Bishop Siluan of Hungary presided at the St George Cell – Colciu over the first feast in honour of Saint Dionysius of Vatopedi following the recent canonisation of the Romanian elder by the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The all-night vigil began last Sunday evening and continued on Monday morning with the Divine Liturgy.
The Romanian hierarch attended as the delegate of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of Romania.
He was joined by Protosyncellus Visarion Tuderici, diocesan secretary of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Hungary, and Constantin Negruț, senior physician at the Oradea Emergency Clinical Hospital, who is currently studying at the Orthodox Theology Faculty of Oradea.
From the Athonite community, alongside Fr Dionisie Alb — disciple of St Dionisie of Colciu and abbot of the St George Cell – Colciu — several representatives of Vatopedi Monastery also concelebrated. The cell is located on the territory of Vatopedi Monastery.
Also serving were Abbot Ignatie from the brotherhood of the Romanian St Hypatius Cell, Romanian monks from neighbouring cells, and representatives of Pantocrator Monastery.
Romanian faithful close to the brotherhood of the Colciu Cell attended the service.
“It was the first time that the service specially composed for St Dionysius was officiated in the very cell where this great Romanian spiritual father and ascetic lived for almost 80 years. God endowed him with the grace of humility, love for God and neighbour, discernment and spiritual guidance on the path to salvation,” Bishop Siluan told the Basilica News Agency.
“These gifts were experienced not only by the members of his own brotherhood, but also by many other monks and abbots from Mount Athos, hierarchs, faithful and people with high responsibilities in society, such as King Charles III, who personally knew St Dionysius and also attended his funeral service in 2004,” the Romanian bishop added.
On Monday, Bishop Siluan visited the Romanian St. Hypatius Cell and the Vatopedi Monastery, where he attended Vespers and met the monastery’s abbot, Ephraim of Vatopedi.
More pictures here.
Photo: Doxologia.ro / Fr. Silviu Cluci
