On June 20, 2021, Pentecost Sunday, His Eminence Archbishop and Metropolitan Nicolae was the guest of honor at the Romanian Orthodox Parish of the Holy Trinity in Philadelphia, PA. He led the celebration of the church’s feast day and the retirement of Father Professor Nicolai Buga, the parish priest.
The event we are referring to had actually begun the day before, Saturday, June 19, when an impressive number of priests from the Eastern US Deanery, headed by Dean Daniel Adrian Ene, the Secretary of the Eparchial Council, came to Philadelphia to bid farewell to Fr. Buga, one of the Archbishopric’s most senior priests.
In attendance at the 10 o’clock morning liturgy were: Fr. Protosynghellos Ieremia Berbec, the abbot of the St. Demetrius the New Monastery in Middletown, NY; Fr. Prof. Theodor Damian of the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul in Astoria, NY; Fr. Ovidiu Sabau of the Holy Apostle Andrew Church in Stonersville, PA; Fr. Marius Dumitrescu of St. Nicholas Church in Woodside (Queens), NY, and Fr. Stefan Dragoi of the Nativity of the Theotokos Church in Norfolk, VA. The invited priests were joined by the two local priests, Fr. Buga and Fr. Timotei Avram as well as Deacon Petru Bogdan Manea. Fr. Dean Daniel Ene was the main celebrant among this expanded group of the Holy and Divine Liturgy, which was followed by a splendid prayer of thanksgiving, the Te Deum (To You, O Lord). The sermon that day was delivered by Protosynghellos Berbec who impressed his listeners both with his graceful words of instruction and his warm, gentle voice.
Since this Saturday bears the name Forefathers’ Souls in Romanian tradition, a memorial service was held during which the clergy present prayed for the souls of departed parishioners and dear ones, as well as Romania’s national heroes.
Fr. Ene offered kind words afterwards, touching not only on Fr. Nicolai’s 15 years spent at the helm of the parish in Philadelphia, but also memories and impressions of his seminary days in Bucharest when Fr. Nicolai was his professor. On behalf of the Deanery’s priests, Fr. Ene presented Fr. Nicolai with a generous gift as a sign of their appreciation and gratitude.
The first part of the celebration concluded with a festive meal prepared by the ladies of the AROLA Committee, and the family of Fr. Nicolai and Preoteasa Rodica Buga, who were happy to have among the guests both Preoteasa Flavia Ene from Rochester, and Preoteasa Daniela Sabau from Reading, PA as well. The guests were delighted, too, with the arrival of Fr. Ionut Georgian Voicu, the enterprising pastor of the Romanian community of Long Valley, NJ, who is at present making great efforts with his parishioners to erect what is probably the most beautiful wooden church in the Maramures style in North America. Godspeed to them! In the evening Vespers was served, with Frs. Milorad Orlic and Sabin Pop from Elkins Park in attendance.
Next day, Pentecost Sunday, parishioners in Philadelphia had the great pleasure of welcoming His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae, who presided over the group of clergy celebrating the Divine Liturgy. We were honored to have Fr. Gregory Winsky, former pastor of St. Michael (the Archangel) in Philadelphia, serve this holy service alongside both parish priests, Frs. Nicolai and Timothy, and Dn. Bogdan.
His Eminence preached a sermon on the significance of the Descent of the Holy Spirit. Commenting on the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles (written by the Holy Apostle Luke), His Eminence showed us how St. Peter the Apostle’s Pentecost message was one of unexpected courage. Like his fellow apostles, he had remained in hiding for fear of the Jews but was now emboldened to tell the Jews arriving in Jerusalem from all of Palestine and the diaspora that they had crucified the Messiah whom they had been waiting for. The power of his words penetrated the hearts of many Jews who had been inquiring what they too could do to be saved. They too would be baptized and added to the Church’s members. His Eminence explained that we as well should be asking these questions of ourselves; that we should always remember that at that moment, on Pentecost, the Church of Christ was founded; that from that time onwards the Church offers each person the possibility of salvation and entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. We find the answer to the question of how we too are to accept the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the teachings and practices of the Holy Church. For 2000 years, Sunday after Sunday, following in the footsteps of the Apostles, bishops and priests, we have been celebrating the Divine Liturgy in which we are called to cleanse our souls through the Mystery of Confession, that we may then partake of the Body and Blood of the Lord, and that likewise we too may sing: “We have seen the True Light! We have received the Heavenly Spirit! We have found the True Faith! Worshiping the Undivided Trinity, Who has saved us.”
In the second part of his sermon, His Eminence spoke of the mission carried out by Fr. Buga:
“Today is a day of celebration for the church in Philadelphia. The shepherd of souls who has come to know each one of you, baptized your children, been by your side in joy and in sorrow, is now entering retirement. Since he arrived in Philadelphia in December 2006, he has changed both the appearance of the church, in dilapidated condition at the time, and the parish community who have come together as one around Father Nicolai and Preoteasa Rodica. This devoted priest leaves as a testament in Philadelphia this marvelous church, a National Historical Monument which the parishioners should continue to beautify. Your souls should beautify this church,” the Metropolitan continued, adding that “the physical presence of believers in this church should grow twofold by fully participating spiritually in the Holy Liturgy, through confession and communion to the attaining of your salvation.”
In closing, His Eminence Nicolae bestowed the American Metropolitan Cross to the Fr. Nicolai Buga. “As a sign of appreciation and gratitude for all of the pastoral and missionary work accomplished at the Parish of the Holy Trinity in Philadelphia, PA and our Metropolia.” In the diploma accompanying the cross we are shown that the bestowing of this distinction was inspired by the Apostle Paul who instructs us that “priests who do their work well” and “especially those who labor in the word and doctrine” deserve to “be counted worthy of double honor” (1 Timothy 5:17).
A banquet in honor of Metropolitan Nicolae and in celebration of Fr. Nicolai followed the Divine Liturgy.
The celebration in Philadelphia ended with a concert of fine music. A few Romanian musical talents living and working in Philadelphia interpreted works from Romanian and world classical music. They were: Mugurel Radu on violin, Mihaela Matei-Radu on viola, Madalina Danila at the piano, and Andreia Lucaciu singing mezzo-soprano. Through their artistic mastery, well-known Romanian works like Ciprian Porumbescu’s Ballada or Bartok’s Romanian Dances (from Transylvania), or Folk Songs by Tiberiu Brediceanu enchanted the listeners present in the hall. Lesser-known works from the broader repertoire by J.S. Bach, Claude Debussy and George Gershwin acquired an unexpected brilliance. So ended these festivities in Philadelphia which will not be forgotten by any of those present anytime soon.
Submitted by an amateur chronicler.
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A Beautiful Celebration in Philadelphia on Pentecost Sunday
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