Hierarchical visit to the Cathedral dedicated to St. Great Martyr George and St. Hierarch Andrei Șaguna, Metropolitan of Transylvania from Windsor, Ontario

During this period, His Grace Ioan Casian, the Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Canada was among the faithful of the Parish dedicated to St. George and St. Andrei Șaguna, Metropolitan of Transylvania from Windsor, Ontario.

The hierarch's visit began on Saturday, August 22, 2020. In the morning, the hierarch officiated the Holy and Divine Liturgy, and later in the evening the Vespers service. Then, on the 11th Sunday after Pentecost, he served the Holy and Divine Liturgy. Among the priests present were Rev. Fr. Dean Viorel Țencaliuc, Deanery of Central Canada, Rev. Fr. Nicolae Codrea, the Parish of the Descent of the Holy Spirit from Windsor, Ontario and Rev. Fr. Dragos Giulea.

Talking about text read from the Gospel the hierarch said:

„ So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” (Matthew 18:35) concludes the Gospel passage read today. The forgiveness we are talking about here is central to our understanding, life, and Christian tradition. According to the Savior's words, there is a close connection between the forgiveness we owe to our neighbor and the forgiveness that is granted from God to us. The need for forgiveness comes from the fact that, as we see in the Gospel parable, man does not put his God-given talents to work properly and then remains in a personal ‘deficit of fulfillment’ that affects those around him and creation in general. This ‘deficit of fulfillment’ is first human and spiritual and it then affects the material and concrete sphere.

If we think of the example of the first humans - Adam and Eve - Scripture tells us that they received all the gifts from God - life, the garden of heaven, etc. Adam and Eve became the inhabitants of that paradisiacal garden from which they could enjoy the blessing of God on one condition - not to approach the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for if they do it they will surely die (cf. Genesis 2:15-17) which happened. Failure to keep God's word, the debt they did in this way, resulted in a fundamental change in their daily ethos. Life has entered a ‘deficit of fulfillment’ condition that man will never be able to overcome on his own. This cosmic fall has caused creation and man to fail to fully fulfill the vocation for which God created them. Without God man fulfilled his daily work duties for material life, but the access to the kingdom of heaven was closed.

Forgiveness is the return to normality of human relations, and this also means the normalization of man's relationship with God.

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the hierarch introduced Rev. Fr. Dragoș Giulea to the Romanian community in Windsor, as the new servant of the cathedral.

Built with much sacrifice, love and dedication, by the families of the first Romanian emigrants to Canada, Windsor Cathedral will celebrate 102 years since its founding this fall!