The Bishop

THE BIOGRAPHY OF HIS GRACE BISHOP NEOFITOS OF NYERI AND MT. KENYA

His Grace Neofitos David Kong’ai Bishop of Nyeri and Mount Kenya was born in 1972 in the village of Kesengei, Nandi County- Kenya. He is a graduate of the Archbishop Makarios III Patriarchal Seminary in Nairobi. His Grace graduated with Higher Diploma in Counseling Psychology from the Kenya Institute of Professional Counseling in Nairobi. He was ordained a Deacon on 13 th September 1998 and Presbyter on the 27 th September 1998, by Metropolitan of Kenya, now of Zimbabwe and Angola, His Eminence Seraphim. On 27 th February 2003 he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite by His Eminence Makarios, the Metropolitan of Kenya. He served in Parishes in Nairobi and at the Patriarchal Seminary as Deputy Dean from 2008-2014. In 2001, he secured scholarship to study in United States at Hellenic College/ Holy Cross School of Theology, Boston Massachusetts where he graduated with Masters of Theological Studies from Holy Cross School of Theology in 2004. He was also awarded Masters of Theology, a second Masters Degree in 2005. After graduation, he was assigned as the Proistamenos (Parish priest) at the Church of Holy Annunciation in Kansas City, Missouri USA where he served for a short while. His Grace was recalled back to Kenya in 2006 by Archbishop Makarios of Kenya after securing for him scholarship to pursue Doctoral program in the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki. While in Thessaloniki, he resided at the Monastery of Vlatadon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. In 2007 through the blessing of Metropolitan Makarios of Kenya, he was tonsured a Monk at the Holy Monastery of the Transfiguration under the spiritual and Pastoral leadership of Metropolitan Panteleimon of Veria in Thessaloniki. He is a Doctoral candidate in Pastoral Theology at the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki. On 26 th November 2014, by the proposal of His Beatitude Theodoros II, he was elected by the Holy Synod as the Auxiliary Bishop of Nitria to as assist Metropolitan Makarios of Kenya. His consecration was done by His Beatitude Theodoros II Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria together with other hierarchs on 21 st December 2014, at the Patriarchal Church of St. Savvas the Sanctified in Alexandria Egypt. On 24 th November 2015, once again proposed by His Beatitude Theodoros II, he was elected by the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria as Bishop of the newly established Diocese of Nyeri and Mount Kenya. His enthronement took place in May 2016. Since then, Bishop Neofitos is actively involved in mission work and transformative ministry in the diocese. He has established various institutions, administrative and organizational structure of the diocese to enable the diocese to work sufficiently toward the six selves namely: self- imaging, self- functioning, self-determining, self-supporting, self- propagating and self-giving.