On Sunday, February 27, 2022, Saint John Casian Parish in San Antonio, Texas, had the great joy of receiving the pastoral visit of His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas on the occasion of its patronal feast celebration.
The celebration began with the Vespers on Saturday evening served by His Eminence Nicolae with a group of concelebrating clergy, together with the Tronos Byzantine Group of the Romanian Patriarchate and the choir of Saint John Cassian Parish.
After the Vespers service, in the light of the decision of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, which declared 2022 as the Solemn Year of Prayer in the Life of the Church and the Commemorative Year of the Hesychast Saints Simeon the New Theologian, Gregory Palamas and Paisius Velichkovsky, a catechesis was held by the V. Rev. Fr. Daniel Buda, Dean of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Sibiu, with the theme: Hesychast Prayer in the Philokalia – a model of communion and Christian perfection.
On Sunday, all the children of Saint John Cassian Parish greeted HE Metropolitan Nicolae with flowers, bread, and salt, according to the ancestral tradition, before the service of the Hierarchical Liturgy, in concelebration with the present priests and in the spiritual beauty of the songs chanted by the choir of the parish, as well as members of the Tronos Group under the leadership of Rev. Archdeacon Mihail Bucă.
In his homily, HE Nicolae explained the parable of the Last Judgment:
"The kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world is this Kingdom of man’s communion with God and with his fellow men. At the Judgment, we will hear that those who have sought out the brothers in need of help will enter this Kingdom. Those who helped their fellow human beings have shown themselves as a fulfilled image of God, a face enlightened by love for God and fellow human beings, people who fulfilled the purpose for which they were created. Communion with God can be verified in communion with others. The good deed for our fellow man is the discovery of our love for God that becomes true in the love and care for our neighbors. The Kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world is precisely this rediscovery of those who have sought and fulfilled communion with God and with fellow men.”
At the end of the Holy Liturgy, the hierarch briefly mentioned the life and the work of the patron saint of the parish, St. John Cassian. The Holy Liturgy was also attended by V. Rev. Father Gheorghe Militaru, Diocesan Vicar of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Italy, V. Rev. Father Daniel Buda, the Dean of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Sibiu, Rev. Father Alessandro Margheritino, secretary of the OCA, Rev. Fr. Dumitru Ilieș and Rev. Fr. Gabriel Ilieș from the Nativity of the Mother of God Parish in Austin.
In continuation, Parish Priest Valentin Ilieş addressed a word of thanks to His Eminence Nicolae, to the Reverend Fathers from all over the world, to all the faithful who participated in such a large number at this hierarchical service as well as to all those who have worked tirelessly in preparing for the patronal feast of the Romanian Orthodox community at Saint John Cassian of San Antonio, TX. After the Holy Liturgy, both the parish choir and the Tronos Group held an uplifting concert of religious music.
For all of this, all we can do is to offer praise and thanksgiving to God!
Parish Priest Valentin Ilies
