On Sunday, 22 October 2017, His Grace Ignatie Trif was enthroned as Bishop of Huși during a Divine Liturgy celebrated by an assembly of hierarchs, priests and deacons, at Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral in Huși, Vaslui, following his election in this capacity by the Romanian Orthodox Church Holy Synod at the beginning of October.
His Eminence Teofan, Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bukovina, presided over the Divine Liturgy and led the enthronement rite for the new Bishop of the Husi Diocese, an episcopal see in the jurisdiction of the Romanian Patriarchate that remained vacant following the resignation of Bishop Corneliu.
Concelebrants for the Divine Liturgy included:
- His Eminence Andrei, Metropolitan of Cluj, Maramureș and Sălaj,
- His Eminence Petru, Metropolitan of Bessarabia Basarabiei and Exarch of the Territories,
- His Eminence Iosif, Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan of Western and Southern Europe,
- His Eminence Teodosie, Archbishop of Tomis,
- His Eminence Pimen, Archbishop of Suceava and Rădăuţi,
- His Eminence Ioachim, Archbishop of Roman and Bacău,
- His Grace Justin, Bishop of Maramureş and Sătmar,
- His Grace Andrei, Bishop of Covasna and Harghita,
- His Grace Petroniu, Bishop of Sălaj,
- His Grace Siluan, Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Italy,
- His Grace Timotei, Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Spain and Portugal,
- His Grace Antonie of Orhei, Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Chișinău,
- His Grace Damaschin of Dorna, Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuți,
- His Grace Ignatie, Bishop of Huși.
Holy Synod elects new Bishop of Huși
Met. Teofan spoke about the hierarchical ministry to serve God and be close to the priests and believers entrusted to him.
Being strengthened by God’s grace, accompanied by the members of sacramental and universal priesthood, and defended by the prayer of monastics, the bishop realizes fast that the life of the Church is not only Tabor and Resurrection, but also Carantania, Gergesa, Gethsemane, and Golgotha, Met. Teofan noted.
The enthronement rite began after the Divine Liturgy with the reading out of the Metropolitan Grammata by Bishop Damaschin of Dorna. Next, Met. Teofan presented Bishop Ignatie of Huși with the episcopal insignia: mantle, cross, engolpion, kamilavka, and the episcopal crosier. Being seated in the cathedra, Bishop Ignatie blessed the believers with a cross offered by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel.
Thanking the members of the Holy Synod for electing him as Bishop of the Diocese of Huși, one of the oldest Romanian dioceses, His Grace Ignatie asked God’s help to serve the believers with meekness, diligence, love and care for any suffering that can hurt and trouble the human soul.
He said that one of his pastoral priorities is to serve God, but also the clergy, monastics and believers with humility and self-sacrifice. He also pointed to the necessity to carry out social programs to help those in suffering or in severe material shortages.
In his speech, Bishop Ignatie said he would support the natural family, ‘as it was left by God’, formed of a father, a mother, and children.
He asked the believers to receive him ‘not as a wonderworker, nor as a master, but as one who wants to serve you with the authority of love, meekness, understanding, together-suffering for better or for worse’. He said he would like to be perceived as a person ‘who does not love the glory of men more than the glory of God, as one who does not need flattering words that cause dizziness to every earthling, as one who does not need rest, but tireless labour in the Lord’s vine, as one who wants to be crucified on the altar of love for you’.
Saturday evening, clergy and believers of Huși welcomed a delegation of the Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina, including Met. Teofan, Abp. Pimen and Bp. Ignatie, at the Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral where a Te Deum service was officiated in sign of gratitude for the bounties received from God.
Photos: Doxologia.ro
