Romanian Migrants Sunday was celebrated at the Dormition of the Mother of God Parish in Christchurch, New Zealand, where Orthodox faithful of different backgrounds prayed together at the Divine Liturgy.
During the service, the message of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel was read. Romanians, Serbs, Russians, Bulgarians, English people and faithful from other communities prayed together at the Divine Liturgy.
Parish representatives highlighted the multicultural character of the Orthodox community in Christchurch: “Although we come from different countries and cultures, Christ gathers us around the same Holy Altar.”
“Sometimes thousands of kilometres separate us from our loved ones; at other times, however, the most difficult distance is that created by unforgiveness, even between people who are physically close to one another,” representatives of the Romanian community added.
Everyone is welcomed with love
After the Divine Liturgy, the faithful took part in a fellowship meal organised for the Romanian parish’s patronal feast.
“Let us preserve our church as a place where we keep our faith and the heritage we have received, where everyone is welcomed with love and where, together, we discover the Kingdom of God towards which we are journeying,” the Romanian community in Christchurch said in a post published on its official Facebook page.
At the beginning of August, the Romanian parish received a visit from His Grace Assistant Bishop Iachint of the Pacific of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand.
Photo: Facebook / Church of the Dormition Christchurch
