Mugugu, Kenya, August 11, 2026
Photo: Romfea
Hundreds of young Orthodox Christians in Kenya gathered on August 6 to honor the recently canonized founder of their organization, marking 60 years since its establishment.
The Orthodox Christian Youth of Kenya (OCYAK) held the celebration in honor of St. Chrysostomos Papasarantopoulos at Holy Trinity Church in the village of Mugugu, with Archbishop Makarios of Kenya, Exarch of all East Africa, presiding over the Divine Liturgy. Several priests and deacons concelebrated, and young people from various regions of Kenya attended, reports Romfea.
St. Chrysostomos established OCYAK on August 6, 1966, at the parish of St. Paul in Kangiri. He was canonized by the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria on October 8, 2025, and his relics were uncovered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on March 22 of this year.
During the Liturgy, Archbishop Makarios ordained OCYAK’s current president, Peter Mwaura, to the priesthood. Following the service, the Archbishop, clergy, and young people took part in a procession through the surrounding streets carrying an icon of St. Chrysostomos, drawing local residents out to observe. A shared meal, along with singing and dancing, followed the procession.
In his remarks, Archbishop Makarios recounted his own connection to St. Chrysostomos. In 1961, while a schoolboy, he received a letter from St. Chrysostomos raising the possibility that he might one day continue the saint’s missionary work in Africa. St. Chrysostomos wrote that if God allowed him eight to ten more years of work, he would be happy to hand over the continuation of his sacred work to the future Archbishop.
Archbishop Makarios further noted that on August 6, 1966—the same day OCYAK was founded—St. Chrysostomos wrote to him again, informing him of the organization’s establishment. He later became Archbishop Makarios of Kenya and is now in charge of the organization.
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