A young woman from Thailand received the Mystery of Holy Matrimony on Sunday at St George–Capra Church in Bucharest, after being baptised into the Orthodox Church and given the name of St Eugenia.
Fr Bogdan Neacșiu, eparchial inspector in the Church Administration Department of the Archdiocese of Bucharest, celebrated the Mystery of Holy Matrimony for Eugenia (Thaneeka) Sakulchit and Alexandru, together with Fr Claudiu Justinian Jugănaru.
The service was celebrated in Romanian and English so that the bride and groom and members of their families could understand the significance of the liturgical moment.
“For Alexandru and Eugenia, the Mystery of Holy Matrimony represented the beginning of a new stage in their family life, in which they are called to build their life together upon faith and love in Christ,” Fr Bogdan Neacșiu told Basilica.
Communion and spiritual joy
The reception of the young Thai woman into Orthodoxy and her marriage represented a moment of communion and prayer for the entire community.
“The church became the place where two cultures came together around the same faith and the same joy: the founding of a new family under God’s blessing,” the eparchial inspector emphasised.
Fr Bogdan Neacșiu explained to the newlyweds the Gospel reading proclaimed during the wedding service, emphasising the calling to love, faith and self-sacrifice in family life.
“Through her reception into the Orthodox Church, followed by the Mystery of Holy Matrimony, Eugenia experienced two fundamental moments of Christian life, while Alexandru, together with his wife, received the Church’s blessing for the new journey of their family life.”
The priest encouraged the young couple to live in such a way that God remains the foundation of their family, with love, patience and prayer accompanying them throughout their life together under the protection of the Mother of God.
St George–Capra Parish has recently held services for the reception into the Orthodox Church of young people from Adventist and Roman Catholic backgrounds, as well as those with no previous religious affiliation, with the blessing of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel.
Photo: St George – Capra Parish in Bucharest
