Timóteo, Minas Geiras, Brazil, October 9, 2025
Photo: kickante.com.br
A newly ordained priest and a small Orthodox community in Timóteo, Minas Gerais, are working to establish what would be the only Orthodox church in the interior of Brazil’s second-most populous state.
Fr. Albino was recently ordained to serve the mission in Timóteo, a community that currently holds services and activities in the priest’s home due to the lack of a dedicated church building. The mission serves as the sole Orthodox presence in the interior of Minas Gerais, a state with over 20 million inhabitants spread across 853 cities in a territory larger than France, Spain, or Germany.
The community’s origins date back to the Nativity of 2018, when four young people were received into the Polish Diocese of Rio de Janeiro by His Eminence Archbishop Chrisóstomo Muniz of Rio de Janeiro and Olinda-Recife, tasked with bringing Orthodoxy to Minas Gerais. According to a video statement from the mission, the community has faced ongoing challenges in finding a regular location to celebrate divine services and gather as a congregation.
Photo: kickante.com.br
The mission describes itself as a small community composed mainly of young people, as well as families seeking a faith tradition capable of addressing contemporary spiritual needs. Over the years, the group has experienced multiple evictions from worship spaces.
Currently, a family belonging to the mission has made their workshop available to be adapted into a chapel for divine worship and community gatherings. Two provisional adaptations have already been made, and the community now seeks to create a more permanent worship space.
A fundraising campaign has been launched with Fr. Albino’s blessing to support the construction of a new church and strengthen community activities. The campaign has currently raised approximately $475 (R$ 2,529) toward a goal of approximately $2,800 (R$ 15,000).
Fr. Albino has also offered his PayPal as an option for those who may prefer it: rodrigovirtuoso7@yahoo.com.br.
The mission has issued an appeal to Orthodox faithful worldwide and all people of goodwill to support the establishment of this community in the interior of Minas Gerais.
Last year, readers of OrthoChristian helped the Church of the New Martyr Elizabeth in Valinhos, São Paulo, repair its roof and ceiling and paint the interior. The rector Fr. Nicholas later sent a note of gratitude specifically to the OrthoChristian audience.
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