Thousands of faithful were present on Sunday, 08 November 2015, at the Divine Liturgy officiated by the His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania, at Zosin Monastery, in Botoșani County. The service was officiated in the outdoor altar within the monastic settlement.
The following hierarchs also concelebrated:
- His Eminence Teofan, Metropolitan of Moldova and Bucovina;
- His Eminence Petru, Metropolitan of Bessarabia and Exarch of the Territories;
- His Eminence Pimen, Archbishop of Suceava and Rădăuţi;
- His Eminence Ioachim, Archbishop of Roman and Bacău;
- His Grace Corneliu, Bishop of Huşi;
- His Grace Macarie, Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Northern Europe;
- His Grace Varlaam Ploieşteanul (of Ploieşti), Assistant Bishop to the Romanian Patriarch;
- His Grace Calinic Botoşăneanul, Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Iaşi.
This Sunday, 08 November 2015, Orthodox Christians celebrated the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and Gabriel and the Other Bodiless Powers. There are seven Holy Archangels:Michael,Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Selaphiel, Jehudiel, Barachiel, and Jeremiel, but the most important, well known and popular are the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel.
The Holy angels try to unite humans with God
In his sermon, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel showed that this feast is the expression of the godliness of the faithful towards the messengers of God and the protectors of humans.
“Angels are rational, bodiless beings, endowed with mind, will and power. They represent the unseen namely bodiless created world, which can not be seen with the physical eyes. The good angels are those who fulfil the will of God. They are spirits sent to serve those who are aquiring salvation. Their meaning is to preach God’s will so that people might be saved. What is salvation? Salvation is the union of human being with God that lives for ever. That’s why, demons try to separate humans from God and divide them one from another, while the holy angels pursue the unification of humans with God, and to get them closer to each other, in order to show the beauty of the communion of the human beings with God and with each other”, His Beatitude said according to Radio TRINITAS.
Every human being has an angel protector both of the soul as well as of the body, The Head of the Romanian Orthodox Church also said.
“Our Saviour Jesus Christ has said: «Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven». Which means that in heaven exist guardian angels even for the most modest and humble of people. The Church teaches, based on this testimony of the Holy Scriptures that every human being has a guardian angel, and we often ask in our services for an «angel of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies». Very often, the guardian angel saved from great dangers those who were faithful and put their hope in God. The guardian angel is invoked in the evening prayer when we ask him to forgive us all our trespass committed against God, and to guide us to all good deed”, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel also said.
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the Patriarch of Romania congratulated all the people who celebrated their name day.
We congratulate those named Michael, Michaela, Gabriel, Gabriela, Raphael etc. We wish you all health, salvation, much help from God, His Beatitude said.
This church is one of the most beautiful paschal torch
Next, The Primate of The Romanian Orthodox Church, appreciated the works carried out at the monastic settlement and congratulated the monastic community together with all those involved in the construction of the monastery.
This church is one of the most beautiful paschal candle, and the whole monastic ensemble looks like a paschal night and a Resurrection Day.
“It is a great joy for us, knowing that in the past there was here only a plain field, to see now an enclosed monastic settlement, probably the most spacious in Romania. All the works were carried out in a record time with the contribution of the monastic community and with the help of many local benefactors. This monastery is the fruit of the diligence andgenerosity of the faithful from Botoşani and also from all over Romania. Nevertheless, the prayers of the monastic community, the wisdom of the hierarchs, especially of His Eminence Teofan, and His Grace Calinic Botoşăneanul, who have carefully supervised the works, show that faith can truly move mountains”, His Beatitude Daniel said.
Afterwards, His Eminence Teofan thanked God for that blessed day. The Metropolitan of Moldova and Bucovina also thanked The Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church and showed that the «seed planted by him in this land yielded a fruitful crop», since the foundation stone of the church was laid by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel in 2006, at that time being the Metropolitan of Moldova and Bucovina.
“Glory be to God for all, Glory be to the Triune God for this blessed day, for this hour of prayer, of eucharist, of thanksgiving toGod for the fact that centuries ago he had ordained, not far from here, to be a blessed place for prayer. We thank God because He gave His Beatitude the good thought, in the period when he fulfilled the dignity of Metropolitan of Moldova and Bucovina, to extend the monastery upon this hill and to carry out, through God’s immeasurablemercy, what we can see now”, His Eminence Teofan said.
Gifts and awards
As a sign of appreciation for the works carried out at the monastic settlement, the Patriarch of Romania has awarded the order Patriarchal Cross for clergy to V. Rev. Archimandrite Teodosie Pleaşca; Mr. Victor Mihalache and Mr. Ioan Popescu, founders of the church, were granted the order Patriarchal Cross for laymen.
As a sign of appreciation and blessing, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel has given for the outdoor altar of the monastery, dedicated to the Brâncoveanu Holy Martyrs, an icon of St. Ruler Prince Martyr Constantine Brâncoveanu with an encrusted fragment of his holy relics. His Beatitude offered a blessing cross and several liturgical books and of spiritual benefit for monastery’s church.
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His Beatitude Daniel, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, consecrated the foundation stone of the church, on 25th of April 2006, back then being Metropolitan of Moldova and Bucovina.
