His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae visited St. Apostle Andrew’s parish in Reading, Pennsylvania, on the weekend of December 2nd and 3rd, 2017, for the occasion of honoring their holy protector, the St. Andrew. The pastoral visit began Saturday evening with the Vespers service and continued Sunday with the Divine Liturgy. The parish priest Ovidiu Sabău and Fr. Timotei Avram, the assistant priest at the Holy Trinity parish in Philadelphia, PA, served alongside His Eminence Nicolae.
In his word of instruction, His Eminence interpreted the Gospel of the day, the healing of the blind man at Jericho. Strong faith and daring led the blind man before the Savior who healed him and then called him to be a witness and confessor. All of the Apostles were witnesses, led by St. Apostle Andrew, the first called, the protector of Romania and this parish. After he recalled St. Apostle Andrew’s mission in the regions of Scythia Mayor and Scythia Minor, which is currently the territory of Dobrogea, His Eminence spoke of the Christian mission, which is identical to the St. Apostle’s; to proclaim Christ in the family, community and world. This means to know who we are, Romanian Orthodox Christians, and to know the Orthodox faith, spirituality and traditions of the Romanian people. Then we must grant them to our children who we are responsible for before God. His Eminence Nicolae continued to speak about the realism of Christian behavior, about what it means to understand Christian mission in a troubled world, alienated from God. The education of our children could become the missionary reason for congealing the activities of each parish. His Eminence Nicolae also recalled honoring St. George, the abbot of Cernica and Căldăruşani monasteries, who revived the great lavra of Cernica in the spirit of St. Paisius Velichkovsky.
The faithful of the parish offered a beautiful agape meal to all those who attended the parish’s feast day. There were also faithful from other parishes from the East Coast of the USA who enjoyed the carols presented by the parish’s children through the guidance of preoteasa Daniela Sabău. His Eminence Nicolae thanked all the spiritual laborers and wished them a spiritually beneficial fast and Christmas celebrations with peace and joy.
