from darkness. Soon afterward, a priest of the Exarchate, under the pastoral care of the Deanery of Eastern Uganda, was assigned to the region and established a new mission presence.
To the amazement of the community, some immediately recognized him as the very priest they had seen in their dreams.
Such phenomena have been known throughout Church history. A similar story occurred with the coming of the Russian missionaries to Alaska, which a native shaman had foreseen as the people’s deliverance from darkness. And in recent years, there have been numerous stories of Muslims converting to Christianity after the Lord appeared to them in dreams.
Fr. Silouan, in his capacity as dean, recently visited this new parish, named for St. Patrick, during which more than 55 individuals were baptized into the Holy Orthodox Church.
Mission clergy expect to baptize at least 80 additional catechumens in the coming months, as the number of faithful continues to grow beyond the capacity of current resources.
Following the Divine Liturgy, approximately 150 people were anointed with myrrh from the wonderworking Hawaiian Iveron Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, which is venerated across the Orthodox world.
“The Lord is clearly at work in this region,” said one mission priest. “What we are witnessing is not the result of human planning, but of Divine grace reaching hearts that are open and searching.”
The parish was recently able to purchase a tent for church services with the help of donations from the faithful.
OrthoChristian earlier reported on the Baptism of about 100 people by Bishop Silvester of Jinja and Eastern Uganda of the Patriarchate of Alexandria in August.
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