St. Three Hierarchs celebrated at the Romanian Parish

in Richmond Hill / Toronto

The second patron saint of St. Demetrius the Myrrh-Streamer and St. Three Hierarchs was celebrated in the Romanian parish of Richmond Hill / Toronto on Sunday, January 26.

The event began on Saturday evening with the service of the Holy Unction of the sick. His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian, Fr. Petre Busuioc administrative vicar (Oshawa), Fr. Viorel Țencaliuc parish priest and archpriest of Central Canada, Fr. Lucian Azoiței (Mississauga), Fr. Mihail Cristea (Newmarket), Fr. Emanuel Ionuț Țencaliuc (Scarborough / Toronto), Fr. Constantin Lupașcu (Montreal), Fr. Eugen Revencu (Mississauga) and Hieromonk Polycarp (Mono) participated in the religious service.

At the end the His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian spoke about the Three Hierarchs, about the Centennial Year and about the new Romanian martyrs and confessors of the 20th century.

“St. Three Hierarchs – Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom – are great theological thinkers and leaders of Christian Church living in the 4th century mostly. They were educated people in the schools of their time. They dedicated their lives to the mission of the Church in the society in which they lived. They marked the society and tradition of the Church through their theology and life, through the institutions they created inspired by their faith and love for God, Church, and their neighbor.

There is a parallel between the example of the Three Holy Hierarchs and the new Romanian martyrs and confessors of the 20th century. The latter, in different ways, but with the same faith and love, bore witness to God in an atheistic regime. They became examples of Christian life for  the generation they belonged to and for us. They courageously assumed the Christian identity, confessing the existence of God even at the cost of their lives.”

On Sunday morning, the hierarch was traditionally greeted with bread and salt. At the Holy Liturgy, the hierarch was joined by Fr. Viorel Țencaliuc and Fr. Constantin Lupașcu. The responses at strana were given by the parish choir.

Commenting on the Gospel text, the hierarch spoke about the example of the tax collector Zacchaeus: “Today’s Gospel, about Zacchaeus the tax collector, shows us that there is hope in any situation. It is offered to us by God and it is the Church that transmits it to us.

The evangelical passage speaks to us at the same time of sin, but also of hope and urges us to scrutinize our lives and correct our sins, both through repentance, that is, through confession and through concrete deeds, according to the force and through the means at the disposal of each one. The concrete consequence of Zacchaeus’s recognition of his sins are the words that acknowledge the need to correct the injustices committed: Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I give to the poor; and if I have wronged anyone in anything, I restore fourfold.

Zacchaeus becomes a symbol of Christian life, of the repentant person who tries to repair the evil done. From the example of the tax collector Zacchaeus, we understand that we always have the opportunity to correct the things we have done as not as we should do.”

The hierarch spoke further about the connection between the encounter with God and repentance:

“Zacchaeus’ repentance is the result of the call addressed to him by Christ the Savior, of his approaching and staying in his house. The encounter with God gives rise to repentance and the awakening of conscience in Zacchaeus. He understands the multitude of injustices committed and desires through repentance and deed to redeem the time. The enthusiasm of the one who repents shows the great mercy and generosity of God and the way in which He receives us. We know God from the works that we see Him do in the world and in us.”

His Grace Ioan Casian then spoke about the importance of discernment in Christian life and about the Church as the place of its acquisition and the means which focus our life on eternal life: “We need discernment in our life to make the most appropriate choices to follow the path of God and our true vocation. Discernment presupposes spiritual sensitivity, living in God, purity of soul and mind. These virtues actually give us the true understanding, which depends on God. Discernment is not a simple result of the accumulation of knowledge. That is why the Church is important: because it is the only one that can offer us the grace of God that will bring us back to this state. No one can bring us neither the grace of God, nor the Holy Mysteries, nor the Holy Liturgy. We partake at the Holy Liturgy of the Body and Blood of the Lord. All is shared with us in the grace of the Holy Spirit. The bread and wine offered by the faithful are transformed into the Body and Blood of the Lord by the power of God’s grace. We are all servants together. Thanks to God’s mercy and love, we receive the Body and Blood of the Lord, which are the hope of eternal life and the medicine of immortality.”

Next, Father Viorel Țencaliuc thanked the hierarch, the clergy and those present for their participation and help.

After the final blessing, the faithful were able to participate in the fraternal agape prepared by the ladies of the parish.