His Grace Bishop Veniamin of Southern Bessarabia celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Monday at the patronal feast of the Nativity of Saint John the Forerunner Parish in Căușeni, according to the unrevised calendar, and offered prayers for the souls of those deported to Siberia.
His Grace Bishop Veniamin spoke about the suffering of the deportees and how some people forget or deny the dramatic realities that our grandparents endured.
“We must not forget their sacrifice and suffering, but rather remember them and evoke our dramatic past so that such inhumane acts may never happen again,” he said.
In the context of celebrating the Nativity of Saint John, the bishop also spoke about the blessing of family life and the birth of children as the fruit of love between husband and wife.
Bishop Veniamin noted that in today’s world, where family values are increasingly misunderstood and neglected, “holy families serve as models, and we must encourage young people to form healthy families and give birth to healthy children who bring joy to their parents, grandparents, and the community.”
The event was attended by the president of the district council, the chief commissioner, representatives of the mayor’s office, and many faithful.
The commemoration marked 76 years since approximately 36,000 Romanians were deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan during the night of July 5–6, 1949.
Photo: Diocese of Southern Bessarabia
