Historical celebration and remembrance of those fallen asleep at
Romanian Parish of Boian, Alberta
On Sunday, May 15, His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian was present at the Divine Liturgy at the Dormition of the Mother of God & St. Dumitru Parish in Boian, Alberta.
The reception of the hierarch was made with bread and salt. The Divine Liturgy was attended by local priests and believers from Edmonton, Calgary and Saskatoon. Around the Romanian hierarch were Fr. George Bâzgan, diocesan-vicar, Archpriest Mircea Panciuk (Canada-West), dean, Fr. Călin Dorin Mărincaș (Saskatoon) and Fr. Ovidiu Moldovan (Calgary).
“In today's Gospel text we have an example of God's work among us - the healing of a paralytic man from the pool Vitezda - said the hierarch at the end of the religious service. We see the power of God through the healing He does but also His omniscience about every human being as was the case with the paralytic. It was a traditional custom at pool Vitezda, according to the tradition of the people, that the first to enter the water moved by the angel was cured of any disease. The man in question had been waiting for thirty-eight years to be able to reach the water first to be healed, but he had failed. Christ the Savior addresses him directly knowing the long time he has been waiting, asking him if he wants to be healed. Finding the answer, Christ heals him without telling him who He is. But the Pharisees rebuked him and looked at him doubtfully, saying that on the Sabbath he could not carry his bed. This is certainly because they considered transportation as work forbidden by the law. We understand from the miracle performed that Jesus regards healing and its consequences as a legitimate act and in accordance with the divine ordinance of the Sabbath. The day of rest is not a day of total stagnation but is one in which one works for the salvation of the soul. Going to church, doing almsgiving, doing something for salvation is not a work, a work forbidden before God. What is forbidden is the work without spiritual purpose, purely secular, which is done only with the selfish, personal and without spiritual benefit in mind.
This day is a day of celebration for the Association of Christian women in the parish that counts over seven decades of activity. It is probably one of the oldest in existence in the diocese.
It is also a day of remembrance of those fallen asleep and for the blessing of graves. We remember them as those who preceded us and left us the rich tradition we enjoy now.
It is the moment now when we blessed the cross (troita) erected in memory of the first Romanians who came to Canada from Boian, Bucovina and of the benefactors of the parish.
The church always reminds us that it offers the broadest and most authentic view of the world and man because it speaks of the communion of the world seen and unseen with God. There are other ideologies or doctrines that propose visions but often limited to a secular vision of our world. The church shows that we can acquire full humanity by remaining in communion with God, and that the world is the most authentic when it reflects God's plan and thinking.
If we often talk about healing in the Church, we often think about bodily healing. But this is incomplete. Man’s healing in order to be a true healing needs to be complete in body and soul. We see it in the case of the paralytic. He is healed first bodily and then healed from ignorance of God and sin. In other words, the Savior tells him that He has healed him so that he will not sin again, otherwise he will return to his former state of suffering. Healing always in the Church refers to man as a whole. To suffer less or not in the flesh, requires to live a healthy life in the spiritual sense that is to say in his mind and soul.”
At the end of the religious service, the memorial cross and the tombs were blessed. Also, at the end of the Divine Liturgy, the members of the new Parish Council took the oath. All those present participated in the traditional picnic organized on this occasion.
The day ended with a visit to the Romanian Museum in Boian. A country house, historic farm equipment, a collection of antique cars and the traditional earthen hut of the first Romanians to come to Alberta could be admired.
