Sunday, 28 February 2016, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated, at “Saint Spyridon the New” Cathedral in Bucharest, patriarchal chapel, with the blessing of the Patriarch of Romania, by His Grace Ioan Casian of Vicina, Assistant bishop to the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of the Americas, together with a group of priests and deacons.
After reading the text of the Gospel (Luke 15:11-32), His Grace bishop Ioan Casian of Vicina delivered a sermon in which he spoke to the large number of faithful present about the effects of the personal sins over our fellow human beings: “The Holy Gospel reads: ʼFather, I have sinned against heaven and before youʼ. Thus, sin does not affect only the horizontal relation, within the family, society or with a friend or acquaintance. The moment sin is committed it is both against God and against one’s neighbour. Our Christianity, our Christian life as persons in the Church, man or woman, young or old, Christian life means a real attention and attitude both towards God and towards our neighbour”.
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the hierarch received an icon of Saint Hierarch Spyridon, protector of the place of worship, and a bunch of flowers on behalf of the servant priests and faithful of “Saint Spyridon the New” Cathedral.
At the same time, the Very Rev. Archimandrite Veniamin Goreanu, Patriarchal Counsellor, thanked His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania, “for having offered us the joy to have His Grace Ioan Casian of Vicina as guest”, as Fr. Veniamin related. The Patriarchal Counsellor has also thanked His Grace for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy and for the sermon delivered.
