“You have shown yourself a divine miracle, o blessed one, to those who ran to your church, o God-bearer, rescuing them from many kinds of troubles and invasions, Father, those who, according to God, put their hope in you with faith, singing: Hallelujah!”
Our Holy Church, calls St. Nicholas, more than it does to other saints, “beloved wonder-worker.” Through these names it confesses that St. Nicholas has an extraordinary grace through the strength of his prayers to God, which the Holy Church expresses, thus calling him our first defender, after the Most Holy Mother of God and the everlasting Virgin Mary. Who among us has not felt in his life the help of the prayers of St. Nicholas? Who among us did not have his requests answered by him when we called him in our prayers?
With the help of God, us too, the priest and the Romanian believers from the Church of Saint Nicholas and Saint George Romanian Orthodox Church, NY, experienced this year some real holidays, days that will become truly historic for the community of Romanian Orthodox Christians in New York. It can be said that the organization of the patron feast of St. Nicholas Church was a true blessing from God through the liturgical services, which began on Friday, December 3, 2021 and ended on Monday, December 6, but also through the love and joy of the faithful, who, to the glory of God, were able to venerate a part from the relics of Saint Nicholas, donated through the goodwill of His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae since 2017, and of Saint George the Pilgrim.
The Mystery of the Holy Unction on Friday night was undoubtedly a beneficial thing, a way to bring and keep the believers connected to the Church and a work to come out to meet and solve their spiritual needs. The concelebrating clergy included V. Rev. Protosyngellos Ieremia of St. Dumitru Monastery, Middletown, NY, V. Rev. Protosyngellos Hrisostom of Putna Monastery, Rev. Father Mircea of the Ukrainian Church in Bayonne, NJ, and V. Rev. Father Marius Dumitrescu.
As always, the presence of HE Metropolitan Nicolae in our parish is an occasion of joy and celebration for the faithful, so the hierarch’s visit is always eagerly awaited. This year, the visit began on Saturday, December 4, with the meeting of the members of the Parish Council with HE Nicolae. HE blessed the beautification works of the church, the sacrifice of our parishioners, workers, and donors, and at the same time, the parish’s plans for the future were discussed.
The patronal feast of the church opened with the officiating of the Great Vespers united with Litya by His Eminence Nicolae, together with the Parish Priest Marius Dumitrescu and Protosyngellos Hrisostom from the Putna Monastery. After Vespers, Father Chrysostom held a conference on “The Holy Mysteries of the Church in the Life of the Faithful.”
The crown of the feast blessed by the great and merciful Nicholas was the service of the Divine Hierarchical Liturgy on Sunday morning, celebrated by HE Nicolae, together with the Parish Priest Marius Dumitrescu and Father Abbot Ieremia. In the sermon at the end of the service, His Eminence Nicolae spoke about the miracle of the healing of the hunchback woman, then about the life of the Holy Hierarch Nicolae, urging the community of brothers present to a chaste life, to deeds of mercy and love for God and for neighbor, to fasting and prayer, giving St. Nicholas as an example of humility, of serving one’s fellow man, of defending the Orthodox faith. At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the Memorial service was held for the founders of the church and for the fallen-asleep servant of God Constantin Condurache, 40 days after his passing away to the Lord. The Parish Priest Marius Dumitrescu thanked His Eminence Nicolae for his presence at this special event in the life of the parish and offered him as a gift an icon of the Savior Christ-Pantocrator with two faces from the Monastery of St. Catherine of Sinai.
The children of the Sunday School prepared a beautiful artistic program and wished many and blessed years to HE Metropolitan Nicolae on his name day. Christians filled the church of St. Nicholas to the brim on Sunday morning, a sign of its blessing by our Savior and by St. Nicholas. After the service, all the faithful participated in the fraternal agape prepared at the Romanian Garden restaurant.
In the afternoon of the same day, the hierarch said goodbye to us, thanking us for the reception and promising to return soon. His presence in our midst through the hierarchical blessings, through the parental warmth which he emanated, was for us, the priest and the faithful of the parish of Saint Nicholas and Saint George, a cause for joy and hope, a great day, which will remain for a long time in the hearts of those present. This event was also attended by Dr. Călin Radu Ancuța, General Consul of Romania in New York and Mr. Dorian Branea, Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute.
On Monday, December 6, 2021, the feast day of St. Nicholas, the faithful were able to worship the relics of St. George the Pilgrim, brought from Romania with the blessing of His Beatitude Daniel, His Eminence Metropolitan Teofan and our hierarch, His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae. After the Divine Liturgy, the faithful read the whole Psalter until late in the evening, following the example of Saint George the Pilgrim.
We thank the organizers, donors and all the faithful of St. Nicholas Church. May the Good God reward their love and sacrifice!
“O Holy Hierarch Nicholas, intercede to God for us!”
“O Saint George the Pilgrim, intercede to God for us!”
Parish Priest Marius Daniel Dumitrescu
