A few months after his enthronement as Bishop of Ireland and Iceland, His Grace Bishop Nectarie spoke to Basilica.ro about the communities in his diocese, describing them as well-settled and balanced.
At 45, he became the Bishop of Ireland and Iceland, not only because of his youth and enthusiasm. Before reaching this office, His Grace led a monastery for seven years and later oversaw all the monasteries of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Western Europe.
He studied theology in Paris, where he met prominent theologians, including Fr. Nicolas Ozoline, who supervised his doctoral studies.
Basilica.ro: Your Grace, who were the primary mentors who shaped your spiritual formation, and what did you learn from them?
Bishop Nectarie: To answer your question, I need to go back a little to my childhood years.
I believe that several people contributed to my spiritual formation. During my childhood, I had the parish priest from my native village by my side. From him, I witnessed the priestly zeal for holy things, as well as exemplary pastoral devotion and fervour, which left a mark on us children of the parish.
Later, at the age of 16 and a half, when I joined Crasna Monastery, I could observe the natural daily rhythm through which I grew spiritually, learning from all members of the community, from the oldest to the youngest.
The behaviour of the brethren there was natural and uplifting. Those who particularly inspired me in the Crasna community were Fathers Galaction and Nicodim. In these two great spiritual fathers, I always saw the traits of the sisters Martha and Mary working together harmoniously for the monastery’s life.
From Crasna, I then moved on to the Monastic Theological Seminary at Cernica Monastery, where the community was much larger but equally well-organized. The Fathers there continually inspired in us a zeal for spiritual growth.
I could mention many Fathers with outstanding spiritual lives, but I will single out one simple and good monk: Monk Dometian Turturică. In this venerable father, I saw deep inner peace and great love for the Church.
Basilica.ro: As an exarch and later assistant bishop, you already became familiar with the situation of the Romanian Orthodox faithful in Ireland. Can you tell us more about these communities? What are the first challenges you see to address? And what can you share about the Romanians in Iceland?
Bishop Nectarie: If I may, I’d like to extend my answer to the first question to the second. The obediences given to me by His Eminence Metropolitan Iosif actually tie together 15 years of my life abroad. His Eminence played an extraordinary role in shaping my personal development, both spiritually and academically.
“They Have a Natural Balance”
Until I was elected bishop of this newly established diocese, I had only served in Ireland four or five times.
However, what I have observed is that the few parishes here, together with their pastors, are well-settled and have a natural balance.
The main challenge I see is fostering deeper collaboration, as it is a key factor that can lead to exemplary missionary work by our Church in these lands. With natural openness toward priests and faithful, I believe the other challenges will resolve themselves.
Iceland – A World Apart
As for the Romanian community in Iceland, I had the opportunity to visit them for the first time on March 9, the first Sunday of Great Lent.
I was deeply impressed by this island, as it feels somehow cut off from the rest of the world due in part to its remote location. I was able to take the pulse of the relatively young Romanian community in Reykjavik and beyond.
Special credit goes to Father Ioan-Florin Florescu from Edinburgh, who, with the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Iosif, began serving the Romanian faithful here a few years ago.
Mr. Marius Bora, president of the “Nordic Romania Association,” and the local faithful are also actively involved in the missionary efforts. It is worth mentioning that the first Divine Liturgy celebrated here was in 2008, on Christmas, by His Grace Bishop Macarie of Northern Europe. Later, His Grace Bishop Ignatie, now Bishop of Huși, and His Eminence Metropolitan Iosif also served here.
Interfaith Relations
Basilica.ro: In your new pastoral role, you are certainly counting on the support of the Roman Catholic Church. What is your relationship with this majority denomination in Ireland so far, and how would you like it to develop?
Bishop Nectarie: At this moment, most of the churches where we serve have been offered to us by the Anglican Church and the Roman Catholic Church.
I believe the local dialogue we currently have with these Churches is the result of the involvement and seriousness shown by the Romanian Orthodox Church. That’s why we now own four properties purchased from the two Churches mentioned above.
Since we already have a relationship with the Catholic and Protestant communities—one built on mutual understanding—I can only wish that, together with them, we may offer an authentic Christian witness in the society we live in, beginning with the values that shape us as people and continuing through our daily actions, in which Christ must be our compass.
Despite the many doctrinal differences that separate us, I am convinced that the witness brought by the Romanian Orthodox Church, through the faithful belonging to the parishes of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Ireland and Iceland, will contribute—dare I say—essentially to a more complete Christian presence in society and the world.
“Let Us Be an Example Through Our Way of Life”
Basilica.ro: Another issue worth noting is that 14% of the population in Ireland identifies as “non-religious.” Even before your enthronement, you mentioned that in a profoundly secular society, we are all called to be witnesses of the Resurrection “through our daily actions and the natural rhythm of the Christian life.” Do you believe that intensifying the mission in your new diocese could draw some of this 14% toward Orthodoxy?
Bishop Nectarie: The fact that so many people—half a million or more—identify as “non-religious” in Ireland reveals how far secularization has taken us from the essential care for the soul.
Second, beyond the natural sadness this evokes, I believe that our “goal” (if I may use that term in this context) should not be to have that 14% or a portion of them receive Holy Baptism in the Romanian Orthodox Church.
I’m reminded of the words of the great Christian apologist Tertullian:
“We are a body knit together as such by a common religious profession, by unity of discipline, and by the bond of a common hope. We meet together as an assembly and congregation, that, offering up prayer to God as with united force, we may wrestle with Him in our supplications. This violence God delights in. We pray, too, for the emperors, for their ministers and for all in authority, for the welfare of the world, for the prevalence of peace, for the delay of the final consummation.” (Tertullian, Apologeticum, XXXIX, 1–2)
Let us go to prayer. Let us be examples to the world through our way of life and our deeds. Let us bear witness to Christ by living the liturgical life to the best of our ability, with holy zeal and dedication. Then, seeing the light on the lampstand, others will naturally draw near.
“We Care for the Youth”
Basilica.ro: What areas of ministry will you focus on at the beginning of your episcopal work? Will youth ministry be a priority? The Irish community already has a very active youth association, Nepsis, with which you recently met during the feast days. What can you tell us about Romanian Orthodox youth in your diocese?
Bishop Nectarie: As I said before my enthronement, my main task is to continue the exemplary missionary work of His Eminence Metropolitan Iosif in these lands. Continuing the work means intensifying what has already been done and finding solutions to what, perhaps by divine providence, has not yet been achieved.
Caring for young people is undoubtedly a priority. Without them in the Church, we are not whole—spiritually, we risk developing a disease of the soul that could eventually spread through the entire Body of the Church. Today’s youth also have a calling to invest and multiply the talents received from Christ, just as the children of today’s young families will do the same in time.
The Nepsis Association in Ireland is highly engaged in church life, organizing charitable events and concerts during Great Lent, the Paschal season, and the Nativity Fast, as well as excursions, pilgrimages in Ireland, and summer camps in Romania.
These young people are in the Church—they are part of the Church—and they fulfil, both visibly and invisibly, the calling they received from Christ. The presence of young families with their children at these events gives us hope that our Lord will care for His children, the work of His hands, and that our efforts will not be in vain.
Photo: Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Ireland and Iceland
