On 14 December 2012, in the evening, hundreds of faithful attended the Vigil service at the Saint Great Elefterie of Bucharest.
They have come to worship the holy relics of the Saint Great Martyr and to say prayers. The faithful had the joy to have His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania at the religious service, who spoke about the virtues of Saint Elefterie.
“Saint deified martyr Elefterie shows us a youth dedicated to Christ at its fullest, great courage to confess Christ and work of the Holy Spirit, so that he not only suffered, but also converted many people to the faith of Christ. The martyrs are people who showed that their love for Christ was greater than their fear of death. The martyr receives a supernatural power from Christ, so that he overcomes the instinct of conservation and fear of death and feels in him the power of the sacrificial love of Christ”, said His Beatitude, as Trinitas Radio station informs us.
His Beatitude has also urged those present to spiritual preparation in order to receive with joy the good news of the Nativity of the Lord.
“Let us prepare for the Feast of the Nativity of the Lord so as we may answer to the kindness of God shown in Jesus Christ with the kindness of our hearts, with a more intense spiritual life as well as with presents to offer those around. If we do not have money, sweets, or clothes to offer to other people, then we can give them good words, a prayer, a visit to the house of a lonely man, with a helping hand to the helpless man. There are many ways in which we can be merciful, not only offering money or material things, but also our spiritual presence where encouragement and hope are needed”, also pointed out the Patriarch of Romania.
To end with, His Beatitude offered several books to the church and blessed the children present.
The monumental place of worship is situated on the right bank of the River Dambovita, in Saint Elefterie Square, just across the National Opera House. The foundation stone was laid in 1935 and the church was onsecrated 36 years later, by Patriarch Justinian Marina.
