On the occasion of the parish's feast day, the faithful of St. Callinicus of Cernica Orthodox Mission in Fredericksburg, Virginia, had the joy of having in their midst His Eminence Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Americas, Nicolae. The Hierarch's pastoral visit began on the afternoon of Saturday, April 1, 2023, when His Eminence Nicolae met with members of the Parish Council, offering spiritual and administrative advice for strengthening a Mission. He then served Great Vespers for the 5th Sunday of Great Lent.
On the following day, Sunday, April 2, His Eminence Nicolae celebrated Divine Liturgy together with a group of priests: the parish priest of the host church, Fr. John Katsoulis; the parish priest of St. Callinicus Mission, Fr. Ionel Satnoianu; and Fr. Nicholas Pappas. The responses were given by Ionuț Lupu-Pitulice, Mirela Cătuneanu și Maria Sauciuc, together with a group of children.
In his sermon, His Eminence Nicolae explained that each Sunday of Lent has a theme, which helps us towards greater self-awareness and a greater closeness to God in preparation for the celebration of the Resurrection. He then spoke about the life of St. Mary of Egypt:
Her life of continual repentance is an example to us all, for each of us must consider where we stand with God. If we find ourselves in sin, let us turn to God and if we wish to find the answer to the question of who or what can make this change in our lives, as happened in the life of St. Mary of Egypt, we find the answer in the second Holy Gospel we read today. This also refers to a sinful woman, who finding Christ dining in the house of a Pharisee named Simon, came and washed His feet with her tears, anointed them with myrrh, and wiped them with the hair of her head. Christ Himself reveals the mystery of this love. That she felt called to repentance by God, that she felt God's love lifting her up from sin. "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little" (Luke 7:47). This love of God was certainly felt by St. Mary of Egypt. And to this love she responded with her love, the love of a prodigal daughter toward the All-Loving Father, the One who waits for us all to repent, to turn to Him. This is the example that the Church sets now, with two weeks of Lent left, so that we too may try to search our consciousness and relate to God, discover His love and respond to His love with our love and repentance.
Metropolitan Nicolae also spoke about the life of Saint Callinicus of Cernica, about the many spiritual and administrative accomplishments of the abbot of Cernica, later Bishop of Râmnic.
It should be noted that on the occasion of this feast, the two communities, Greek and Romanian, prayed together. Through the goodwill of the Greek community and with the blessing of their Hierarch, the Romanian community celebrates services in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God.
Fr. Ionel Satnoianu
