The feast of Saint Joseph the Merciful brought together Orthodox hierarchs from both sides of the Prut River on Monday in Iași. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Metropolitan Cathedral by Metropolitan Teofan of Moldavia and Bukovina, together with Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia, Bishop Veniamin of Southern Bessarabia, and Assistant Bishop Nichifor of Botoșani of the Archdiocese of Iași.
The sermon was delivered by Bishop Veniamin, who highlighted Saint Joseph’s foremost virtue: mercy.
“Raised in poverty and having endured many hardships and trials, he showed particular care for the poor and the needy. From the saint’s life and from the testimonies of his contemporaries, we see that he never allowed anyone to leave his presence without consolation, striving to offer each person at least enough money for a loaf of bread.”
“So merciful was he that he would even give away the clothes he was wearing. Many times, he had to borrow money in order to help those in need, so that no one would depart sorrowful and so that his own conscience would not be burdened by sin, knowing that in his neighbour he encountered Christ Himself,” Bishop Veniamin emphasised.
Kindness born of faith
Metropolitan Teofan of Moldavia and Bukovina underlined that Saint Joseph the Merciful received this name because he was good in thought, in heart, and in soul.
“His kindness flowed from his deep faith in God and from his great love for God, expressed through prayer in his cell and prayer in the Holy Church.”
At the same time, Metropolitan Petru expressed his gratitude for the concelebration and for the presence of priests from the Metropolis of Bessarabia.
“We have the great joy of being here together today, in this place, where not only people from Oltenia have come, but also Moldavians from the other side. We are all Romanians, because we speak Romanian and understand one another; that is, we all come from the same substance in which God fashioned us. We thank you sincerely for the presence here of priests from the Metropolis of Bessarabia.”
Saint Joseph the Merciful
Saint Joseph the Merciful (1818–1902) served as Metropolitan of Moldavia and Suceava from 1875 to 1902. He completed the construction of the Metropolitan Cathedral in 1886, a project begun by Metropolitan Veniamin Costachi. By divine providence, he had been present in Iași at the laying of the foundation stone in 1826, when he was still a child.
After shepherding the Metropolis of Moldavia with great dedication for twenty-seven years, he fell asleep in the Lord peacefully on January 26, 1902. From that time, the faithful called him “Joseph the Holy and Merciful.”
The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church canonised him during its October 5–6, 2017, session, establishing January 26 as his feast day. The official proclamation of his canonisation took place on March 25, 2018.
Photo: Doxologia / Fr. Silviu Cluci
