“We rejoice together with the Lord in what He Himself has built,” Bishop Timotei of Spain and Portugal said on Saturday at the consecration of the Diocesan Cathedral “Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple” in Madrid.
His Grace highlighted the true meaning of the Church: “First of all, it is the mystical Body of Christ; the Church is all of us who confess the true faith and are baptised in the name of the Holy Trinity.”
“We call church, by extension, also the walls we have built in order to bow our knees and offer the Lord the Eucharist, that is, thanksgiving for every blessing poured out upon humanity. Just as the Church was founded and built through the work of the Holy Trinity, so too the construction of a material church is likewise the work of the Holy Trinity.”
The bishop also recalled the words of the Psalmist David: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain,” saying that this verse “was fulfilled in the building of our cathedral in Madrid”.
Bishop Timotei referred to the challenges faced during the years of construction, stressing that “there were many trials, many difficulties and many shortages, which, with the help of the King of Glory, with the support of the faithful and of the Romanian state, we managed to overcome”.
Ministry in the Romanian community in Spain
Twenty hierarchs from Romania and the diaspora concelebrated the Divine Liturgy, including Metropolitans Teofan of Moldavia and Bukovina, Andrei of Cluj, Maramureș and Sălaj, Irineu of Oltenia, Iosif of Western and Southern Europe, Serafim of Germany and Central Europe, Nestor of Stupino, vicar of the Diocese of Corsun, and Archbishop Atanasie of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Also participating were Bishops Ignatie of Huși, Iustin of Maramureș and Sătmar, Andrei of Covasna and Harghita, Benedict of Sălaj, Nestor of Deva and Hunedoara, Siluan of Italy, Timotei of Spain and Portugal, Macarie of Northern Europe, Nectarie of Ireland and Iceland, Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Paisie of Sinaia, Assistant Bishops Marc of Neamț of the Archdiocese of Western Europe, Timotei of Sătmar of the Diocese of Maramureș and Sătmar, and Assistant Bishop Teofil of Iberia of the Diocese of Spain and Portugal.
Representatives of the Romanian state and the Kingdom of Spain, diplomats and numerous faithful from Romanian Orthodox parishes across the Iberian Peninsula also attended the event.
Following the consecration of the altar and the blessing of the iconography, Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Paisie of Sinaia read the message of Patriarch Daniel of Romania.
A place where God manifests His presence
In his sermon after the Gospel reading, Metropolitan Teofan stressed the spiritual significance of a consecrated church and its role in community life.
“God has blessed us today to participate in the consecration of the Diocesan Cathedral of the Romanian Orthodox community in Madrid.”
“We give thanks to God glorified in the Trinity — the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit — for His work accomplished for the spiritual benefit of Orthodox Romanians in the capital of Spain, throughout the country and also in Portugal.”
The church building, he said, is the fruit of the work of the Holy Trinity.
“Once built, adorned and consecrated, the church becomes the place where God manifests His presence and continues His work in the world.”
The Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bukovina explained that the Divine Liturgy and the Holy Mysteries transform the church into a “privileged sacred space, though not an exclusive one, for living according to the image of the Holy Trinity”.
Addressing Romanians living far from their homeland, His Eminence emphasised the responsibility to preserve their faith and identity.
“Whether in Romania or here, the most important thing is our relationship with God: preserving and confessing the faith, enduring trials, and cultivating a spirit of repentance.”
Message of gratitude for the community
At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan Iosif of Western and Southern Europe addressed Bishop Timotei and the Romanian community in Spain.
“This cathedral helps and strengthens all of us in our faith, and we can say that everything is possible,” he said.
“In 2010, Patriarch Daniel laid the foundation stone, and upon that foundation stone, through much bodily and spiritual labour over the years, led by Your Grace, we now see it raised and adorned like a bride receiving her eternal Bridegroom.”
Metropolitan Iosif highlighted Bishop Timotei’s involvement in the construction of the Madrid Cathedral.
“You accompanied with the eyes of both soul and body every brick, stone and piece of wood placed in the cathedral and offered to the Heavenly Father, which today make up this magnificent holy place, a throne of the Most Merciful God.”
Romanian values in the diaspora
Secretary of State for Religious Affairs Ciprian-Vasile Olinici described the new cathedral as “a testimony to Romanian dignity in this space, far from the homeland yet close to the values every Romanian represents”.
“It is a historic moment, but at the same time also a redefinition of the vocation of Christian Europe to create spaces witnessing to Eastern spirituality within the Latin environment.”
“We are not defined as Romanians only by the work we do abroad, but by the values we bring, by our language, our culture and, above all, our spirituality,” the secretary of state added.
The cathedral’s foundation stone was laid in 2010 by Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Photo: Doxologia
