The solemn meeting of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church has taken place today, 28 October 2015, in the Patriarchal Residence in Bucharest, under the presidency of His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania.
During the meeting, His Grace Varlaam Ploieşteanul (of Ploieşti), Assistant bishop to the Romanian Patriarch, presented the synthesis report regarding the activities undertaken in the Romanian Patriarchate during the year 2015, as Solemn Year of the Parish and Monastery Mission Today and Commemorative Year of Saint John Chrysostom and of the great shepherds of souls in the eparchies.
The Romanian Patriarch mentioned that all these activities mean even more than simple festive or commemorative moments.
“We see the great blessing of these thematic years because in a scattered, fragmented and disoriented world we must follow one or two themes in a civil year because there is a need to deepen both aspects of faith, and of Orthodox liturgical life, as well as aspects of our missionary priorities. Needs are very often increasing and multiplying and we have to consider in this perspective which priorities are urgent and where a greater need of co-responsibility and co-operation is”, His Beatitude said.
During this meeting, several books recently published by the Publishing Houses of the Romanian Patriarchate were launched: Year-book of the Romanian Patriarchate, Documents and Tomes on the Canonization of Romanian Saints, Dictionary of Romanian and Foreign Hierarchs in the Service of the Faithful of the Romanian Orthodox Church, and Saint John Chrysostom – a Great Missionary of the Church.
Also, during this meeting, St venerable George the New Confessor of Drama has been enlisted in the calendar of the Romanian Orthodox Church, with November 04th as feast day.
In his address, the Romanian Patriarch referred to the fact that St Venerable George is an example of prayer and mission.
“We give thanks to God for this grace revealed in the life and works of St Venerable George the Confessor of Drama, who is a intercessor in Heaven for all the countries he lived in, especially for Greece, but also for us, because we received in the year 2010 an his icon and holy relics. We give thanks to His Eminence Metropolitan Pavlos for this special zeal to venerate the ascetic and praying saints. The icon and the holy relics will be offered to a church in Bucharest which will also receive St Venerable George the New Confessor of Drama as protector. It is a great blessing for us to receive some more intercessors and observe the life of a man who passed to the Lord in 1959. We here have the example of an ascetic and missionary man”, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel also said.
In his turn, His Eminence Metropolitan Pavlos thanked the Holy Synod for the honour of having St Venerable George of Drama enlisted in the calendar of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
“During these moments, I am overwhelmed and admit that I have felt today the sanctifying presence of the Holy Spirit in this Synodal Hall. For me, it is no coincidence what today has been accomplished, namely to have St venerable George enlisted in the calendar of the Romanian Orthodox Church, wherefore I will be grateful to you my entire life. Though useless, I will mention the fact that the relations of the two sister Churches become even stronger. In his life, St Venerable George glorified God, Who endowed him with many gifts. We will inform everyone in Greece about the enlistment of St Venerable George in the Romanian Orthodox Calendar, praying for the well-being of the Church of Romania, for everyone’s health, so that you will serve the noble and pious Romanian people”.
In the end, as a sign of chosen appreciation and blessing, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel offered for St Paul Monastery of Holy Mount Athos an icon depicting Ruler Prince St Martyr Constantine Brâncoveanu, having encrusted a fragment of his holy relics, for the spiritual benefit and the intensification of faith of everyone who will pray with piety to St Constantine Brâncoveanu.
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