Saturday, May 4, The Elevation of the Holy Cross & St. Ephraim the New Monastery - Mono (Ontario) was vested in holiday clothes. It honored its protector - St. Ephraim the New. A group of six priests - Archim. Lucian Coroi, Protosinghelos Corneliu Andrasco, Rev. Fr. Dean Viorel Țencaliuc, Rev. Fr. Lucian Puşariu, Rev. Fr.  Gheorghe Ţiu, Rev. Fr. Iulian Stoica, the hierodeacon Mardarie Tofan and His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian attended the celebration. On this occasion, the relics of St. Irodion of Lainici, the icon of the Mother of God miraculous wonderworker and the icon of St. Nectarios were brought to the feast. The answers at strana were given by a group of young people coming from the parishes in the Toronto area.

We are at the end of the Bright Week, in which we live the same mystery of the Easter night – the hierarch said in the homily at the end of the Divine Liturgy. The Bright Week is like one day when through the light of the grace of the Resurrection of Christ we see since now already the eternity. The resurrection of Christ becomes the leaven of a new humanity restored in its original vocation to fulfill the word of God and to participat by grace in the work of God in the world.

Referring further to St. Ierodion of Lainici and to the two icons of the Mother of God and St Nectarios, the hierarch said:

We have here the Mother of God, St. Ierodion of Lainici and St. Nectarios. We are with the saints who are friends of God and ours. They are guides and persons praying to God for our salvation. Theirs example must inspire us in everyday life. They are our guides that strengthen us in the confession of our faith in the midst of the world in which we live. I urge you all to be with the saints of God in the confession of faith and of the true life.

The hierarch of Canada thanked those who came and those who helped with the organization of the event. The feast ended with an agape meal.