Today, 10 November 2013, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania was at Pasarea Monastery of Ilfov county, which celebrated 200 years of existence. On this occasion, the church painting, belfry, summer altar, church shop, the renovated workshops of the Romanian Patriarchate and the monastery museum were blessed. The Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church celebrated the Divine Liturgy assisted by a group of hierarchs, priests and deacons. The celebrating group of hierarchs was made up of His Grace Visarion, Bishop of Tulcea, His Grace Varlaam Ploiesteanul, Assistant Bishop to the Patriarch, and His Grace Varsanufie Ploiesteanul, Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Bucharest.
The relics of Saint Calinic from Cernica at Pasarea Monastery
The faithful present at the religious service could also venerate the relics of Saint Calinic from Cernica, founder of the church monastery of Pasarea, his holy relics having been brought to this monastic settlement with the blessing of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, on the occasion of this anniversary time.
The Good Samaritan of the Gospel is Christ, our Lord
The Patriarch of Romania explained, in the sermon delivered, the text of the Holy Gospel read today, on the 25th Sunday after the Pentecost, a text referring to the Good Samaritan.
“This Gospel shows us the great mercy of God for people and urges us to be merciful too to our fellow beings. This Gospel is full of spiritual meanings not only for our personal life but also for the salvation of the whole world. The Good Samaritan of the Gospel is Christ Himself who due to His never ending love for the humans and for their salvation came down from Heaven, was incarnated and made man to relief people from disease, sin and death”, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel said.
The merciful love of God for the humans is shown through the work of the hands of the merciful ones
His Beatitude has shown that the text of the Gospel inspired many people to do good deeds: “This Gospel urges us to mercy. This Gospel inspired lots of philanthropic deeds in the history of Christianity, a lot of hospitals were named the Good Samaritan, while the philanthropic work of the Church was named the Samaritan work or the Work of the Good Samaritan. The aiding of the old people, children, poor people, widows, travellers and of the mourning ones was the work of the Good Samaritan developed by the Church throughout the centuries. And it was from the Church that the emperors, kings, and ruling princes learned to do good in order to show the merciful love of God towards the people, love shown through the work of the merciful hands.”
The merciful man looks like the Merciful God
His Beatitude has also shown that the “merciful man looks like the Merciful God according to the commandment of the Holy Scriptures “be merciful as Your Father from Heaven is merciful”, and urged to mercy: “Now, when we come close to the Advent of the Nativity of the Lord, the Gospel urges us to be more merciful; now, when the cold season is coming close and lots of people are poor, old, helpless, with no heating, the Gospel urges us not to be indifferent, but help them according to our abilities. If we think twice, we see that during the Christmas Advent, the majority of the Gospels read on Sundays urge us to mercy, to good devoted love which does not humiliate but raises the fallen one, encourages the discouraged one, and brings hope in case of despair”.
The Church is not a court where people are judged, but spiritual hospital where they are healed through the love of the Most Holy Trinity
“The guest house, the Church is the place where we heal from sin through confession, through the forgiveness of the sins, through the Sacrament of the Holy Unction when we suffer spiritually and physically, but especially when we have Holy Communion, namely His Body and Blood given to us for good health and salvation, for eternal life as preparation or foretaste of our resurrection and of the joy of the Heavenly Kingdom, in the Kingdom of the Most Holy Trinity. Saint John Chrysostom has seen this relationship between the Merciful Christ and His Church – Guest House, Healing House, saying that the Church is not a court where people are judged, but a spiritual hospital where they are healed through the love of the Most Holy Trinity for the glory of God and our salvation”, the Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church said.
Gifts and distinctions for the contributors
To end with the religious service, the Patriarch of Romania emphasised the fact that all these works done from 2007 till present meant a great sacrifice, and offered distinctions, as a sign of gratitude, to all persons involved in the implementation of this work.
The order “Saints Emperors Constantine and Helen” was awarded to savrofora Mihaela Costache, abbess of Pasarea Monastery. Order “Sanctus Stephanus Magnus” was awarded to stavrofora Lucia Dumbrava, former abbes of the monastery, and to schimonachia Pulcheria Szandrowski. The order of “Saints Emperors Constantine and Helen” for laic was awarded to: family Marcel and Maria Ursu; family Corneliu and Natasa Paraschivescu; family Teodor and Maria Filipescu; and Order “Sanctus Stefanus Magnus” for laic was awarded to the mayor of Branesti commune, Nicolae Cismaru. Also awarded was the Homage Diploma and Medal of “Saints Emperors Constantine and Helen” to a few donors and contributors of the monastery.
His Beatitude has also offered a blessing cross, a Gospel, a Euchtion, and several spiritual religious books to the church monastery. The faithful have were also offered small icons of the Most Holy Trinity.
Pasarea Monastery – a praying, diligent and serving monastery of our Church
His Beatitude spoke about the importance of this monastery for the Romanian people throughout the history: “This church was built through the efforts, expense and personal supervision of Saint Calinic from Cernica. This is the biggest church of all he built and this is why his relics are today at the entrance for veneration, as a sign of appreciation for the saint, and for the place of worship he founded. We must also mention that this is the biggest convent of the Archdiocese of Bucharest, with 150 nuns living here. The monastery was always in the focus of the Patriarchs of Romania, so that the first Patriarch Miron Cristea set up a School of the Society of War Orphans here, as well as an Institute of the Sisters of Charity who learned here how to take care of the old and sick people. The sisters who studied here have often gone to the front to take care of the injured. Then, Patriarch Justinian Marina set up a workshop of vestments still operating today. Vestments and shrines of the holy relics – the most beautiful in Romania – are made here, at Pasarea Monastery. An Orthodox Theological Seminary protected by Saint Filofteia was set up here, as well as an old people’s home. Not only aged nuns are looked after here, but also teachers forgotten by their own children. This is a praying, diligent, and servant monastery of the mission of our Church, and this is why we wanted to re-bless the painting, altar screen, and icons of this church”.
On the occasion of this anniversary time a medal was issued at the State Mint celebrating 200 years of the existence of the monastery and a monograph album was launched, presented by rev archimandrite Timotei Aioanei, Great Eclesiarch of the Patriarchal Cathedral and Cultural Exarch of the Archdiocese of Bucharest: “The monograph album recently published at Basilica publishing house emphasises the history of this monastery, of the nuns, abbesses, as well as of many personalities who related their names to Pasarea Monastery, some of them buried in the monastery cemetery. The monograph entitled Pasarea Monastery – faith, art, education has been prepared for a long time as a present for today’s guests of the monastery, for the hierarchs who celebrated together with His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel and for the benefactors and pilgrims of this holy monastery”.
To end with, abbess Mihaela Costache delivered a thanksgiving speech: “We thank Most Holy Trinity, Mother of God and Saint Calinic for all the gifts and achievements bestowed over our monastery. The whole community thanks Your Beatitude for the high blessing and financial participation for finishing the renovation works over here. We thank His Grace Visarion, Bishop of Tulcea, His Grace Varlaam Ploiesteanul, Assistant Bishop to the Patriarch and His Grace Varsanufie Prahoveanul, Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Bucharest for their participation in the Holy Divine Liturgy together with all the priests, monks, nuns, and students of our Seminary. The whole community of our monastery thanks for the spiritual thought to bring the founder of this monastery to us, Saint Hierarch Calinic from Cernica”.
Pasarea Monastery, one of the representative settlements of the Archdiocese of Bucharest dates from 1813, from the time of Prince Caragea.
