The Metropolitan Cathedral Of Saint “Spiridon The New” Of Bucharest Celebrated Its Protector
Romanian Church
On 12 December 2010, the Orthodox Church celebrates Saint Hierarch Spiridon, Bishop of Trimitunda. The Saint is the protector of many places of worship in the country and abroad. On the day of the great hierarch, the Metropolitan Cathedral of “Saint Spiridon the New” of Bucharest celebrated him in quite a special way. The faithful came early in the morning to worship the relics laid in the court of the holy place of worship. His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel officiated the Divine Liturgy and consecrated the stained glass windows of the church altar too.
His Beatitude showed the faithful in the sermon delivered how Saint Hierarch Spiridon convinced, through a wonder, at the Ecumenical Synod I of Nicene, the opponents of the right faith that the Holy Trinity is only one Divine Being.
“Saint Spiridon of Trimitunda suffered the persecutions in the time of emperors Maximian and Galeriu. He was an ordinary man, but with a strong faith. He defended the right faith at the Ecumenical Synod I of Nicene. He was not a great theologian, but a man with strong conviction. (…) In order to convince those who did not believe that the Holy Trinity makes only one God although made up of three Persons, a single divine Being stemming from God-the-Father and dedicating to the Son and the Holy Spirit, he took a brick and clenched it hard in his hand and suddenly the earth remained in his hand, the flame raised above and the water poured down, although the components of the brick made only one unity first. The icons often show this Saint holding this wonder brick in his hand by which he tried to make the opponents of the Holy Trinity accept the divinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit”, said the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Saint Hierarch Spiridon, Bishop of Trimitunda, was a merciful man, also emphasised His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel in his speech.
To end with the Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church raised rev. counsellor Remus Marian to the rank of iconom stavrofor. The persons who helped with the consolidation and decoration works of the Metropolitan Cathedral were also awarded distinctions, as follows: order “Saint Steven the Great” for clergy to Rev. Ionuţ Corduneanu, Patriarchal Vicar, to Rev. Archimandrite Veniamim Goreanu, Administrative Counsellor to the Archdiocese of Bucharest and servant priest of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Spiridon the New, Patriarchal chapel, and to Rev. Archimandrite Dimitrie Irimia, servant priest at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Spiridon the New, Patriarchal Chapel. Order of “Saint Steven the Great” for laic was awarded to Mr. Adrian Nicolae Lemeni, State Secretary for Religious Affairs. The worthiness distinction of “Saint Pious Dimitrie the New”, protector of Bucharest, was awarded to deacon Cristian Grama, co-ordinator of the Metropolitan Cathedral as well as to some other persons.
The Patriarch of Romania also gave the Metropolitan Cathedral a blessing cross, a Holy Bible, jubilee edition of 2008, and the book “Autocephaly – Freedom and Responsibility”.
