Assembly of the Western Deanery of Canada 2023
On September 22-24, in the ambience of a wonderful autumn of the Canadian prairie, the Assembly of the Western Deanery of Canada was hosted by “Holy Trinity” parish in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
On Friday, September 22, at 4:00 PM, the works began with the opening prayer O, Heavenly King. Then, Fr. Calin Marincas from the host parish presented the conference “Pastoral care of the elderly – challenges in contemporary society.”
Fr. Nicu Liuta from “St George” parish of Westminster, BC, presented the conference “A Christian vision on the pastoral care of the elderly.” Both conferences had a great deal of interest.
After the usual questions and answers, the priests from Western Canada, together with His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian, officiated the Sacrament of the Holy Unction, attended by many people. At the end of the service the hierarch delivered a spiritually filled sermon.
The dinner was then served by the tireless ladies of the host parish.
The next day, at 9:00 am, following the O, Heavenly King prayer, His Grace Ioan Casian addressed a word of welcome to all participants, expressing the joy of meeting in person after the difficult two-year period caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
His Grace Ioan Casian made a short presentation of our guest speaker, Prof. Dr. Ciprian Streza from the Faculty of Theology in Sibiu, after which, the distinguished guest held, on the Zoom platform, the conference titled “The liturgical prayer of the Church as λογικη λατρεια.”
Then, the Attestation Commission and Secretariat were established.
After a short break, Fr. George Bazgan of “Sts. Constantine and Elena” parish of Edmonton, gave the lecture “Suffering and death in modern religious poetry.” The lecturer read from the poems of several poets who wrote about the subject in their creations, such as: Valeriu Gafencu, Daniel Turcea, Vasile Voiculescu, Constantin Preda and Adrian Paunescu. The conference generated a lively discussion among those present, as well as a number of questions and answers.
Then, Fr. George Bazgan read the last report of Fr. Dean Mircea Panciuk, recently retired, and settled in Montreal.
The financial report was presented and elections for the Deanery Consistory were made. Fr. Călin Mărincaș was appointed dean for Canada West.
Mrs. Ileana Gavris, AROLA representative for Western Canada, presented the activity of the Association, explaining the projects carried out and the scholarships granted to the youth of the Metropolia of the Americas.
It was the Mrs. Veronica Ciocan’s turn to talk about the Sunday School education program, specifically the one in Edmonton.
At 4:00 pm, Vespers of the 18th Sunday after Pentecost was celebrated and ended with a sermon given by Fr. George Bazgan admininstrative-vicar.
Dinner was offered by Fr. Calin and Psa. Simona at their residence in the suburb of Saskatoon.
On Sunday morning, His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian was welcomed by the sobor of priests and the faithful present for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. At the end His Grace explained the Gospel reading saying:
“The boat is the Church of God called to go into the depths of the mysteries of God. As a Christian community (Church), we are called to deepen our spiritual life, to go closer into our encounter with God.
The Gospel reading shows us that everything that happens in this world makes sense through God’s work and our faith. The miracle of today’s Gospel reading shows us how God provides for the food of the word, the nourishment of the body and our growth in faith.
The Gospel also teaches us the importance of obedience. The Apostle Peter obeys the Saviour’s command and is rewarded with an abundance of fish.”
In conclusion, His Grace Ioan Casian thanked Fr. Calin and the hard-working members of the community for their effort during these three days. He also thanked all the priests who took part in this important event.
We were then invited to lunch, prepared with great skill and love by the tireless ladies of the host parish.
(notes by Fr. George Bazgan administrative vicar)
