Saturday, 7 November 2015, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania, consecrated the church monastery of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple in Rădăuţi. Together with His Beatitude, several hierarchs of our Church celebrated, assisted by a group of priests and deacons from the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuţi, as well as from the country.
The group of hierarchs consisted of:
- His Eminence Teofan, Metropolitan of Moldova and Bucovina;
- His Eminence Pimen, Archbishop of Suceava and Rădăuţi;
- His Eminence Ioachim, Archbishop of Roman and Bacău;
- His Grace Corneliu, Bishop of Huşi;
- His Grace Macarie, Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Northern Europe;
- His Grace Varlaam Ploieşteanul, Assistant Bishop to the Patriarch;
- His Grace Calinic Botoşăneanul, Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Iaşi.
The Greatest Beauty of a Church is the Faithful Present and Praying at the Divine Liturgy
His Beatitude delivered a sermon in which he showed that the beauty of a place of worship is represented by the faithful present and praying at the Divine Liturgy and at all the celebrations through which the grace of the Most Holy Trinity is received.
”We pray God to bless us and make us feel that this brick church represents the living Church, the community made up of clergy and faithful, namely us. We are the living content of this brick church. This is why no matter how beautiful a church may be, such as this one, for example, it is more beautiful when it is full of faithful. Thus, the greatest beauty of a church consists of the faithful present and praying, participating in the Divine Liturgy and in all the celebrations through which the grace of the Most Holy Trinity is received”, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania said.
According to the tradition of our Church, the faithful present at the monastery of Rădăuţi could enter and pray in the holy altar of the place of worship consecrated today.
His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Monastery of the Presentation of the Mother of God in the Church, in Rădăuţi city. The religious service was celebrated on an esplanade specially set up in the courtyard of the monastic settlement, after the consecration of the place of worship of the monastery.
Prayers were said at the Divine Liturgy for those who passed away during the fire at the CollectiveClub of Bucharest, as well as for the healing of those affected by this tragedy who are still in hospitals, and in great sufferance.
Prayer is the Love Stronger than Death
The Patriarch of Romania delivered a speech in which he emphasised the fact that this Saturday dedicated to the remembrance of all the dead from our families we pray first of all for those who passed away during the tragedy occurred in Bucharest.
„Today, on this Saturday dedicated to the common remembrance of those who passed away, called “Moşii de toamnă”, we pray first of all for those who died in an unexpectedly, surprising, and violent way, namely the young people from the Collective Club of Bucharest. We pray Good God to rest their souls in the peace, love and light of the Holy Trinity. We also pray Christ, our Lord, who comforted the mourning widow of Nain who was taking her only child to the grave, saying: “Don’t cry”, to comfort and console the souls of the families who cry for their dead now, the mourning grieved families. This Saturday we show, through prayer and remembrance, that prayer is the love stronger than death, than the grave, than time and space that separate”, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel said.
The Church – Laboratory of Resurrection
His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, has also spoken about the importance of the Church, explaining those present that in the Church, the soul of the one killed by sin comes back to life and is preparing for the general resurrection.
“Saint Maximus the Confessor says that <<the Church is the laboratory of the resurrection>>. Why is that? Because it is here, in the Church, that we raise, through repentance and renewal of forgiveness, our soul killed by sin. It is here that the soul killed by sin is preparing for the general resurrection and this is why we say at the end of the Creed: <<I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come. Amen>>. Saint Nicholas Cabasilas called the Church <<the waiting room of the Kingdom of Heaven, the porch of the Kingdom of Heaven>> because it is here that we foretaste joy out of the joy of the Most Holy Trinity, of the joy of the Mother of God, and of the saints. Saint Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople, has also called the Church <<Heaven come down on the earth>>, the Patriarch of Romania also said.
The Church Brings Us the Foretaste of Eternal Life
The Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church showed that the consecration of a new church is a great blessing because it represents a new gate of heaven, a spring of blessings, holy love, of the beginning of eternal life: “This is why when we are taking the Holy Communion the choir sings:<<Receive the Body of Christ; taste from the immortal fount>>. Today we felt that the heaven came down to us through the prayerful saints, in order to raise us to heaven; the Holy Trinity receives us in love because all the work was done with the will of the Father, work of the Son, and completion of the Holy Spirit, and we lent our hands to Christ to build a church. Blessed are the hands that worked, either directly, or through donation, for building a church. This is why in our celebrations we say when we remember the founders: <<The blessed and always remembered founders>>because even when they do no longer have relatives, and nobody else close to them, they will be remembered by those who pray in the church the founders built. Thus, beloved faithful, the Church brings us peace, joy, the foretaste of eternal life. It is here that we pray not only for the living, but also for those who fell asleep into the Lord, because true love includes both the living and those who passed away into the Lord, and introduces them to the Most Holy Trinity for blessing and salvation”, the Patriarch of Romanian said.
Gifts and Distinctions
The Patriarch of Romania awarded to the Very Reverend Archimandrite Iustin Dragomir, abbot of Bogdana Monastery, the Patriarchal Cross distinction for clergy, as a sign of gratitude for the special activity unfolded at Saint Hierarch Leontius of Rădăuţi Settlement for Children where over 100 disadvantaged children benefit of social services, and to Mr Cătălin-Ioan Nechifor, president of Suceava County Council, the order of Saints Emperors Constantine and Helen. The Patriarch of Romania offered a blessing cross and several liturgical and spiritual books for the church of the monastic settlement.
Financial Aid for Saint Hierarch Leontius of Rădăuţi Settlement for Children
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel has also offered a financial aid to Saint Hierarch Leontius of RădăuţiSettlement for Children, on behalf of the Romanian Patriarchate and of the Archdiocese of Bucharest.
The Very Reverend Archimandrite Iustin Dragomir has also thanked His Beatitude for the support granted in the course of time, especially for this financial aid granted to the Settlement for children of Rădăuţi.
“Your Beatitude, thank you for everything. Thank you very much for the financial aid offered on behalf of the Romanian Patriarchate for the children from the Settlement of <<Saint Hierarch Leontius>>, because we would have passed the winter rather hard without this aid. Thank you for the presents brought to the children, given to each one of them”, the Very Reverend Archimandrite Iustin Dragomir said.
On behalf of Suceava County Council, President Cătălin-Ioan Nechifor awarded to the Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church the title of Honorary Citizen of Suceava City. His Eminence Pimen has offered His Beatitude an icon of the Presentation of the Mother of God in the Church.
“Thank you very much for this gift full of beauty and blessing; we also thank His Eminence Archbishop Pimen of Suceava and Rădăuţi for the warm reception, for the great missionary endeavour and for the philanthropic work he unfolds”, His Beatitude said.
Hundreds of faithful from Bucovina attended the Divine Liturgy, who could venerate the relics of Saint John Chrysostom (brought in pilgrimage from the Patriarchal Residence), of Saint Martyr Teodosie from Brazi, and of Saint Hierarch Leontius from Rădăuţi.
Photograph: “Lumina” newspaper
Galerie foto:
