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The Orthodox Church celebrates Thursday, 27 October 2016, the Pious Saint Demetrius the New, Protector of Bucharest. The Patriarch of Romania presided over the Divine Liturgy officiated at the outdoor altar next to the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest. Together with His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel concelebrated several hierarchs:<\/p>\n
After the gospel reading, the Patriarch of Romania referred to the life of Pious Saint Demetrius, stressing out its ascetic character. His Beatitude said that Saint Demetrius was a great intercessor and emphasised the important role that prayer had in the life of every Christian. When people are praying, they are not alone. They start being alone only when they stop praying. Those who pray are together with God and His Saints, <\/em>His Beatitude said.<\/p>\n Pious Saint Demetrius the New, in his loneliness as shepherd and cattle herder, prayed much. He actually never felt alone because through prayer he lived together with God and His Saints. When someone prays, he is not alone. He is alone only when he stops praying. When praying, man lives together with God and His Saints, even in solitude, in wilderness. First, Pious Saint Demetrius was a man of prayer. Meeting the humble and gentle Christ in his prayer, he became humble and gentle. Through prayer, we welcome God\u2019s humble and merciful love in our souls. This humble and merciful love brings peace against fleshly passions and passionate thoughts. Thus, Pious Saint Demetrius was a gentle and humble person, having a special spiritual consciousness.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The Patriarch continued his homily by explaining the context when the relics of Saint Demetrius were discovered.<\/p>\n In 1774, the relics of Pious Saint Demetrius arrived to Bucharest, brought by the troops of the Russian General Peter Satikov. On the proposal of Hagi Dimitrie, the general offered the relics to Metropolitan Gregory II of Wallachia, who placed them in the current patriarchal cathedral. Ever since, his holy relics invite each year thousands of Romanian pilgrims, especially during his feast, in the month of October.<\/p>\n In his homily, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel pointed out the importance of pilgrimage and said that pilgrims are persons who are searching in this world that which is not of this world, i.e. the Kingdom of God.<\/em><\/p>\n Pilgrimage represents the pursuit of holiness, whose source is not of this world, but rather in God the Only One Holy. When a person undertakes a pilgrimage, he meets God, who called him to pilgrimage. Thus, pilgrimage is the answer offered to the mystical calling of God.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n