Celebration Day At The Chapel Of The Cathedral For The Nation’s Salvation

On 13 November 2014, the chapel of the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation celebrated its third dedication day, that of Saint John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated by His Grace Timotei Prahoveanul, Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Bucharest, assisted by a group of priests and deacons. Hundreds of faithful prayed to the shrine of a particle of the holy relics of Saint John Chrysostom laid in the porch of the chapel.

To end with the Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church delivered a sermon in which he spoke about the life and activity of Saint John Chrysostom: “Saint John Chrysostom was born in Antioch Syria, in 344, to noble parents. After attending brilliant schools, with Libanius as rhetoric teacher, when aged 18 Saint John Chrysostom retired to live in peace and prayer, to read the Holy Scriptures and know them better. He served as priest in Antioch Syria for 12 years and he has become a famous, admired and loved preacher. Saint John Chrysostom unfolded a rich preaching missionary activity. He sent missionaries to convert the Goths living in the Danube region to Christianity, thus the Goths living in the territory of our country.

“Saint John Chrysostom was well known, has become popular all over the Roman Empire having been an educated person, a perfect orator, as well as a man with a distinguished spiritual life, a man of justice, truth, courage, animated by the desire to improve the Christians’ life, confess Christ, and spread the Christian faith among pagans. Because he had become very well known, Saint John Chrysostom was called to Constantinople by emperor Arcadie to become Bishop or Archbishop of Constantinople. The name of Patriarch of Constantinople has been used only from the 6^th century”, His Beatitude said.

The Patriarch of Romania has also spoken about the work of Saint John Chrysostom, mentioning that he was a great Holy Scriptures teacher.

“He is considered one of the great teachers and hierarchs of the world and it is very useful to know his life and writings. He had a very good command of the Holy Scriptures which he knew almost by heart. The 18 volumes of Migne collection of Greek and Latin fathers present 18.000 quotations of the Holy Scriptures. This proves that he not only had a good command of the Holy Scriptures but he also applied them in the pastoral, missionary, and social needs of his time. Due to his missionary zeal and to the beauty of his words Saint John Chrysostom will always be the greatest preacher of Orthodoxy.”

Saint John Chrysostom was a teacher of repentance and a great shepherd of souls.

“He was a great defender of the right faith, a great teacher of repentance and improvement of the Christian life as well as a great lawyer of human dignity, protector of the poor, widows and orphans, who showed the relationship between the Divine Liturgy and charity, between the love of Christ for the world and the love that the Church had to show to the people in distress. Saint John Chrysostom is a model of the shepherds of souls both for the father confessors of the monasteries and for the parish priests. This is why, following our proposal, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church declared the next year, 2015, as “Solemn year of the parish and monastery mission in the Romanian Patriarchate, as well as commemorative year of Saint John Chrysostom and of the shepherds of souls in eparchies”. Thus, next year we shall have a special occasion to read the writings of Saint John Chrysostom, to pray more and feel how he enlightens us”, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel also said.

Then, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel awarded the rank of Archdeacon as well as the right to wear pectoral cross to father Ion Dragomir, servant priest at the chapel of the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation. His Beatitude has also awarded the Order of the Brancovean Saints Martyrs for clergy to Rt Rev Archimandrite Paisie Teodorescu – patriarchal vicar, and to Rt Rev Archimandrite Ciprian Gradinaru. His Beatitude offered the place of worship several books published by the Romanian Patriarchate, and small icons of Saint John Chysostom to the faithful present.

The chapel of the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation is also dedicated to the “Resurrection of the Lord” and to the “Icon of the Mother of God – Prodromita”.

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