Feast Day of All Saints Parish in Toronto

On Sunday, June 22, 2025, the Second Sunday after Pentecost, when the Orthodox Church commemorates the Synaxis of All Romanian Saints, the faithful of the "All Saints" Romanian Orthodox Parish in Toronto experienced moments of grace and spiritual joy during the pastoral visit of His Grace Ioan Casian, the Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Canada.

The celebration began on the evening of Saturday, June 21, with the Sacrament of Holy Unction, served by a group of priests, led by His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian. Among those presents were: Fr. Petre Busuioc, administrative vicar, Fr. Viorel Țencaliuc, Dean of Central Canada, Fr. Dragoș Giulea, Fr. Mihail Cristea, Fr. Lucian Azoiței, Fr. Toderiță Călin, Fr. Marian Costinel Iacobuț, Hieromonk Policarp and Fr. Emanuel Ionuț Țencaliuc, the parish priest.

The joy of prayer culminated on Sunday with the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, celebrated by His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian, together with Fr. Emanuel Țencaliuc. The hierarch was welcomed in the traditional Romanian way — with bread and salt — by the youth of the parish. Many faithful attended the service, gathering in prayer and spiritual fellowship to share the joy of this feast day. The solemnity of the service was enriched by the parish choir, who offered the liturgical responses with reverence and emotion.

In his homily following the Divine Liturgy, His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian emphasized the spiritual significance of parish feast days as moments of communion with God and among believers:

“The Church's feast day is a celebration of communion — both among ourselves, as members of the Church, and with God. What brings us together is love. Two commandments summarize the Law and the Prophets — love for God and love for our neighbor. Coming to church is an expression of our love for Christ, Whom we long to encounter. But it’s also where we meet as the Church, as a praying and working community journeying toward salvation.
We come to pray for our weaknesses, illnesses, hardships, and hopes. Yet, our primary desire in coming to church must be to meet God and speak to Him, to be in a living communion with Him.
The Divine Liturgy and Church services are moments of joy, when we gather as one ecclesial body in the presence of God. This experience of liturgical and spiritual communion, through grace, transforms us into a living Church, a spiritual and social body. We pray together that God sends His Holy Spirit to transform the bread and wine — our gifts — into the Body and Blood of Christ, which we receive unto eternal life.”

The hierarch also spoke about the role of the saints and their icons in the Church:

“Your parish is dedicated to the Sunday of All Saints. Saints accompany us visibly through their icons and invisibly through their presence and intercession during the Divine Liturgy. Icons signify their presence among us and point to the unseen mystery we live in Church — the communion of all, living and departed, in Christ.

Saints are our truest mirrors. They reflect the image of a human being living in God. They are our greatest role models. Their icons lift us into God’s perspective, reminding us of what we are created to become.”

He continued by speaking about faith and the preparatory and healing role of the Church:

“The concrete proof of Christ’s presence among us is the Eucharist. Faith is what separates the vision of the believer from that of the non-believer. The faithful see through faith what others cannot.
The Church is a human community in which the inspiration and work of the Holy Spirit are present. It is where we prepare to encounter God, to cleanse the heart, and to learn the language of prayer.

Church is the school where we learn how to speak with God. Saints and the Church help us in this learning — for our healing, not God’s. Our words cannot change God, but words poorly chosen can harm us.

Participation in Church life means immersing ourselves in the work of the Holy Spirit, which transforms our lives. This transformation is not always easy — it’s a work of both outer and inner change, especially of the conscience. That is the most extraordinary transformation — one that helps us understand both the spiritual stature we are called to and the distance we still have to travel.

In Christ, we are a new creation. Baptism, Chrismation, and Holy Communion are the foundation and nourishment for our journey toward the Kingdom of Heaven. The Holy Mysteries help us grow in God.”

The hierarch then spoke about St. Gregory the Teacher, Metropolitan of Wallachia, who was also commemorated on this feast day. His life was a model of holiness and self-sacrificial love for the faithful. He cared for the poor, widows, orphans, providing food, shelter, and spiritual books. He endured several periods of exile — in Chișinău, Buzău, and Căldărușani — remaining steadfast in prayer and spiritual guidance.

St. Gregory was also dedicated to the restoration of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Bucharest and to the translation and publication in Romanian of the Lives of the Saints, which he considered essential for the spiritual education and enlightenment of the faithful.

His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian encouraged all present to preserve and live the Orthodox faith faithfully in the context of diaspora, drawing on the values and legacy passed down by the ancestors.

Another highlight of the celebration was the veneration of holy relics brought especially for this occasion: St. Gregory the Teacher, St. Calinic of Cernica, St. Andrei Șaguna, St. Irodion of Lainici, St. Constantin Brâncoveanu and the Martyrs of Aiud.

The presence of the relics enhanced the spiritual atmosphere of the feast, bringing comfort, hope, and joy to all who attended during this significant year for the Romanian Orthodox Church.

At the end, Fr. Emanuel Ionuț Țencaliuc, the parish priest, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian for his presence, for his pastoral care, and for bringing the relics of the Romanian saints. He also thanked all those who contributed to organizing the event and preparing the festive meal, to which all were invited. The feast meal was lovingly and skillfully prepared by the dedicated women of the parish.

Glory to God for all things!

(notes by Fr. Emanuel Ionuț Țencaliuc)