Parish priests and delegates from the Western USA Deanery of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of the United States of America met at Ss. Joachim and Anna Parish, Seattle, Washington, on September 6-7, 2019. The meeting began on Friday, September 6 afternoon with the opening prayer, convocation of the Assembly, election of the secretariat, roll call, welcoming words of HE Metropolitan Nicolae and Fr. Dean Mihai Bălan, approval of the Agenda and reading of the Minutes of the previous Assembly of November 2017 at the Resurrection of the Lord parish in Sacramento, CA.
The first item on the agenda was the celebration of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Romanian Orthodox Missionary Diocese of America through a presentation of Deacon Valentin Despoiu from the Elevation of the Holy Cross Parish in Upland, CA, a presentation read by Monk Efrem from the same parish. Father Dean Mihai Bălan from St. George and St. Dimitrios the New Parish in Las Vegas, NV continued with a presentation regarding the Commemorative Year of Patriarchs Nicodim Munteanu and Iustin Moisescu. The luminous figure of the Patriarch Nicodim Munteanu was outlined starting from the main ministries as an abbot, Vicar Bishop, Metropolitan of Moldova and then Patriarch. The rich theological work of Patriarch Nicodim was mentioned, a work that remained a landmark in the history of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Then it followed reports from the parishes, presenting the important events in the parishes since the last Deanery Assembly. HE Metropolitan Nicolae completed the work of the first day of the Assembly with a pictures and films presentation of the pilgrimage to Alaska in the footsteps of St. Herman of Alaska. After dinner, HE Nicolae and the priests present performed the mystery of Holy Unction.
The next day, the work of the Assembly began with the reading of the Akatist of Ss. Joachim and Anna. On the agenda were topics related to the Commemorative year of the Romanian village. Father Archimandrite Nicodim Bibarț from the Elevation of the Holy Cross Parish of Upland, CA evoked, in moving words, the memory of the Romanian village, of Christian traditions and customs, of personalities, priests and cantors, who illuminated his childhood and youth. The presentation was doubled by on-screen images of the Exhibition "The Image of the Romanian Village" received from the Patriarchate with the blessing of HB Patriarch Daniel. The presentation sparked a discussion about the model that each of us, priests and faithful, offer to our children in parishes, about the vocations for priesthood that we should cultivate to ensure the future of our mission on American soil.
"Five things parishes can do to stop losing young families" was the theme of the presentation of Fr. Daniel Ene, Eparchial Secretary and Dean for the Eastern US. Starting from five reasons why young people and young families no longer return to church after college or gradually move away from the church, the presentation provoked reflections on ways to stop this phenomenon.
The next part of the Assembly was dedicated to the reports on the activities of the Women's Auxiliary (AROLA) and the Youth Organization (ROYA). Mrs. Anca Daian from Ss. Joachim and Anna Parish in Seattle, WA gave a power point presentation of AROLA activities: scholarships, spiritual camps, Congress. On behalf of ROYA, Pompiliu Gârlonța presented the ROYA activities for the last 2 years: mission camps in Romania, winter camps, spiritual conferences, Congress. A proposal to intensify these conferences and organize a camp on the US West Coast was well received. The reports were completed by the presentation of the program and materials for Sunday School from the site edu.mitropolia.us. The election of the Deanery Consistory and the scheduling of the next Deanery Assembly ended the proceedings of the Seattle meeting.
Sunday, September 8, was a great feast day for the community of Ss. Joachim and Anna Parish in Seattle. The Divine Liturgy was served by HE Metropolitan Nicolae, together with Father Dean Mihai Bălan and Father Teodor Gârlonța from the Resurrection of the Lord parish in Sacramento. HE Nicolae spoke about the celebration of the protectors of the parish, Saint Parents Joachim and Anna, on the feast day of the Nativity of the Mother of God, and about the Sunday before the Elevation of the Holy Cross. He then briefly recalled the life of St. Irodion of Lainici, whose holy relics and icon were brought for veneration. At the conclusion, HE Nicolae offered the parish the new antimision and explained its significance. The priests and the faithful then enjoyed a festive meal offered by the parish. The Datina folk ensemble performed several Romanian folk songs and dances.
HE Metropolitan Nicolae's pastoral visit to Seattle ended Monday, September 9, with the Divine Liturgy celebrated on the day of Ss. Joachim and Anna.
