St. John the Baptist Cathedral from Montreal
celebrated his patron saint in advance
On Pentecost Sunday, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Montreal had a double celebration - that of the Descent of the Holy Spirit and the living in anticipation the joy of its patron saint. The event began with the Divine Liturgy, celebrated by HG Bishop Ioan Casian, the first Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Canada. Along with him, Rev. Fr. George Chișcă, Archpriest of the Deanery for Eastern Canada, Rev. Fr. Constantin Lupașcu and Fr. Deacon Cătălin Gheorghiu served.
In his sermon, the hierarch spoke about the importance of the feast, emphasizing the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in the Christian life. He wanted to point out that:
“The Descent of the Holy Spirit is a great celebration of the restoration of our human dignity as God intended it from the beginning. The house where the Holy Apostles were was filled with the breath of the Spirit like the garden of paradise before the fall of man. The Book of Acts speaks of the fact that the Apostles began to talk about the wonderful works of Christ, each one of those present hearing it in his own language. By this gift God shows two things: the first is the universality of the gift of salvation. Christ's salvation is for all; the second is that man is called to speak of God. Man is exalted to the height of the word of God. This is the thing that man is called to accomplish, to give divine content to his word.
The Holy Spirit has been present in the creation since its beginning. He inspired the patriarchs, the prophets, the kings and the righteous man of the Old Testament. St. John the Baptist was one of the people inspired by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the incarnation of the Son of God.
At Pentecost the Holy Spirit is sent as the fruit of Christ's saving work accomplished in His person through sacrifice and resurrection. Man and the whole creation will participate to this gift. From power of this grace man can be healed of sin and death.”
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the Archpriest George Chisca thanked HG Bishio Ioan Casian for the celebration and for the sermon and addressed a word of appreciation to all those who were involved in organizing the feast in advance. The religious service was attended by many Romanian Orthodox believers from Montreal and the surrounding area.
The event ended with a fraternal agape. An artistic program of folk dances performed by a group of young people delighted those present.
Thank God for everything!
