Every two years, in the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of the United States, the autumn months are dedicated to the meetings of the Deanery Assemblies. On October 15-16, 2021, it was the turn of the Deanery of the Eastern USA to meet at the Romanian Orthodox Church of St. Parascheva in the city of Wakefield (Boston area), Massachusetts. These Deanery Assemblies represent good opportunities for local priests and lay delegates to meet with their Dean and Hierarch.
The Deanery Assembly at the Church of St. Parascheva was also special because, after a period of almost two years in which all the meetings took place virtually, this one took place in person and marked, to a certain extent, the return to a long-awaited and desired normalcy.
The meeting began on Friday, October 15, afternoon with a prayer invoking the Holy Spirit, after which V. Rev. Fr. Dean Daniel Ene, with the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae, and with the consent of the Assembly, appointed V. Rev. Fr. Nicolae Clempuș as the secretary of the meeting.
HE Archbishop and Metropolitan Nicolae then welcomed those present and expressed his joy of being able to meet face to face and daring to overcome the trials of the times with attentiveness and wisdom. It was a good opportunity to listen to some conferences related to the main theme of 2021 - the Solemn Year of the Pastoral Care of Romanians Abroad, and Commemorative Year of those fallen asleep in the Lord; the liturgical and cultural value of the cemeteries, but also the possibility to present the activity reports of the parishes from the Eastern USA. The most important thing remained, however, that of being able to be together in person, HE Nicolae concluded.
Rev. Fr. Daniel Ene thanked those present for the effort of coming there in person and reminded that for the Eastern Deanery, the times are still difficult and full of trials, but we hope in the help of the Lord. Thanks were also addressed to V. Rev. Fr. Nicolae Simion and the host parish who had the courage to host and accommodate us by following the necessary guidelines. Father Dean then made an appeal to pray for those who are suffering, at home or in hospitals, as a result of being infected with the Covid virus. Fr. Nicolae Simion, the host of the Assembly, welcomed those present, saying that it is an honor and blessing to have such guests right around the feast of the Venerable Parascheva, the patron saint of the Church.
After the presentation made by the Secretary of the Assembly and the approval of the Agenda, the Minutes of the previous Assembly (which took place on October 18-19, 2019, at the Church of St. Mary in the Atlanta city area) were presented. Each priest then presented an activity report of the parish under his care, the achievements, the successes but also the shortcomings that each community in the Eastern USA faces.
Following this, V. Rev. Fr. Marius Dumitrescu from the Church of St. Nicholas and St. George in New York, who is at the present time recovering from a Covid infection presented via Zoom the conference on the theme: Commemorative Year of those fallen asleep in the Lord; the liturgical and cultural value of the cemeteries. At the end of this presentation, the people in attendance watched a video of the Panikhida (memorial service) performed by priests at the Romanian section of the Queens cemetery and the laying of flowers on the graves of those who are resting there (link here).
The project The Church, Family of Romanians Everywhere, carried out within our Metropolia was presented in detail with the activities undertaken in each parish. This project was based on the collaboration program of US parishes with Romanian parishes. The joint activities that have been organized, alongside the exchange of information and experience between our communities, were presented during this part of the Assembly.
After dinner, the priests had a meeting with His Eminence Nicolae and V. Rev. Fr. Dean Daniel Ene, and the ladies present that were present met to discuss past projects, but especially future ones organized by AROLA (Auxiliary Organization of the Ladies of our Metropolia).
On Saturday, October 16, the second day of the Deanery Assembly began with the Akathist to the Venerable Mother Parascheva and a special prayer for the health of those suffering from Covid. Immediately after the Akathist, the first Zoom presentation of the day took place. His Grace Bishop Ignatie of Huși presented a conference on The Pastoral Care of Romanians in the Diaspora, the tension between preserving ethnic and spiritual identity? After presenting on this topic of great interest to the entire Romanian diaspora in the West, the priests and the delegates had the opportunity to ask questions and find valuable answers from HG Ignatie, who himself had the experience of the pastoral care of the Romanian community in Great Britain.
After a short break, Fr. Dustin Lyon of St. George's Greek Orthodox Church in DeKalb, IL, presented the conference on “Cultivating Vision Through Servant Leadership.” This English-language presentation is part of a series of conferences organized by the Orthodox Christian Leadership Initiative that aims to further educate priests and leaders in Orthodox Churches who serve their communities in administrative or leadership positions. Father Dustin then answered questions from the room and invited those present to visit his organization's website.
The Deanery Assembly then continued with the presentation of the activity reports from the last two years. Preoteasa Flavia Ene presented the AROLA report, and Danielle Radu and Darius Sabău presented the report of the ROYA (Romanian Orthodox Youth of the Americas) Organization. Fr. Dean Daniel Ene presented the report of the Education Committee with a review of each parish and their religious education programs.
The final item on the agenda of the Assembly was the election of the new Deanery Consistory and the establishment of the location for the next Assembly in 2023, at the Mission of St. Gregory the Theologian in Greenville, SC. His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae offered to V. Rev. Fr. Dean Daniel Ene, on behalf of His Beatitude, Patriarch Daniel, the diploma and medal of the Commemorative Year 2021 for the intense missionary activity accomplished in Latin America during the recent years.
With hierarchical blessings, the members of the Deanery Assembly returned to their homes carrying forward the message of unity and encouragement for the difficult times in which we are living.
V. Rev. Fr. Nicolae Clempuș,
Secretary of the Assembly
