Under the auspices of the Missionary Centre of St. John of Shanghai the Wonderworker, and through the great efforts and selfless dedication of Serbian hieromonk Makarios (Radojičić), an Orthodox church dedicated to the Most Holy and Life-Giving Trinity has been built in the village of Mwitanzige in eastern Uganda.
After several months of continuous labour, which involved numerous local residents — the future parishioners — not only was the church erected, but also a parish house, a modest dwelling where the priest will reside. All construction was carried out without machinery: water was fetched from a considerable distance, mortar was mixed by hand, and every phase of the construction represented a communal work of faith and love. The villagers offered their daily labour as a sacrifice to the Lord, with the hope that an Orthodox church — the House of God — would be built in their village, to the glory of the Holy Trinity.
The Section for External Mission of the Missionary Department of the Serbian Orthodox Church maintains regular communication and cooperation with Hieromonk Makarios, who is, notably, an Athonite monk from the sacred skete of Karoulia. His experience, monastic zeal, and spirit of prayer, cultivated in the rigorous asceticism of Mount Athos, are now being transmitted into his missionary work in Africa, where he lives in conditions of great simplicity, yet amid a spiritual awakening of Orthodoxy.
On August 3, 2025, the 8th Sunday after Pentecost, the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the newly built church.
The service was led by Hieromonk Silouan (Brown), Dean of the Eastern Church District in Uganda, with the concelebration of Priest Samson Kutusa, a cleric of the Central Deanery of Kenya, and Hieromonk Makarios. The Divine Liturgy was offered to the Lord in three languages — English, Lunyoro (the local language), and Church Slavonic — thus expressing the liturgical unity of the Church and bearing witness to the catholicity and missionary vocation of Orthodoxy.
The Orthodox mission in Uganda was born out of the people’s deep longing, following disillusionment with the fruits of former colonial missionary activity, to rediscover the authentic and unaltered Christian tradition. In this quest, Ugandan Christians came to know the Orthodox faith and themselves appealed to the Orthodox local Churches to send them missionaries. Thus began this blessed path of conversion, wherein missionaries do not impose, but rather draw new souls into the embrace of the Church of Christ through love, ascetic labour, and witness to the Truth.
The residents of Mwitanzige joyfully welcomed the moment when the new church came to life through the celebration of the Liturgy. Despite harsh living conditions, poverty, and the persistent influence of aggressive sects, the Orthodox faithful persevered in their faith, often enduring mockery and misunderstanding. Precisely for this reason, this day represents not only a spiritual triumph, but also a profound testimony of hope. The villagers emphasize that the Church of the Holy Trinity is the most beautiful church in all of Uganda, and they are rightfully proud of their work, their community, and their faith.
Dr. Sandra Knežević
Editor of the Section for External Mission
Missionary Department of the Archdiocese of Belgrade-Karlovci
Photo archive of Father Makarije (Radojičić).
