On Sunday, November 27, 2022, the Sts. Constantine and Helen Cathedral in Chicago welcomed distinguished guests from Romania. The Divine Liturgy, held on the 30th Sunday after Pentecost, was attended by members of the delegation of the Department of Romanians Abroad led by Mr. Gheorghe Cârciu, Secretary of State, accompanied by Mr. Tiberiu Trifan, Consul General of Romania in Chicago. The Romanian delegation is in Chicago for a visit to the Romanian community during the Romanian National Day celebrations.
The delegation was joined by members of the Men's Choir from Finteușu Mare, Maramureș, which was invited to Chicago by the Illinois Romanian American Community Association for the occasion of the National Day. The Men's Choir sang the responses of the Divine Liturgy, officiated by His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae together with the Cathedral clergy and two priests, who are members of the choir. After the Holy Liturgy, the Romanian choir presented a program of traditional Romanian carols to the joy of the faithful present. The program continued in the social hall where the members of the Men’s Choir, conducted by Mr. Andrei Dragoș, performed patriotic songs dedicated to the National Day of Romania, as well as other songs from the Maramureș area. The choir received applause from those present and an expression of gratitude and appreciation from His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae. The Romanian guests in Chicago will participate in the Romanian Day celebrations organized by the Consulate of Romania in Chicago and will visit other Romanian communities in the following days.
The Men's Choir from Finteușu Mare was founded in 1918, the year that marked the end of the First World War, under the name of "The Romanian Ploughmen's Choir of Finteușu Mare," out of the desire to "glorify through song, the Romanian nation and the Good Lord." In its 104 years of activity, the choir has been awarded diplomas and prizes at competitions in which it has participated. On September 5, 2021, the Men’s Choir received the Order of Cultural Merit, rank of Knight, from the Romanian Presidency, as an appreciation for the dedication and passion with which it has promoted choral art and for the talent with which it has promoted Romanian folk singing. The choir has performed in all county centers in Romania, as well as in Romanian communities in the diaspora, in France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Greece, Ukraine, and Moldova, where it promoted the project titled "Song from the soul of the nation."
