The Romanian Orthodox community in Los Angeles celebrated the 85th anniversary of the founding of the Romanian-American Church of the Holy Trinity, one of the oldest Romanian parishes in the United States.
Metropolitan Nicolae of the Americas and Romania’s Consul General in Los Angeles, Lucia Sava, attended the jubilee last Sunday.
The celebration opened with the Divine Liturgy, celebrated by the Metropolitan together with an assembly of priests. During the service, Metropolitan Nicolae addressed the faithful with a message of blessing and gratitude for the spiritual and cultural continuity of the Romanian community on the US West Coast.
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan Nicolae blessed the jubilee plaque and presented the church with an icon of the Holy Trinity as a sign of communion and shared faith identity.
In recognition of more than four decades of pastoral service, parish priest Constantin Alecse was decorated with the Order of Saints Constantine and Helen.
Festive moment
The celebration continued in the parish hall, where an Anniversary Banquet was held. The cultural programme included traditional artistic moments, a Romanian folklore performance and a multimedia projection evoking the “golden age of the community” in the 1980s–1990s.
On this occasion, the anniversary brochure was launched—a 40-page booklet presenting the church’s chronological history, its liturgical life, cultural and charitable activities, and portraits of priests and founding members.
Metropolitan Nicolae presented an overview of Romanian Orthodoxy in America, recalling the origins of Romanian immigration, the challenges faced by the first communities, and the Church’s present mission in the diaspora.
The Consul General delivered a message of congratulations and emphasised the Church’s role in preserving Romanian identity across the ocean.
Certificates of Appreciation were offered to parish council members, collaborators, parish school teachers and parishioners who supported the church’s activity.
Parish priest Constantin Alecse underlined the role of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of the Americas in fulfilling the founders’ aims and those of generations of clergy who helped preserve Romanian unity and faith on American soil.
85 years of mission in America
According to data published in the anniversary volume, the Holy Trinity Parish was founded in 1940, making it one of the first Romanian parishes on the Pacific Coast. The church was built through the sacrifice of Romanian immigrants who arrived from Transylvania, Banat and Bukovina and sought a place of prayer in their mother tongue.
Over time, the parish hosted notable figures from Romanian culture, politics and the arts, including King Michael, President Emil Constantinescu, Senator Ion Rațiu, poet Grigore Vieru, and conductors Sergiu Celibidache and Marin Constantin.
Photo: mitropolia.us
