St. Paraskeva draws thousands of faithful to Iași: “Without a longing for God, one cannot understand the pilgrimage”

Tens of thousands of pilgrims gathered in Iași on Monday to celebrate the Feast of Saint Paraskeva. In his homily, Metropolitan Teofan emphasized that only those who share the pilgrims’ deep longing for God can truly understand their journey.

The Divine Liturgy was held at the outdoor altar near the Metropolitan Cathedral, concelebrated by an assembly of bishops led by His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain (Ecumenical Patriarchate). His Eminence spoke about the significance of pilgrimage in Christians’ lives, offering Saint Paraskeva as an example of unwavering faith.

This year’s feast also featured the relics of Saint Panteleimon from St. Paul’s Monastery on Mount Athos, displayed alongside the relics of Saint Paraskeva for veneration.

Metropolitan Teofan of Moldavia and Bukovina during the solemn Divine Liturgy on the feast day of Saint Paraskeva of Iasi, October 14, 2024. Photo: Doxologia / Fr. Silviu Cluci

After the service, Metropolitan Teofan of Moldavia and Bukovina expressed gratitude to the approximately 210,000 pilgrims who had come to pray in Iași over the past few days.

“The souls of many pilgrims are filled with hunger and thirst, zeal and longing—a burning desire. It is the fire Christ spoke of when He said: ‘I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!’ (Luke 12:49).”

Metropolitan Teofan continued, “If you do not possess this longing, if you do not aspire to it, you cannot truly understand the pilgrim’s journey. In reality, we only fully understand what we experience firsthand.”

“When setting out, the pilgrim surrenders freely to God—not as an external authority imposing rules, but as a source of joy, inner peace, and redemptive forgiveness,” the Metropolitan explained.

“Many shed tears—tears of pain for their sins and hardships, tears of joy and gratitude. Tears do not flow without joy or sorrow, but they cleanse in remarkable ways when they do. They purify the heart of lovelessness and the mind of the poison of self-righteousness.”

“Christians live the mystery of pilgrimage as a form of asceticism beneficial to their spiritual growth. At the same time, they bear witness; they cry out inwardly, and they wait. From their own experience or through the lens of history, pilgrims testify that without God, everything hurts. Life hurts, death hurts, success hurts, failure hurts—pain in every aspect,” the Metropolitan concluded.

Metropolitan Teofan also extended his thanks to local authorities and all those involved in organizing the pilgrimage.

By 2:00 p.m. on Monday, approximately 216,000 pilgrims had venerated the holy relics, with an additional 45,000 still waiting in line. Organizers estimated the waiting time for veneration to be around 16 hours.

Photo: Doxologia / Flavius Popa


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