This past weekend, St. John Cassian and St. Andrei Saguna Metropolitan of Transylvania Orthodox Parish in San Antonio, Texas, celebrated their first patron saint, St. John Cassian. We were blessed with the presence of His Eminence Archbishop and Metropolitan Nicolae as well as Archdeacon Mihail Buca and members of the Tronos choir from the Romanian Patriarchate in Bucharest.
The weekend celebration began with Vespers on Saturday, celebrated in the presence of His Eminence and priests from Orthodox parishes in San Antonio, Austin, Houston, and Dallas. Fr. Vasile Tudora, from St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Dallas spoke about the relationship between St. John Cassian, Great Lent and the Church music. Fr. Tudor mentioned that St. John Cassian, a Romanian Saint, was the founder of monasticism in Western Europe. Fr. Tudora explained us that we ought to seek peace through the processes of purification, illumination, and deification, to become closer to God, as many monks before us did it. These were deeply connected to the three mysteries of our church: Baptism, Chrismation, and Holy Communion. Through constant prayers coming from our hearts, we can achieve closeness to Him.
The Sunday service began with the Orthros followed by the Divine Liturgy. The answers and hymns were given by the Tronos choir and the Parish choir. Fr. Danut Suciu gave the sermon about the Fall of Adam from Heaven. Fr. Suciu reminded us that is God’s will to fast and that we are saved by life in Christ. He reminded us that the real fasting is not necessary abstaining from certain food, is being able to live a life in communion with God, to grow to imitate Him. At the end of the Divine Liturgy, His Eminence offered us words of wisdom about St. John Cassian and his brother into Christ, Fr. Germanos, as well as the spiritual works of St. John Cassian. His Eminence encouraged us to read, especially in this period of Great Lent, from the writings of St. John Cassian.
After the Divine Liturgy, Archdeacon Buca and the Tronos choir together with the Parish choir interpreted liturgical hymns. At the end, Archdeacon Buca thanked His Eminence, the Metropolia, and our parish for the involvement we all had in raising funds for his daughter’s treatment of leukemia. From Irene, and his family, Archdeacon Buca gifted His Eminence with a Bishop bastony and our parish with a silvered icon of Mother of God. Archdeacon Buca took advantage of the opportunity and talked to us about his and his family involvement in raising money for the Fundeni Hospital. They changed windows, hospital beds, gifted the hospital with new and necessary medical equipment. He talked to us also about acquiring a very important medical equipment, the first genetic testing platform in Romania.
At the end, Fr. Ilies told us that 2023 was dedicated by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church to the Pastoral care of the elderly and commemoration of the hymnographers and chanters. As a celebration of their life and dedication the church, the older members of our parish received each a silvered icon of Mother of God. The members of our parish choir received each a small decoration in form of a cross. Fr. Valentin urged us to donate for the acquisition of the special medical equipment so necessary in Romania. With this occasion, our parish was able to raise $12,000.
All present shared the lunch together and united their voices in singing old Romanian songs. His Eminence congratulated the ladies from our parish for a wonderful meal and organization.
Parish Priest,
Fr. Valentin Ilies
