The Holy Transylvanian Confessors were commemorated on Saturday, October 21, at the prison where they suffered martyrdom. The Romanian community in Kufstein installed a commemorative plaque to honour the martyrs inside the Austrian jail.
The events dedicated to the Transylvanian Confessors Bessarion, Sophronios, Oprea and priests John of Galeș and Moses of Sibiel began with the Divine Liturgy for the patronal feast of the Romanian community in Kufstein.
The liturgy was officiated at St. Vitus Catholic Church by Metropolitan Laurentiu of Transylvania together with Metropolitan Serafim of Germany, Central and Northern Europe, Bishop Petru of Kaffa, and Assistant Bishop Sofian of Brașov of the Archdiocese of Germany, Austria and Luxembourg, the Metropolis of Germany reports.
Metropolitan Laurentiu noted in his sermon “that the national identity of our people is based on honouring the defenders of the true faith. The Holy Martyrs of Transylvania were victorious through their steadfastness and love for the Orthodox faith, and through their sacrifice, God gave us the freedom we enjoy today.”
“It is appropriate not only to honour these holy martyrs but also to be their followers. Our pilgrimage to this place of suffering is a sign of the victory of the steadfastness of the Orthodox faith.”
The Romanian Ambassador to Austria, Mr. Emil Hurezeanu, the mayor of Kufstein, Mr. Martin Krumschnabel, and Romanians from Austrian parishes attended the ceremony.
The celebratory programme continued with a procession to the former 11th-century prisons. Since the 20th century, the Kufstein Fortress, situated 90 metres above the city of Kufstein, has been a museum. In the former penitentiary tower, a memorial service was conducted for those who had suffered there.
On the site where Saints Oprea, John, and Moses were martyred, a plaque bearing their names and the names of the Romanian Orthodox Community in Austria was installed.
At the end of the commemoration, all the pilgrims participated in an agape meal prepared by the Kufstein community, shepherded by priest Daniel Stan.
Photography courtesy of the Romanian Metropolis of Germany, Central and Northern Europe
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