Orthodoxy Grows in West with Baptisms in Chile and Netherlands
CONCEPCIÓN — Orthodox Christianity is growing in the West, with recent mass baptisms in Chile and the Netherlands welcoming nineteen converts.
In Concepción, Chile, nine young people—Maria, Divna, Iacobos, Paisios, Alexander, Gabriel, Sebastian, Justino, and Constantino—joined the Romanian Orthodox Church of St. Silouan the Athonite through Baptism, Chrismation, and Holy Communion, just before their church’s consecration.
The Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas called it a historic moment, strengthening the parish and Orthodoxy’s presence in Latin America.
Meanwhile, on September 13 in the Netherlands, ten Dutch converts—Maria, Ksenija, Irina, Stefan, Katarina, Gavrilo, Agaton, Sofija, Dimitrije, and Jovan—were baptized in the Lek River into the Serbian Orthodox Church after a year-long catechumenate.
The Serbian Church in Western Europe, led by clergy like Protopresbyter Goran Kovačević, continues to welcome converts, mostly young adults, with open arms, offering catechesis and pastoral care.
This story was first reported by Orthodox Christianity.
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