The Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria, Romania, celebrated its patronal feast on Sunday, honouring St Alexander, Patriarch of Constantinople. To mark the occasion, the relic of St Basil the Great’s right hand was brought from Greece to bless the congregation.
Bishop Galaction of Alexandria and Teleorman celebrated the Divine Liturgy with Bishop Nectarie of Ireland and Iceland and Assistant Bishop Nicodemus of Skopelos of the Metropolis of Chalkida, Istiaia and the Northern Sporades of the Orthodox Church of Greece.
St Alexander, Patriarch of Constantinople
In his sermon during the Divine Liturgy, Bishop Nectarie highlighted St Alexander’s virtues.
“What defined St Alexander, Patriarch of Constantinople, was his zeal, unwavering faith and precisely this capacity for self-sacrifice, for identifying himself with the High Priest par excellence, our Saviour Jesus Christ.”
Bishop Nectarie recalled that St Alexander participated in the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, where he opposed Arius’s teachings.
“St Alexander fought tirelessly against the Arian heresy of that period and laboured greatly, becoming a fervent defender of Orthodoxy.”
A moment of blessing
Assistant Bishop Nicodemus of Skopelos said that the right hand of St Basil the Great had been brought to Alexandria “to encounter the hands raised in prayer and the hearts of the faithful”.
“This hand blessed, taught, laboured, distributed alms, supported the weak and became an instrument of love and service. For this reason, St Basil the Great is not a distant figure from the history of the Church for us. He is a living father, teacher and shepherd who continues to show us the path of true Christian life,” Bishop Nicodemus emphasised.
The Greek hierarch also highlighted the occasion’s significance for Bishop Galaction of Alexandria and Teleorman, who on Tuesday will mark 30 years since his episcopal ordination and enthronement.
“Today becomes even more significant because the Diocese of Alexandria and Teleorman is marking 30 years since its establishment — 30 years in the life of a local Church, 30 years of prayer, struggle, sacrifice, joys and trials,” Assistant Bishop Nicodemus of Skopelos said.
Alexandria Cathedral receives another sacred relic
Archimandrite Serafim Baciu, administrative vicar of the Diocese of Alexandria and Teleorman, announced that the diocese had received a fragment of the relics of St Alexander as a gift from the Greek delegation.
Assistant Bishop Nicodemus of Skopelos presented Bishop Galaction with an engolpion and Archimandrite Serafim with a blessing cross.
The relics of St Basil the Great will remain in Alexandria for veneration until 1 September. They will then be taken to Pantocrator Monastery in Drăgănești-Vlașca, where they will remain until midnight on Wednesday, 2 September.
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Photo: Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu
