Six young Colombians accepted Orthodoxy in the Serbian parish of Medellín

In Medellin, Colombia, the Serbian Orthodox parish of Holy Trinity celebrated the baptism of six young people who had completed months of catechetical training. The event, which took place over the weekend of January 17-18, marked an important milestone for the small but growing Orthodox community in the region.

According to zivotcrkve.rs, on Saturday, January 17, the parish community celebrated Divine Liturgy in the municipality of Cisneros, located in the mountainous area of the northern part of Antioquia province. There, Priest Simeon (Lopez) performed the great consecration of water.

The next day, Sunday, the celebration continued at the house church in the neighborhood of Bello, Medellín, where the Liturgy in honor of the Feast of the Epiphany was served. On this day, six young people who had undergone months of catechetical training received the Sacrament of Baptism. They were given the names Stephen (in honor of the first martyr), James (in honor of the first bishop of the Church of Jerusalem), Stephen, Justin (in honor of St. Justin of Chelsea), and Joachim and Anna (in honor of the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary).

The rite included a threefold immersion in the baptismal font in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Then the newly baptized received Holy Chrismation, were dressed in white robes, cut and confessed the Creed, holding lit candles in their hands.

According to the newly baptized Jacob, he could not find a place where he could truly meet God and find the peace that comes from Him until he experienced the fullness of Orthodox worship and the ancient Tradition carefully preserved for centuries.

The media emphasize that the baptism of these six young people is the fruit of mature pastoral work and a powerful sign of hope. It shows that even in the accelerated pace of modern life, a younger generation, hungry for authenticity and a deeper meaning of existence, can find its home in the ancient faith, unchanged for centuries. They have come, guided by personal conviction, in search of reliable spiritual guidance and a solid foundation on life’s journey.

Recall, earlier we reported that researchers at the Russian State University for the Humanities (RSUH) recorded a significant increase in the number of Orthodox Christians among the Mayans in Guatemala. According to data published in the journal of the Russian Academy of Sciences «Latin America», by 2025, more than one and a half million people can be classified as Orthodox, which is more than six percent of the country’s population. This figure continues to grow, exceeding figures from a decade ago.