The Holy and Great Martyr George and St. Demetrios the New parish of Las Vegas, Nevada celebrated its Feast Day, on Sunday, April 22, 2018 (3rd Sunday after Pascha, The Sunday of Myrrh-bearing Women). The liturgical program began on Saturday, April 21, with the Great Vespers with Litya and the memorial service for the church founders. Together with the founders, HE Metropolitan Nicolae also remembered the makers of the Great Union of 1918, recalling the meaning of prayer for the founders, benefactors and heroes of the nation.
The feast continued on Sunday April 22 with the Matins service followed by the consecration of the church painting, a project recently completed and executed by the iconographers Matei and Gherghina Gheorghe. The Divine Liturgy was served by HE Metropolitan Nicolae together with the parish priest, Fr. Mihai Balan. At the time of the sermon, HE Nicolae spoke of the courage and faithfulness of the Myrrh-bearing women, urging the follow-up of their example and the confession of the Resurrection of Christ in our world. HE Nicolae addressed a word of congratulation to mothers, grandmothers and sisters of the parish who are celebrated on the Myrrh-bearing Women Sunday. Concluding, HE Nicolae emphasized the martyrdom of the Great Martyr George, the parish patron saint.
The event was also attended by the Consul General of Romania in Los Angeles, Mr. Cosmin Dumitrescu with his wife, Consul Mirela Dumitrescu and local officials: Lois Tarkanian, Council Women of Las Vegas, Gayle Anderson, Chief of Protocol for the City of Las Vegas.
After Divine Liturgy an agape meal followed and was also celebrated the Centenary of the Great Romania. HE Metropolitan Nicolae spoke about the celebration of the Homage Year of the Unity of Faith and Nation and the Commemorative Year of the Makers of the Great Union from 1918 in the Romanian Patriarchate. The General Consul, Mr. Cosmin Dumitrescu read the message of the Ambassador of Romania to the United States of America, Mr. George Maior on the occasion of the church's feast day, and spoke about the participation of the Romanian diplomacy in the accomplishment of the Union act. A special artistic program was offered by the children and youths of ROYA Association and the newly established Ciuleandra folk group, under the guidance of Mr. Ion Petrinca. The program also included the Igor and Liubovi Cutzitaru family and their talented daughter, Maria Nicoleta.
The parish of the Holy Martyr George and St. Demetrios the New of Las Vegas, Nevada, was established in 1998. In June of 2006 HE Archbishop Nicolae consecrated the corner stone for the new parish church. The project was completed and consecrated on April 26, 2015 by HE Nicolae, HG Ioan Casian and HG Timotei of Prahova, the delegate of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel.
Fr. Mihai Balan
