Bishop Dionysius Erhan of Cetatea Alba and Ismail was canonized during a ceremony in Bucharest on Sunday attended by the Patriarch of Romania, members of the Holy Synod, state officials and a delegation of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Metropolis of Chisinau.
In front of thousands of pilgrims in the Patriarchal Assembly’s Square, the Romanian bishop of Bessarabian origin and supporter of national unity was proclaimed a saint.
The Patriarch explained that the canonization ceremony of St Dionysius Erhan was established for the feast of St Demetrios, because his birth name was Dimitrie, which is Romanian for Demetrios. Another reason was that the Holy Synod resolved to glorify Bishop Dionysius Erhan the same period last year.
Following the festive Divine Liturgy marking the feast of Bucharest’s protector saint Demetrius the New, the icon of the newly-glorified Saint was presented to the congregation while the choir chanted the Saint’s troparion.
The synodal tomos on the canonization of Saint Dionysius Erhan the Bishop of Cetatea Alba and Ismail was read out by His Grace Bishop Varlaam of Ploiesti, chief secretary of the Holy Synod.
The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Orthodox Metropolis of Chisinau (Moscow Patriarchate) and of the Romanian Patriarchate’s Metropolis of Bessarabia.
For the efforts made to gather all necessary documents for the Saint’s canonization, Bishop Veniamin of Southern Bessarabia was congratulated by Patriarch Daniel.
Mother Epistimia Goncearenco, the abbess of Suruceni Monastery in the Republic of Moldova, where St Dionysius’ relics are kept, and the Very Rev. Archimandrite Porfirie Dobre, abbot of Sireti Monastery, were bestowed the Order of the Holy Emperors Constantine and Helen of the Romanian Patriarchate.
On behalf of Metropolitan Vladimir, abbess Epistimia presented the Romanian Patriarch with a reliquary containing a fragment of the holy relics of St Dionysius.
Other clerics of the Metropolis of Chisinau were honoured with the Romanian Patriarchate’s Order of St Stephen the Great.
Photography courtesy of Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu
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