On the 2nd Sunday after Easter (St. Thomas’ Sunday), HE Nicolae, the Metropolitan of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas, was in the midst of the faithful of the Life-Giving Fountain parish of Long Valley, New Jersey, the Deanery of New York, New England and Eastern USA. The joy of the pastoral visit of His Eminence began on Saturday afternoon with the meeting of the members of the Parish Council and the departments of construction and marketing of the new wooden church. The Great Vespers service followed in the evening and it was served together with Fr. Dean Daniel Ene, Protosinghelos Vincentiu Temirov, Fr. Marius Lazar, and Fr. Ionuţ Voicu, the parish priest. At the end of the service the hierarch spoke of the life and mission of St. Irodion of Lainici whose holy relics were brought for veneration to the faithful of Long Valley.
On Sunday morning the priests and a large number of believers welcomed HE Nicolae with the sound of the bells and the hymn "Pre Stăpânul". During the communion of the clergy, Fr. Daniel Ene talked about the martyrdom of St. Efrem the New, commemorated on May the 5th. After the Divine Liturgy, HE Nicolae spoke about the confession of faith in the Resurrection of the Lord urging to boldness and joy, according to the words of the Risen Christ addressed to the myrrh-bearing women, for the completion of the construction of the wooden church. The project still needs a few approvals, but some components of the Church are already on the site. HE Nicolae offered the new antimension to the parish and explained its role. The parish priest thanked HE Nicolae, the present priests, the parish members, the donors and the supporters of this project.
The brotherly agape organized with sacrifice and efforts of the Ladies Committee of our parish, in honor of all the participants at this very important moment in the life of our community, ended a day of great feast.
The Life-Giving Fountain parish was established in July of 2011 with the approval of the Eparchial Council of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas. For a while, the services were officiated at Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church of Rockaway, NJ (Carpatho-Russian Diocese of America). In May 2016, the parish purchased their own worship place in Long Valley, NJ. Since then, the community has continued to grow and fulfill the mission for the Romanian Orthodox Community of New Jersey. The project of the Maramures-style wooden church was initiated in order to mark the Centennial Celebration of Great Romania, the corner stone being blessed in April 2018.
Fr. Ionuţ Voicu
