His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas visited the community of the Nativity of the Mother of God Mission in Norfolk, Virginia, on the occasion of their feast day. On Saturday evening, His Eminence celebrated the Vespers service together with parish priest Orlando Stelian Geonea and Fr. Ionel Satnoianu from St. Callinicus of Cernica parish in Fredericksburg, Virginia. In his address to the community at the end of Vespers, His Eminence Nicolae spoke about the beginning of the Church year and the importance of the feast days during the year.
On Sunday, September 4, His Eminence Nicolae celebrated the Divine Liturgy together with the parish priest. In his sermon, Metropolitan Nicolae interpreted the Gospel lesson from Matthew 19:16-26 (The Rich Young Man), stressing that we can find answers to spiritual problems in the words of our Savior:
Today's Holy Gospel reveals to us the question we must all ask ourselves: what stops us from being truly Christians, disciples of Christ? Something stops us all: maybe it is wealth, maybe it is something else, but we need to find out the answer. And when we find the answer, let's make the right choice, let's not go away saddened and go back to our problem, but let's try to solve it. The Holy Gospel also tells us how to solve it: by following Christ. In the Sermon on the Mount we are told: "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). The problem with our lives is that before we seek God we put so many concerns before ourselves. And that's why we're not able to fulfill the answer to the question of what we must do to achieve eternity.
After the sermon, His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae installed Fr. Orlando Stelian Geonea as parish priest of St. Mary's Mission in Norfolk, handing him the Holy Gospel, the Holy Cross, and the key to the church. Metropolitan Nicolae offered the parish priest and his family a new edition of the Holy Scriptures:
The priest is the first to live according to the word of the Gospel, to be an example to all and to be present in the Church, celebrating religious services together with the faithful and not alone. It is also the priest who must take responsibility for leading parishioners on the way of salvation, to pray, rejoice and weep with them. From now on he is your spiritual father, and you are his spiritual children considering yourselves together as a family with responsibilities, caring for children, young people, the lonely.
At the end of the sermon, parish priest Orlando Stelian Geonea thanked His Eminence Nicolae for his visit and ministry, recalling the importance of the Church in the Romanian diaspora communities. The celebration ended with an agape meal offered by the parish ladies. We thank God for this uplifting event and give Him glory for all!
Pr. Orlando Stelian Geonea
