His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania, re-consecrated on Saturday, 19 December 2015, St Catherine Church in Bucharest, which serves as a University Chapel for the students of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology.
The Chapel of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Bucharest re-consecrated
With the blessing and the care of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, in 2009 an ample process of consecration and restauration for the interior and the exterior of the church protected by the Holy Great Martyr Catherine and by the Three Holy Hierarchs; on 19 December 2015, at the completion of the restauration works, the place of worship was dressed in festive garments and was consecrated by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel. Together with the Romanian Patriarch was also present His Grace Timotei of Prahova, Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Bucharest, assisted by an assembly of priests and deacons.
The sacrifice of the Holy Martyrs is the expression of Christ’s sacrificial love present within them
At the end of the consecration service, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church said that by the ceremony of consecration of an Orthodox church a special honour is ascribed to the Holy Martyrs. The Romanian Patriarch also explained why the relics of the Holy Martyrs are placed at the foot of the Holy Table.
From all the categories of saints, from all the choirs of saints, the most sacrificing were the Holy Martyrs. On the Holy Table of the Altar, in front of the Cross which is placed in between the Altar table and the upper Throne, representing Christ the Lord sitting on the throne together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, there is the place where the Holy and Bloodless Sacrifice – the Holy Eucharist – is offered, and that is why the relics of the most sacrificing saints are placed on and in the Altar Table. So, their sacrifice is the expression of the sacrificial love of Christ, which is present within them. This maximum intimacy between Christ’s sacrifice or between the sacrificed or crucified and risen Christ and the Holy Martyrs is shown in the consecration service of an Orthodox church, His Beatitude said.
The Holy Martyrs conquered hatred by forgiveness
His Beatitude also stressed on the fact that the love of the Holy Martyrs was more powerful than death.
Man has a general fear in front of death; the instinct of conservation, the instinct of survival makes man tremble, makes him overwhelmed by fear, but the courage of the Holy Martyrs, whose love of Christ was more powerful than death and was shown by the fact that the sacrificial love of Christ and Christ’s grace, and was present in them and strengthened them. Although they were killed, in our worship we do not call them defeated saints, but good triumphant (victorious) martyrs. But why do we call them good and not simply triumphant? Because they have not become triumphant by treachery, but by pure sacrifice, by true faith and perfect patience unto death. Moreover, what have they conquered? They have conquered the worldly spirit and the demonic spirits. The Holy Martyrs have not answered back to hatred with hatred, to violence by violence, nor to evil with evil, but they have conquered hatred by forgiveness and patience, His Beatitude said.
Finally, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel offered as a sign of appreciation several awards to the persons involved in the completion of the works of restoration carried out at St Catherine Church.
Among those in attendance were also representatives of the University of Bucharest, of the State Secretariat for Religious Denominations, students of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology Patriarch Justinian, as well as hundreds of faithful.
