Shrine of the relics of Saint Pious Efrem the New Blessed

On 20 May 2015, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church blessed the shrine of particles of the relics of Saint Pious Martyr Efrem the New. The blessing service was held in the historical chapel of “Saint Great Martyr George” of the Patriarchal Residence in the presence of His Grace Varlaam Ploiesteanul, Assistant Bishop to the Patriarch, of His Grace Ieronim Sinaitul, Assistant Bishop to the Patriarch, as well as of the members of the Standing meeting of the Church National Council.

To end with the blessing service, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel said: “We are living a time of great joy because God enabled us to bless the new shrine of particles of the relics of Saint Pious Martyr Efrem the New from Greece with Holy Water, through the work of the Holy Spirit. We have particles of his holy relics because they were given in different parts of the world. Here, Rev Archimandrite Nectarie Sofelea, abbot of Radu Voda Monastery of Bucharest received particles of the relics of Saint Efrem the New with a certificate of authenticity, and he gave some of them to the Patriarchal Residence so that pilgrimages with the relics of Saint Efrem the New should be possible in one eparchy or another”.

Then, the Patriarch of Romania showed that the relics of Saint Efrem the New were revealed by God to the people after 500 years since his passing a way, and that the revelation of the saints at a certain time is a great mystery: “God reveals a saint not because of his relatives’, friends’ or acquaintances’ ambition, but only as a result of the work of the grace of God. Some saints were canonised only a few years after their death, such as Saint Gregory Palama, while others after hundreds of years. The memory of the Church preserved the piety for certain saints, but the time when somebody is proclaimed saint is up to the grace of God who is mysteriously working. We do not know why God reveals some of them after hundreds of years since their death and some other ones earlier. The following truth is very important: no matter if somebody really saint was canonised as soon as he died or later on, in the course of time, whoever was saint and prayed God while living in the world he will always pray in heaven too”.

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