The traditional pilgrimage organized every year by the Romanian Patriarchate and the Archdiocese of Bucharest on the Feast of Saint Demetrios the New, Protector of Bucharest, celebrated on Oct. 27, will take place on 24-29 October 2017, according to the following schedule:
Tuesday, October 24, the Path of the Saints Procession will begin at 12.30 p.m., when the icon and holy relics of Saint Demetrios the New will be carried in procession from the Patriarchal Cathedral, down the Queen Mary Ave and to the base of the Patriarchate’s Hill.
At the same time, a fragment of the Holy Cross, the icon and holy relics of St Nectarios of Aegina, and the icon of Saint Seraphim of Sarov will be carried in procession from St Spyridon Metropolitan Cathedral, on Serban Voda Str., Bibescu Voda Str., and to the Patriarchate’s Hill.
On Oct. 26, the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church headed by His Beatitude Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, will bring a fragment of the holy relics of Saint Seraphim of Sarov for the veneration of believers, which will be offered afterwards to the Russian Orthodox community in Bucharest hosted by St Nicholas – Tabacu Church.
At 13.00 p.m., the processions will meet at the stone brancovenesque Holy Cross at the base of the Patriarchate’s Hill and will form a joint procession to the outdoor altar of the Patriarchal Cathedral, where believers will be welcomed by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel. Next, the particle of the Holy Cross, the Holy Icons, and Holy Relics will be placed in the new baldachin on the Patriarchate’s Hill, to be venerated by clergy and faithful until Sunday, October 29.
Wednesday, October 25, the Divine Liturgy will be celebrated at the Patriarchal Cathedral beginning with 09.30 a.m.
Thursday, October 26, on the feast of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrios the Myrrh-gusher, beginning at 09.30 a.m., His Grace Vahtang, Bishop of Nikortsmind (Georgian Patriarchate) will celebrate the Divine Liturgy, together with an assembly of concelebrating Romanian hierarchs, priests, and deacons.
Friday, October 27, on the feast of Saint Demetrios the New, Protector of Bucharest, a Divine Liturgy will be celebrated at the Patriarchal Cathedral, between 6-8 a.m. for the administration of Holy Communion to pilgrims.
Beginning at 9.00 a.m., Their Beatitudes Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia, Patriarch Daniel of Romania, Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durres and All Albania, Metropolitan Rastislav of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, will concelebrate the Divine Liturgy together with other hierarchs, delegates of the sister Orthodox Churches, and Romanian bishops, priests and deacons.
Saturday, October 28, on the feast of Saint Hyacinthus, Metropolitan of Wallachia, the Divine Liturgy will be celebrated at the Patriarchal Cathedral, between 6.30-8.30 a.m.
At 9.00 a.m., a Te Deum will be officiated on the 10th anniversary of the enthronement of His Beatitude Daniel as Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, in the presence of hierarchs, clergy and faithful from home and abroad.
At 10.00, the solemn session of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, will take place at the Patriarch Teoctist Aula Magna of the Patriarchate’s Palace, dedicated to the Solemn Year of holy icons, iconographers and church painters and to the Commemorative Year of Patriarch Justinian and of the defenders of Orthodoxy during communism. During this solemn session, the Primates or the heads of the delegations of sister Orthodox Churches will present reports on the difficulties of professing the faith during the communist regime and the importance of religious freedom today.
The most significant religious, spiritual, cultural, editorial, and media activities carried out in 2017 by the Romanian Patriarchate’s dioceses from home and abroad. Radio Trinitas and Trinitas TV will broadcast the solemn session of the Holy Synod live.
At 12.30 p.m., the photography exhibition “Patriarch Justinian – Life and Activity” will be opened at the Europa Christiana Hall of the Palace of the Patriarchate.
Sunday, October 29, at 9.00, His Beatitude Rastislav, Archbishop of Presov and Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church of Czech Lands and Slovakia, will celebrate the Divine Liturgy.
Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchate
Photo: Basilica.ro
