Thirty visually impaired people from Galați received parcels containing essential food items and copies of the New Testament in Braille on Sunday from the Archdiocese of Lower Danube.
The initiative followed the Divine Liturgy celebrated by Archbishop Casian at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in Galați.
Spiritual enrichment
The Archbishop of Lower Danube highlighted the day’s spiritual significance and the cooperation between the archdiocese and the Galați branch of the Romanian Association of the Blind.
“The Lord’s call, invitation and blessing — ‘Come receive the light’ — during this week and on the Sunday of the Gospel of the Blind Man, who received sight through the mystery of the light granted to him by the Saviour, is being renewed today through an exceptional programme of cooperation with the Association of the Blind in Galați.”
“We wholeheartedly wish that we may be spiritually enriched through the gift offered by the blind, who, seeing our good deeds, help us to see our neighbour more clearly,” His Eminence said.
Archbishop Casian awarded theologian Andrei Negoiță, a member of the governing board of the Galați branch of the Romanian Association of the Blind, the diocesan distinction “Andrew’s Worthiness”.
Support for the visually impaired
Andrei Negoiță spoke about the activities carried out in support of visually impaired people and the projects dedicated to their integration.
“Beginning in 2013, we launched courses to train blind people in the use of specially adapted computers, and from 2018, we also introduced courses teaching the use of specially adapted mobile phones.”
“With the help of these technologies, visually impaired people can access information online, consult the Orthodox calendar, listen to the lives of the saints and other religious books, and much more,” the theologian told Trinitas TV.
Sharing joy
The president of the Galați branch of the Romanian Association of the Blind, Vasilică Ilieș, thanked the Archdiocese for its constant support of the community.
“On the Sunday of the Blind Man, as every year, His Eminence invites visually impaired members of our community to the Archdiocesan Cathedral, where he shares with us joy and everything most beautiful for the blind.”
The event continued in the park of the Archdiocesan Residence, where around 30 visually impaired people and their companions participated in a traditional agape meal.
The Galați branch of the Romanian Association of the Blind has more than 700 members, while nationally the organisation represents the interests of more than 40,000 visually impaired people.
Photo: Facebook / Lower Danube Archdiocese
