Articles

Today we speak with sorrow, but also with gratitude, of our Elder, Metropolitan Amphilochios, Metropolitan of New Zealand and former Metropolitan of Ganos and Chora, the father whom the peoples of Africa and the Pacific came to know, the enlightener who lit the lamp of Orthodoxy in the farthest reaches of the world.

He was born into humble circumstances on the island of Rhodes in 1938, into a simple family, where from an early age he learned to rely upon the providence of God and the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos. From his student years at the Ecclesiastical School of Patmos and at the Theological School of Halki, he received the seed of the missionary calling, nurtured by holy figures such as Saint Amphilochios Makris, who left an indelible mark upon his life and inspired him with a sacrificial love for every human person, without distinction.

As a young clergyman, he left his homeland and set out for Africa—to Kenya, Tanzania, and above all to the Congo—where he laboured tirelessly as a worker of the Gospel. He founded parishes, instructed the faithful, baptized converts, supported widows, orphans, and those who suffered, making the Church a refuge for those who had no one. There, in the jungle and in the cities of poverty, he learned to behold Christ Himself in every hungry, thirsty, sick, and imprisoned person, considering them all his children and his brothers and sisters, for whom he prayed every day with tears.

In 2005, the Church called him to a new mission which, humanly speaking, seemed impossible. He was elected Metropolitan of New Zealand and, despite his age, accepted the call without hesitation, with the heart of a young man. He came to Oceania as an experienced spiritual cultivator, to sow the first seeds of Orthodoxy in lands that had never before come to know Christ through the Orthodox faith—in Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa—where he established the first communities of faith, prayer, and Eucharistic life.

Throughout the islands of the Pacific and in New Zealand, he opened new paths for Orthodoxy, not with noise or imposition, but with humility, gentleness, and genuine paternal affection. He built churches and monastic centres, which he himself described as “a lamp kept burning in the midst of the Ocean,” an enduring symbol of divine worship and prayer in islands that were beginning to learn the life of Orthodoxy. His concern, however, was not only for the stones of church buildings, but for the “living temples”: the people, the families, and the children who were in need of support, consolation, and hope.

With particular sensitivity he stood beside children, orphans, and those living on the margins of society, establishing works of love, orphanages, and centres of care, so that no child would ever feel abandoned. In every wounded, destitute, and suffering person he saw an opportunity to offer Christ, not only through words, but through bread, a bed, a smile, an embrace, and his own personal presence.

He understood that the Church takes root only when it acquires a local face. For this reason, he strove to raise up indigenous clergy, catechists, and workers of the Gospel, so that the young plants of the faith would not remain orphaned. He ordained priests from among the peoples of Oceania, blessed monks and readers, and entrusted to them the continuation of God’s grace, making them fellow ministers rather than merely assistants.

Those who came to know him in Oceania, both Greeks and local people alike, sensed from the very first moment that they could place their trust in him and follow him “in the name of Christ.” The serenity of his countenance, the simplicity of his words, and his prayerful silence enabled those who met him to open their hearts, to entrust him with their wounds, to find direction and meaning, and to recover hope. No one whom God entrusted to him was ever forgotten in his memory or in his prayers. He asked after everyone, rejoiced in their blessings, and intensified his prayers in times of their trials.

For this reason, today we may say without hesitation that Elder Amphilochios became the natural spiritual father of the children of Oceania—the father who united in the one Chalice of the Eucharist people from Rhodes, Africa, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa. He became a bridge between peoples, languages, and cultures, demonstrating that Orthodoxy is not something foreign, but a heart spacious enough to embrace all, when it is “working through love.”

The manner of his departure from this life became for all of us a lesson in spiritual sobriety and preparation. God granted us time to realise that his hour was approaching, so that our human sorrow might be transformed into joy according to God, into thanksgiving for the gift which the Church bestowed upon us through his presence. At the announcement of his falling asleep in the Lord, our grief was overshadowed by the certainty that our Elder had not been lost to us, but had been offered as a precious gift from the earthly Church to the heavenly Throne, returning with increase the talents which the Lord had entrusted to him.

Today, as we stand around his revered body, physically or in spirit, we do not bid farewell to an “administrator,” but to a father who lived and died for his spiritual children. We bid farewell to a man who was a radiant, gentle, and humble presence, a shepherd with an open heart, who stood beside every person without distinction, leaving behind an irreplaceable void, but also a rich legacy of faith, love, and selfless offering.

His photograph remains in every church throughout Oceania, not merely as a keepsake, but as a living reminder of his fatherly presence, calling us to continue along the path that he opened. He lives in our hearts, inspires our thoughts and our works, goes before us on our journey, and teaches us that true missionary work is not the product of human wisdom, but faith working through love.

As the present Metropolitan of New Zealand, I stand before him in spirit today with profound emotion and gratitude, conscious that I have inherited not merely a Metropolis, but a legacy of holiness, labour, tears, and sacrifice. I pray that God may grant me to minister with the same mind, to keep burning the lamp that he lit in the Pacific, to support our brothers and sisters in Oceania with the same fatherly love, and to continue, insofar as I am able, in his footsteps.

And to you, our venerable Elder Amphilochios, we pray: now, from your new place in Heaven, stand as an intercessor for us all—for the children of Rhodes, Africa, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and all Oceania, who knew you, loved you, and called you “Father.” Do not forget us, just as you never forgot anyone on earth. Strengthen us in the faith, comfort us in our afflictions, guide us on the path of salvation, so that, when the Lord wills, we too may be found worthy to celebrate with you the eternal Pascha in His Kingdom.

Memory eternal to you, our venerable Elder and father, Amphilochios, enlightener of Oceania. Memory eternal.

With reverence and gratitude,

† Myron
Metropolitan of New Zealand