“The Lord was leading me in the right direction”

All over the world, the Orthodox faith is professed by about 300 million people. Orthodoxy is the predominant denomination in Russia, Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Cyprus, and Ukraine. In Greece, most public holidays are church feasts, and the modern countries of the Balkan Peninsula recognize Orthodoxy as the main religion.

Why do people who were born and raised in other traditions choose Orthodoxy? What appeals to them in the intact apostolic faith?

These and other questions were earnestly answered by Lucas Godfrey, a parishioner of the Church of the Dormition of Most Holy Theotokos in Singapore.

– Lukas, could you please share about your path to the Lord?

I was raised as a Brahmin Hindu, but spent much of my formative years in a Protestant missionary school. I did not come to accept Christ until very much later, during National Service.

It is not an easy story. I remember how I was at a bus stop waiting for my bus when I looked across the road at this Redemptorists (a community of Roman Catholic priests and consecrated religious brothers – Note by the editor) church that was very popular among the Roman Catholic community in Singapore. I have always wondered: “What makes this church so popular among the Catholic faithful? What makes them want to go pray here?” It was 3 o’clock in the afternoon, and the bus was not coming. I crossed the road and entered the church.

I remember sitting there just staring at the crucifix. I was also looking at the faithful who had their heads bowed as they were praying. Then I asked this question to the Lord in my head, “What am I doing here?” Of course, I received no answer. But just as I got up and was about to leave, I felt an overwhelming tingle, as if I was being enveloped with love…like I was being hugged. I don’t know how else to describe it. But it felt good, peaceful. I was baptized Roman Catholic the following year. Later, I got married and spent decades attending the mass.

However somewhere in the middle of those years, I found myself in a very difficult marriage. My relationship with my wife deteriorated, and after I went through an extremely difficult and painful divorce, my faith in God was shaken. I was disappointed with the people whom I trusted including the parish priests.

– How did you learn about the Orthodox church in Singapore and about Orthodoxy in general?

I knew God was there, but He felt so distant at the moment. I got disappointed with the Roman Catholic religion, but was still attending the Mass. However, things did not feel the same anymore. I began to question the validity of papal supremacy and other doctrines. I challenged my own bias and began studying the works of the three Holy Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and St. John Chrysostom. I’ve also read the Philokalia. While on the quest to quench my insatiable thirst for historical truth, I came across an article on the Internet about the Orthodox Church in Singapore. I have always felt drawn to Orthodoxy, but there was no Orthodox parish in Singapore at the time of my baptism, over 20 years ago. Maybe, the Lord was leading me in the right direction.

Feeling excited, I quickly contacted the parish through Facebook, making inquiries. Bishop Pitirim, who at that time was still a priest, immediately responded and invited me over to meet him the next afternoon. I had so many questions ranging from Church beliefs to politics, and Vladyka Pitirim answered them patiently and thoroughly. Before I left, he advised me to attend Divine Liturgy the following Sunday to experience the service myself and presented me a couple of small icons. I didn’t even expect such kindness.

As we planned, I arrived to the church early on Sunday and was completely blown away with the sight of the praying believers, the smell of the incense, and the sounds of the Liturgy. I had only seen it on video before. Making the sign of the cross and bowing multiple times together with the worshipers for about two hours was a true spiritual exercise! My feet and back were aching, but focusing on Christ’s image on the iconostasis, I was constantly reminding myself, “What is this compared to Christ’s sacrifice?” The pain I was feeling soon dissipated. I knew I had to become Orthodox.

– Is it difficult for you to observe the strict multi-day fasts?

– Not so much, no. One thing about converts is how quickly we forget our non-Christian cultural roots. For me, fasting is easy-peasy, and I have to thank my parents, who made sure we stuck to a strict vegetarian diet while growing up. That was my stepping-stone. There is a strong sense of community in the Orthodox parish I attend. The people are mostly shy. Nonetheless, when push came to shove, they were there for me when I least expected it. When I was recovering from a surgery, our wonderful parishioners took turns to cook me a different meal every day and deliver it to my house. And this was during the ‘circuit breaker’ period. Never have I experienced anything like that before. The care, the concerns, the love. I was absolutely amazed and very grateful to God for such caring people.

– Why have you decided to become Orthodox?

– There is a little-known quote from the Venerable Athanasius the Great: “Orthodoxy is what Christ taught, the apostles preached, and the Fathers kept.” Indeed, if you go deeper into history, you will find the Church untainted and unchanged by the sands of time – the Orthodox Church.

November 25, 2019 was the best day of my life, when I was received into the Orthodox Church. I held back tears as I was taking Communion, the true Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. I was partaking the true spiritual food for the first time over the eight years since my divorce. It was a very emotional day for me.

– What was your experience like in getting to know the other parishioners?

– I consider myself an ambivert: while I may be shy or look unapproachable, I am very much an easy-going person. I will never say “No” to anyone who approaches me for a conversation. So, in that sense I’m no different than the other parishioners. And I have made some wonderful friends over the past year. We remain tight-knit and sometimes meet for lunch or dinner and even go grocery shopping!

– The services are in Church Slavonic. Was it difficult for you to understand what is going on?

One very common critique of the Orthodox Church is that the liturgical language used is foreign to locals and makes new converts feel alienated. Do they say this about churches that conduct Mass in Latin? No. Today, many Roman Catholic parishes conduct Mass in the vernacular. I welcome the vernacular, but we must be careful not to lose the rich cultural heritage and history of the Church. Moreover, there are liturgical service books translated into English available for purchase from any online bookstore. In fact, these days, the language of the service in our church alternates, and half of the services are in English.

I work as a Systems Administrator in the Financial industry, and sometimes I jokingly think: What if I could squeeze 2000 years of Church history into a single zipped file and store it in my brain? That would make things much easier. But until the technology materializes, I have to do it the old-fashioned way and treat it as life-long education. I have even given some thought to the ordinate, but I am still undecided. I don’t know if I am worthy. Deep down, I am hoping for a significant half to enter my life. The Lord will let me know in due time.

The interview was taken by Andrey Karlovich