On Sunday, His Eminence Metropolitan Serafim laid the foundation stone of a new Romanian Orthodox Church in the capital of Austria. The new church is a replica of the Voronet Monastery, a medieval monastic settlement in the northern part of Romania known as the ‘Sistine Chapel of the East’.
Metropolitan Serafim and the assistant bishop to the Archdiocese of Arad, Emilian of Crişana, marked this historical event for the Romanian Orthodox community in Vienna with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy.
Following the Divine Liturgy, Met. Serafim performed the stone laying ceremony for the future Voroneţ-like church in the presence of many faithful. Among those present were local and state officials: Bogdan Mazuru, Romanian Ambassador to Vienna, Florentina Bălăşoiu, representative of the Romanian General Consulate in Vienna, Irina Cornişteanu, director of the Romanian Cultural Institute in Vienna.
The site on which the new Romanian Church will be built is located at the intersection of the Norbahnstraße and Taborstraße streets.
In his speech, Met. Serafim stressed how important the new church is for the Romanian community in Austria. He also pointed to the philanthropic activities the Romanian Orthodox Church carries out, and the permanent care Patriarch Daniel has for Romanians in the diaspora.
It is our duty before God to pray for our Patriarch, to remember him in our personal prayers and to appreciate His Beatitude’s special work he carries out in Romania, and pray for all Romanians living abroad.
Let us never forget that together with the coming of Patriarch Daniel, the Romanian Orthodox Church has been carrying perhaps the most extensive social work of all its history, His Eminence said Sept. 17.
On this occasion, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel conveyed a pastoral message to the Romanians living in Vienna.
We are happy that the architectural project aims to build several spaces for young people and children, as well as for homeless persons. Building social settlements for parish believers will strengthen the solidarity within the Romanian community and will be a testimony of the interest the Orthodox Church has in charity or philanthropic activities, the patriarchal message reads.
Members of the Tronos Byzantine Music Choir, conducted by Archdeacon Mihail Bucă, gave the liturgical answers.
credit: Simona Marian Fodor
