Reverend Fathers,
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ the Lord,
The anniversary of Romania's National Day is a time of deep reflection, joy and a time when we want to address special thoughts and congratulations to Romanians everywhere, along with wishes for holy help from God, strength in faith and good health.
In this celebration of ours, of all those who feel the values of Romanian spirituality deep in the soul, no matter where we are, where we were born or we chose to live, it is worth adding the deep inclination towards our present and future, towards the young people of this millennium born and raised outside Romania.
To the reflection on our present and future we must add the conviction that the values of the Romanian Orthodox faith and spirituality that our forefathers gave to the nation, will be kept alive in the souls of those who make up the second or third generation of Canadian Romanians.
We are confident that the priorities of present and future generations must focus on education and knowledge, respect for material and spiritual values, cultural heritage and patrimony but fully integrated into Canadian society. These generations will keep all those things that define the ingenuity, creativity and audacity of this people whose roots they have, but also, the discipline, respect and tolerance of the society where they live.
The Church, through its formative role, puts before us through the feast of St. Apostle Andrew the first called - the protector of Romania and that of St. Andrei Șaguna, the eternal defender of the Romanians from Transylvania, a model of unity and brotherhood. We are thus reminded of all the sacrificial spirit of the Christian life and the struggle for a harmonious, authentic, profound education deeply rooted in moral values.
Far from Romania, we have been carrying with us for more than a century here in Canada the richness of the Romanian culture and spirituality which define us. We bear in our hearts the saints close to our soul.
St. Andrew the First called, the Apostle of the Romanians is the protector of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada and two of its parishes - Mississauga, Ontario and Calgary, Alberta. And St. Andrei Șaguna - Metropolitan of Transylvania, the visionary scholar and good steward of church life, is the protector of St. George and St. Andrew Cathedral in Windsor, Ontario.
At the hour of joy, we pray to Christ the Lord, the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls, to St. Andrew the Apostle and St. Hierarch Andrei Saguna to give you the joy of maintaining the true Orthodox faith and missionary work here in Canada!
A Blessed National Day!
In Jesus Christ our Lord,
† Ioan Casian
Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Canada
Saint-Hubert, December 1st, 2021
