The 82nd Congress of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of the United States of America was hosted, again this year, by Ss. Constantine and Helen Cathedral of Chicago from June 29 to July 1, 2018.
On Thursday, June 28, the Eparchial Council met in order to prepare the Agenda and the Congress documents. On the agenda of the Eparchial Council were also other administrative and pastoral-missionary topics.
The 82nd Congress of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of the United States of America began with the Divine Liturgy on the morning of June 29, the feast day of Ss. Apostles Peter and Paul, at Ss. Constantine and Helen Cathedral of Chicago. The Divine Liturgy was served by HE Eminence Nicolae, Archbishop of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of the United States of America and Metropolitan of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas, together with the special guest from Romania, HE Eminence Irineu, Archbishop of Alba Iulia and priests and deacons of the Archdiocese. The Divine Liturgy was followed by a memorial service for the hierarchs, priests, and benefactors of our Archdiocese who fell asleep in the Lord along with a Te-Deum service at the opening of the Eparchial Assembly.
The works of the Congress were opened at 2.30 pm with the invocation of the Holy Spirit prayer. HE Eminence Archbishop Irineu held the conference entitled "The Great Union of 1918, the sublime event of Romanian history: Joy, victory, and responsibility" in the Year of the Great Romania Centenary. He expressed the joy of being again on the American soil after 30 years. The lecture was also broadcast live on the Facebook pages of the Metropolia and the AROLA organization.
Immediately after this presentation, HE Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae welcomed the priests and delegates of the Archdiocese of the United States of America. His Eminence highlighted the extraordinary character of this Congress and the fact that it is the first working Congress that takes place after the founding of the Metropolia of the Americas and the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada.
It followed the administrative part of the Congress with the roll call of priests and delegates. HE Eminence Nicolae declared the Congress valid constituted. The total number of delegates, priests and laymen was 56. After approving the Congress Agenda and receiving the Minutes of the Archdiocese Congress in 2017, a number of commissions were chosen for the smooth running of the works.
The 2016-2018 activity report of HE Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae followed. His Eminence brought to the attention of all those present some of the accomplishments for this period: the establishment of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas and the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada, his enthronement as Metropolitan as well as the enthronement of HG Ioan Casian as the first Romanian bishop of Canada. From the missionary work carried out by His Eminence, there were four church or church iconography consecrations, two corner stone blessings, and the pilgrimage with the copy of the Mother of God icon of Nicula that took place between November 2017 and January 2018. The Deanery Assemblies and clergy conferences were another chapter in our hierarch's report. A particular emphasis was put on catechetical activity for children and young people, but especially on the need for adult religious education. The report also revealed the rich activity that HE Metropolitan Nicolae is doing with the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, in inter-Orthodox and ecumenical meetings as well as the liaison bishop of the Assembly with the IOCC, the charity association of the Orthodox in America.
The last part of the report highlighted the future projects that His Eminence wishes to do: camps and activities for young people and children, the Symposium of Orthodox Spirituality, translations from Romanian to English of the well-known Fathers, the increase of social philanthropic activity, and the catechetical program for adults are just a few of the future concerns of His Eminence.
After this extended presentation of the activity report of our Metropolitan the report of the Department of Education for Children and Young People followed. The report was presented by Father Daniel Ene and Professor Ioana Groza. The report had as a motto the words of the great Romanian historian Nicolae Iorga "People who do not know their history is like a child who does not know their parents". Speaking of the Centenary of Great Romania, the members of the Commission recalled in the first part of the report the history of Romanian education and the important figures of personalities that contributed to the preservation and enrichment of the Romanian language, but also to the strengthening of the personality of the Romanian people. The second part of the report was structured in 4 parts. 1. The Sunday Schools, where it was revealed that in 2016 a 6-year analytical program was created, based on 3 age categories; 2. The 8th and 9th Olympics of Religion; 3. The summer camps that take place each year at the Faith and Heritage Center in Allegan, MI, and are under the care of Father Atanasie Popescu; 4. The Educational project "Where am I from? - 2018 ". The Education Commission report ended with the exhortation to the priests and delegates to support the activity of the Parish and Romanian Schools.
Father Vasile Muresan introduced the Department of Publications and Communication report. The editorial and technical aspects related to the Faith Almanac and the Faith Magazine, the two main components of the Department, have been highlighted. There was also mentioned the new book of HE Metropolitan Nicolae entitled "On the Path of Salvation With Christ, from the Nativity to the Resurrection. Pastoral Letters, Meditations and Occasional Words". The volume has been published on June, 2018 and has also an English version. The book includes the pastoral letters at the feasts of the Nativity and the Resurrection of the Lord for the first 15 years of ministry of HE Nicolae plus Meditations at various feasts and Sundays of the church year. Currently, the Department of Publications is working on an album that will mark the enthronement events from Chicago and Montreal back in 2017.
Before the end of the first session of the Congress, Miss Andreea Elaine Dumitrescu of Seattle presented the ROYA (Romanian Orthodox Youth Association) report. There were listed the activities of the association between 2017-2018 and the future projects. An important point in the report was the fall conference of the youth, the first of its kind in the history of ROYA, which took place in Beavertoon, Ontario, Canada, on October 6-9, 2017. Girls or boys' meetings are also new of the ROYA Activity Program. The evening ended with dinner and priests' conference attended by HE Archbishop Irineu.
The next session of the Congress followed on Saturday, June 30, 2018. It was opened by the conference of Mrs. Georgia Alikakos, the subject of "Faith Counts: An Orthodox Approach to Religious Education." The director of the religious education department of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago, Mrs. Alikakos gave a beautiful new perspective to religious education that should first start in the family. The presentation was very well received by those present.
The Archdiocese's financial reports for 2017-2018 as well as the budget review of our Diocese over the next two years were the topic of the next item on the agenda. Before the break, Father Nicolae Clempus and Father Nicolae Simion presented the conclusions of the Parish Report Analysis Committee. Aspects related to participation in the Holy Services, the contributions of the faithful or the priests’ salary were some of the discussed topics.
After a short break, the time has come for a long-awaited report by all those present: "Pastoral Itinerary in Latin America" introduced by Father Daniel Ene. Between February and March 2018, with the blessing of HE Metropolitan Nicolae, Father Daniel Ene visited 6 Latin American countries to meet the Romanians, pray and enjoy with them the celebration of all Romanians, 100 years from the Great Union. Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil were these six countries visited within this pastoral itinerary. Beautiful words, pastoral worries, and many pictures accompanied Father Daniel's presentation. As a future plan, maintaining care for Romanians in South America, as well as visits to Colombia, Suriname and Cancun by the end of the year.
Speaking of the importance of the 100th anniversary of the Great Union of 1918, we must now introduce the report on the activities carried out on this topic both at the Metropolitan level and at the parish level. The report was introduced by Father Daniel Ene, Father Deacon Aurel Pâra and Father Theodor Damian.
The first point of this report was the (Re)-Union Declaration, a document read by Father Nicolai Buga on behalf of our Hierarch, HE Metropolitan Nicolae, the clergy and faithful of our Metropolia. Here are some of the requests and wishes of this declaration signed by HE Metropolitan Nicolae, the priests and the faithful of all the parishes of our Metropolia: "We request the President of Romania, the Romanian Government, the Romanian Parliament and all the political forces in the Country to: a) act wisely and diplomatically, in the spirit of this Declaration, in order to fulfill the political aspirations of the population of the Romanian territories annexed by force to the Soviet Union, following the secret agreements established by the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact; b) Support the right of self-determination of the people of the Republic of Moldova, southern Bessarabia and northern Bucovina (Soviet Union occupied lands) and issue a declaration for this purpose; c) Support the future efforts of the Moldovan Government, the Romanian communities in the Chilia and Cetatea Alba, as well as Northern Bukovina, to peacefully negotiate the reunification of Bessarabia and northern Bukovina with Romania, as established by the Peace Treaty in Paris in 1920, in accordance with the prevailing rules of international law and Principle 1 of the Helsinki Final Act.
Being aware that in order to correct the horrors of the past and to restore historical truth in the Carpatho-Danubian-Pontic space, there is no better solution than that of the reunification of the Romanian nation, and taking into account the fact that the spiritual and national development of these Romanian lands is possible only within the great Romanian culture, the Community of the faithful and priests of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas, headed by their Metropolitan:
1. Expresses full solidarity with all Local Councils, District Councils and Counties of the Republic of Moldova and Romania, who have declared their declaration of national reunion open;
2. Urges all administrative-territorial units in the Republic of Moldova and Romania to follow with confidence and courage this example of national unity;
3. Encourages all Moldovan and Romanian citizens as well as those in the Diaspora to be solidary and to act in the spirit of unity, following our example;
4. Condemns the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact concluded between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany on 23 August 1939, a pact that led to the annexation of Bessarabia by the Soviet Union, to arrests and executions, mass deportations, starvation and denationalization;
5. Calls on the Parliaments of the Republic of Moldova and Romania to convene a joint meeting to urgently decide, as a first step, the unification of the Embassies and Consulates of both states, and to issue a Joint Statement on "REUNIFICATION OF THE ROMANIAN COUNTRY AND NATION", after which to elaborate and approves as a matter of urgency a Law Package on the Reunification of Bessarabia with Romania.
The Romanian people cannot celebrate the Centenary of the Union without part of the Romanian territories that were the subject of the great celebration of Alba Iulia in 1918. That is why today's generation has the moral duty to fight for the same ideals defended at the cost of their lives by our forefathers. We hope that this year all the Romanians will live the joy of seeing the REUNIFICATION of the Romanian People, so that we may also cry with the Psalmist: "Here is how good it is and how beautiful it is to live brothers in union!" (Psalm 132: 1). Let us therefore do everything in our power to reunite the country in the Centenary of 2018! So help us God!"
Received with applause, the declaration was handed over by the HE Metropolitan Nicolae to HE Archbishop Irineu of Alba Iulia to be taken to Alba Iulia. After this, Father Daniel presented the map of fraternity between the 32 parishes of our Metropolia and parishes from the 32 dioceses of the Romanian Patriarchate (on the territory of Romania and Bessarabia).
Father Deacon Aurel Pâra then presented the activities of more than 15 parishes of our Metropolia that marked the Great Romania Centenary. The richest activity in this regard was of the parish of Ss. Peter and Paul of Astoria, NY. Father Theodor Damian presented in detail the character and the events unfolded this year.
In the last session of the 82nd Congress of the Archdiocese, short presentations of the Deanery Assemblies were made by each Dean with the positive charge that these meetings brought for the common work of our parishes.
The AROLA report was also an important point in this last part of the Congress. Mrs. Flavia Ene and Mrs. Alina Stan presented the rich work, social and educational programs that the organization accomplished between 2017-2018. It was highlighted that this year AROLA celebrated 80 years of existence and discussed the AROLA conference held on 15-17 June at the Faith and Heritage Center in Allegan MI. It was the first time the conference was self-contained, separated from the Archdiocesan Congress. Thirty-four delegates from thirteen parishes were blessed by the presence of Metropolitan Nicolae and Bishop Ioan Casian, who encouraged them to resemble the myrrh-bearing women, working fearlessly the good deed and continuing in the world what they started in the church. In order to mark the Centenary of Great Romania, the book "Building for Unity: Romanian Orthodox Women Serving God and the People" was distributed to every parish present at this Congress. This book, prepared by AROLA, talks about the roles in the accomplishment of Great Romania of the Queen Mary of Romania, Elena Alistar Romanescu, Ecaterina Teodoroiu and Mother Alexandra, Princess Ileana of Romania. After the presentation of the activity report between 2016-2017 and the financial reports audited in the USA, the new Executive Committee of AROLA was presented.
Father Daniel Ene, Eparchial Secretary read the official messages to: HB Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, HE Demetrios, Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; HG Ioan Casian, Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Canada, HE Archbishop Nathaniel of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America, His Excellency, US President Donald J. Trump; His Excellency Bruce Rauner, Governor of the State of Illinois and His Lady, Mr. Rahm Emanuel, Mayor of Chicago. Finally, the nomination committee presented the proposals for the new Eparchial Council and for the Eparchial and Metropolitan Consistories, unanimously approved by the delegates.
HE Metropolitan Nicolae then presented the final thoughts and stressed the common work we undertake, a pastoral mission that should be carried with love, wisdom and responsibility. The working sessions of the Congress were followed by the Vespers service officiated by HE Archbishop Irineu. The sermon was given by Fr. Theodor Damian.
On Sunday, July 1, the Divine Liturgy marked the closing of Congress. HE Archbishop Irineu interpreted the Gospel of the Day at the time of the sermon and shared with those present the impressions of attending Congress. HE Metropolitan Nicolae thanked HE Irineu and Archdeacon Rafael Orzeiu for their love and effort to be present these days in Chicago. The festive meal concluded the joy of the priests and delegates present at the Congress, as well as the hosts, the faithful of Ss. Constantine and Helen Cathedral in Chicago. At the Divine Liturgy and banquet was also present Mr. Tiberiu Trifan, the Consul General of Romania in Chicago who addressed a word of greeting. Archbishop Irineu offered, on the recommendation of Metropolitan Nicolae, several orders of DONUM SACRUM UNITATIS to the priests and faithful of the Archdiocese who were involved in organizing the activities of the Centenary of Great Romania. HE Nicolae offered a merit diploma to several priests who have accomplished a number of years of sacred priestly ministry with spiritual fruits. All those in attendance sung Many Years to HE Archbishop Irineu on the occasion of his birthday.
Glory to God for these blessed days!
Fr. Daniel Ene
Eparchial Secretary
