His Grace Bishop Lucian of Caransebeș, the Ethos Byzantine Chant Group of the Diocese of Caransebeș and young pan flute player Viorel Papuc, a student of renowned musician Gheorghe Zamfir, were guests at Orthodox Days in Méhkerék, Hungary, on 10–11 October.
His Grace Bishop Siluan of Hungary and the Romanian Orthodox Parish of Méhkerék (Micherechi) hosted the event.
The first day was devoted particularly to children, who took part in religious education programmes, a bread-making workshop and recreational activities.
Dozens of children from the local kindergarten and primary school attended, accompanied by Protosinghel Visarion Tuderici, Diocesan Secretary of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Hungary, and Fr Ionuț Negrău, the Romanian Orthodox parish priest in Méhkerék.
Both clergy members teach religious education in the community. Teachers also accompanied the children.
Spiritual lecture
Later, at the village church, Bishop Lucian and the Diocese of Caransebeș delegation delivered a spiritual conference on forgiveness and love from an Orthodox Christian perspective, drawing on biblical texts and the Philokalia.
Referring to passages from the Sermon on the Mount, Bishop Lucian emphasised that Christians must not merely listen to the word of God but also put it into practice.
The evening concluded with a performance by the Ethos Byzantine Chant Group, accompanied by Viorel Papuc on a pan flute Gheorghe Zamfir gave him.
Divine Liturgy
On the second day, the two bishops celebrated the Divine Liturgy, with the Ethos Byzantine Chant Group of the Diocese of Caransebeș singing the liturgical responses.
Those attending included Gheorghe Cozma, President of the National Self-Government of Romanians in Hungary; Romania’s Consuls General in Gyula and Szeged, Daniel Banu and Florin Trandafir Vasiloni; Maria Gurzău Czegledi, Director of the Nicolae Bălcescu Romanian High School in Gyula; Margareta Tat, Mayor of Méhkerék; Beata Condoroș, President of the Romanian Nationality Self-Government in Gyula; Maria Gurzău, a member of the Hungarian Parliament originally from Méhkerék; and Maria Gurzău Novákné, Director of the Cultural and Community Centre of Romanians in Hungary.
Representatives of Romanian-language media from Gyula and Szeged, along with members of the faithful, were also present.
Bishop Lucian spoke about the power of God’s Word, which Christians must continually sow in their own souls and those of others.
He urged the faithful to give God’s Word greater attention than earthly concerns and needs, so they might bear spiritual fruit and become children of the Heavenly Father and citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Gratitude and Romanian cultural identity
At the conclusion of the celebrations, Bishop Siluan and parish priest Fr Ionuț Negrău thanked God, the guests from Caransebeș, everyone who supported and contributed to the event, and all who attended.
“Today, we rejoiced in the celebration of the Holy and Divine Liturgy, and last evening we were delighted to have the faithful of Méhkerék gathered in church,” Bishop Lucian told Trinitas TV.
“They listened to the word of God and the conference we delivered, and they paid close attention to our young people from the Ethos Byzantine Chant Group of the Diocese of Caransebeș.”
Bishop Siluan of Hungary also highlighted the event’s cultural and spiritual significance.
“It was a genuine cultural experience and an expression of Romanian identity beyond the country’s borders, which I believe will leave a beautiful and unforgettable impression on the hearts of the people of Méhkerék and all of us who took part in this edition,” he said.
Orthodox Days in Méhkerék reached their seventh edition this year.
