“This is not merely an administrative meeting or an occasion to present activity reports, but a moment of ecclesial responsibility, in which we seek together to discern God’s will for the life of the Church and for the communities we serve,” said Bishop Ioan Casian of Canada at the Congress of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada.
The bishop said the gathering was a time for reflection, evaluation and shaping the diocese’s future mission.
“The verse chosen as the theme of our reflection – ‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away; behold, all things have become new’ (2 Corinthians) – expresses the very essence of the Christian life,” His Grace added.
“The Apostle Paul is not speaking simply about a change of behaviour or an external reform, but about the ontological transformation of the human person through an encounter with Christ crucified and risen.”
Prayers and lectures
The event began on Friday evening with a lecture at the Romanian Orthodox Cathedral in Saint-Hubert, delivered by Bishop Siluan of Italy together with Rev. Prof. Vasile Mihoc of the Orthodox Theological Faculty in Sibiu, in the presence of Bishop Ioan Casian of Canada.
On Saturday morning, following the Te Deum service, Bishop Siluan of Hungary delivered a message from Patriarch Daniel.
“We are especially pleased that the Congress is taking place during the Solemn Year of the Pastoral Care of the Christian Family and the Commemorative Year of the Holy Women in the Church Calendar (Myrrh-bearing Women, Martyrs, Nuns, Wives and Mothers), thus recognising the fundamental role that the family and women play in shaping and preserving Christian identity,” Patriarch Daniel said.
“The themes proposed for reflection are highly relevant to the life of the Church, since the Christian family continues to be the privileged setting for nurturing the faith, providing moral education and transmitting spiritual values to future generations.”
Activity reports and an online guest speaker
The programme continued with an online lecture delivered by Metropolitan Laurențiu of Transylvania.
Participants also presented diocesan reports and reviewed the diocese’s pastoral, missionary and administrative activity.
“We greatly appreciated both the beauty of this place and the achievements of His Grace, together with the priests, the clergy and all those who support him in this ministry, because here in Montréal, where the diocese has its headquarters, remarkable work is being carried out,” Bishop Siluan of Hungary told Trinitas TV, referring to the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada and its bishop, Bishop Ioan Casian.
The congress concluded on Sunday at the Cathedral of St George the Great Martyr and Saints Epictetus and Astion in Saint-Hubert, Montréal, with the celebration of the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy.
Photo: episcopia.ca
