His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel sent a message to the 5th Congress of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada, held in Vancouver/Surrey on June 7-8.

“The diocesan congress you are attending is a unique opportunity to meet and discuss the Church’s mission and propose the best ways to fulfil it,” His Beatitude emphasized.

Full message:

The Congress of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada: Witnessing Communion in Today’s Society

Christ is Risen!

The year 2024 has been declared by the Romanian Patriarchate as a Solemn Year of Pastoral Care and Assistance of the Sick and the Commemorative Year of all the holy unmercenary healers. This year, the Romanian Orthodox Church pays special attention to the sick as a concrete expression of God’s love for us humans.

Moreover, special attention is given to those who have become examples of support and charity to the sick – the Holy Unmercenary Healers (who heal without payment). Their example is a testimony of God’s love and His Church’s love for the sick and those suffering.

Caring for health has always been a concern of the Church. From an Orthodox perspective, however, maintaining physical health, detached from spiritual health, is not an unconditional value. The loving presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, in Christians who partake eucharistically of Him, connects the divine Philanthropy of the Most Holy Trinity with the ecclesial or social philanthropy of Christians.

On the occasion of the 5th Congress of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada, we wish to convey our paternal blessing and best wishes at this very important moment.

We joyfully remember the decision of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church from October 28-29, 2016, which then formalized the nearly three-decade-old desire of Romanians in Canada to have a diocese in those lands.

We were also pleased to see things come to fruition with the enthronement of the first hierarch of the Canadian Diocese, His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian, at the Cathedral of Saint George the Great Martyr in Saint-Hubert, Montreal, on May 7, 2017.

The Romanian Orthodox Church, through its hierarchs, priests, monks, nuns, and faithful, both in Romania and worldwide, continues its mission of proclaiming the Gospel of salvation through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, through the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, the Holy Mysteries and hierurgies, and all the missionary, pastoral, and social activities entrusted to them.

The diocesan congress you attend is a unique opportunity to meet and discuss the Church’s mission and propose the best ways to fulfil it. The Congress also allows for synthesizing the entire diocesan activity with its parishes, monasteries, and missions, noting the progress made or the more difficult moments encountered in missionary, pastoral, and social activity, as well as developing a missionary project for the entire church activity in the medium and long term.

This will allow the fulfilment of the missionary and spiritual work to which the Church is called by God. The Church’s vocation is to proclaim the Gospel of our salvation through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and to transmit it from generation to generation.

We live in an increasingly secularized world, and the Church must remain the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15) and hope to all who believe in it and love it. Even though today’s society is well-informed through developed technological means, conflicts, violence, injustice, and wars are still present in the world.

In this context, the Church brings a message of hope and love, which can stop or rectify these human weaknesses. It has the vocation to be an icon or pledge of the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth, testifying, guiding, and healing human life.

We are pleased each year to see the dynamic work that the Romanian Orthodox Church is carrying out worldwide. With a humble spirit but also with hope and a missionary spirit, through its representatives—clergy and believers—it continues the work entrusted by our Lord Jesus Christ to the first disciples—the Holy Apostles—and strengthened by the divine breath of the Holy Spirit: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35).

Missionary hope, understanding of the social context, the spirit of responsibility, and sacrifice are just some of the characteristics that define this missionary work. We hope it will mark the consciousness of our contemporaries and leave deep and lasting signs over time in the souls of people and in the society in which we live.

The members of the parishes, missions, and Romanian monasteries in Canada have as predecessors the Bukovinian Romanians who first set foot on the North American continent and left behind a strong Christian tradition, churches, communities, and many other visible and significant signs for today’s Orthodox Christian life.

Other generations followed over time, especially the Romanians who came after the events of 1989, who strengthened the ranks of Romanian communities in Canada.

All those present at this year’s diocesan Congress are part of this generation. We urge you to fulfil the mission to which you have been called with joy, responsibility, and humility.

We were pleased to delegate His Eminence Metropolitan Iosif of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of Western and Southern Europe to represent us at this Congress and convey our blessing and appreciation.

As a sign of love and appreciation, we present you with a fragment of the relics of Saint Callinicus of Cernica, which will strengthen and encourage you in the missionary work you fulfil far from home and symbolize your unbroken connection with the mother Church.

We express our appreciation to His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of the Americas and to His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada, as well as to the servants of the Holy Altars, for their rich pastoral-missionary and social activity in these difficult times through which contemporary society is passing.

We wish all those present at the diocesan Congress good health and joy, progress and help in the missionary work you are carrying out for the glory of God and the benefit of the Church and society.

With distinguished esteem and paternal blessing,

† DANIEL
Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church

Photo: Basilica.ro Files