Spiritual Retreat AROLA

Cathedral St. John the Baptist

Montreal

On Saturday, March 18, 2023, at Saint John the Baptist Cathedral in Montreal, the spiritual retreat AROLA with the theme "Bridge between generations" was held. Ladies from the Romanian parishes of Montreal and Ottawa participated in this event.

The event began with the Divine Liturgy performed by Rev. Fr. George Chișcă dean, the parish priest of the event's host church and Rev. Fr. Grigorie Țăpuc, delegate to this event, on behalf of His Grace Ioan Casian, the Romanian Bishop of Canada. The Divine Liturgy was followed by commemorations for those fallen asleep.

After these moments, Mrs. Oana Grosuliac, the AROLA representative of the Eastern Archdiocese of Canada, welcomed those present, inviting them to the social hall of the Cathedral for lunch and the planned activities. Everything was prepared with a lot of love, from the taste of the dishes to the tables beautifully decorated with flowers and traditional Romanian napkins.

After the lunch, there was the conference of Rev. Fr. Ionuț Tutea, diocesan adviser to the Social-Philanthropic and Missionary Sector of the Archdiocese of Bucharest, with the theme "Valuing and helping the elderly - expressions of spiritual and social maturity". This conference was transmitted on the virtual platform by Zoom, so that during the transmission, all the ladies present in various locations in Canada and the USA, as well as those who for blessed reasons could not participate in person in these locations, had the chance to listen together to the beautiful words of Father Tutea.

"The Church brings together the different generations in the communion of love in Christ. Religious life becomes a priority for the elderly", said Father Tutea in his presentation.

At the end of the conference, His Eminence Nicolae, the Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan of the two Americas, thanked Fr. Ionuț Tutea for the ideas offered throughout the conference and urged the ladies present in each location to have discussions about what could be done concretely in the parishes for to involve more active and less active elderly people, but also young people, the theme of the retreat being basically translated through the bridge between grandparents and children.

His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian addressed a word of greeting to those present at this spiritual retreat being in St. Constantin and Elena Parish - Edmonton, while on a pastoral visit in the province of Alberta to the oldest parish in the Diocese – the Dormition of the Virgin Mary in Boian Alberta.

The ladies then had the opportunity to participate in a painting workshop on porcelain crosses, animated by Mrs. Valeria Pintea, a member of the host parish. This activity was chosen in the context of the celebration of the second day, the 3rd Sunday of Lent, of the Holy Cross.

In this spiritual retreat, the participating ladies had the opportunity to exchange the ideas and experiences they live in the parishes, going home with souls full of the joy of spending quality time and with the desire to put into practice in the parishes they belong to, of the ideas shared at this retreat.

(notes by presbytera Mihaela Țăpuc, St. Matthew and St. Christina Parish in Ottawa)