On 17 December 2013, the day of Saint Daniel the Prophet, a Te Deum service was celebrated in the Patriarchal Cathedral on the occasion of the name day of the Patriarch of Romania, in the presence of several hierarchs members of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, as thanksgiving to God for the protection and help given by God to the Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the service of the our Church and of the Romanian people.
The religious service was celebrated by His Grace Varlaam Ploiesteanul, Assistant Bishop to the Patriarch, assisted by a group of priests and deacons.
To end with the Te Deum, His Grace Varlaam Ploiesteanul delivered a speech in which he spoke about the projects that the Patriarch of Romania implemented in the life of the Romanian Orthodox Church: “The noblest dream of the Church during the last 130 years to raise a Cathedral as thanksgiving to God for the national unity and the state independence of Romania acquired, our national cathedral, has come true implementing a dream so many times postponed and undermined. This thing shows the prophetic aspect of the hierarchical service of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel. Certainly, the efforts of Saints Daniil the Stylite can also be seen, the collaborators of His Beatitude knowing how much he endeavours night and day so that these unfulfilled dreams of our Church and nation should become reality, and how he never ceases to cultivate the attachment of the Romanians from everywhere to the faith and the everlasting values of our Romanian nation”.
Then, His Grace offered the Patriarch of Romania, as a proof of gratitude and love, a silver icon lamp made at the workshops of the Romanian Patriarchate on behalf of the members of the Standing meetings of the Church National Council and of the Eparchial Council of the Archdiocese of Bucharest.
“The icon lamp has a symbolic value too; the same as Prophet Daniel was the light of his century and of the nations till today through the precise prediction of the date of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ in the cave of Bethlehem so should Your Beatitude be an everlasting light of our Holy Church” His Grace Varlaam said.
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel has also received a basket of white roses on behalf of the employees of the Patriarchal Cathedral.
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel thanked, in his turn, God for all the boons received in his patriarchal service: “I celebrated together with hierarchs members of the Holy Synod and I expressed gratitude to God for all the boons bestowed over our Romanian Orthodox Church and over our whole people. This day of gratitude is also a day to show our communion in the love of the Most Holy Trinity.
The name day is very popular with the Romanians. Although the society is more and more secularised and the birthday becomes more important than the name day, yet, we, the Christians, are very fond of the name day because it is a day when we thank God for all the boons bestowed over our entire life, and when we thank our protector saints.
The parishes and monasteries of the Archdiocese of Bucharest have also received on behalf of the Patriarch of Romania, as a sign of appreciation, silk antimises for the royal feasts and for those of the Mother of God. One of them was also offered to the Patriarchal Cathedral.
