Between January 25-26, 2020, His Eminence Nicolae, the Romanian Orthodox Archbishop of the United States and the Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan of the Americas, was on a missionary visit to Southeastern United States. The visit began on Saturday, January 25, at St. Gregory the Theologian Romanian Orthodox Mission of Greenville, South Carolina which celebrated its feast day. St. Gregory the Theologian, celebrated on January 25, is the protector of this young Mission with generous people dedicated to the service of God who wish to have a Romanian Orthodox Church in their city.
At 9:30 am we started with the Akathist of Holy Hierarch Gregory the Theologian. After the official reception of the Hierarch the Divine Liturgy followed. In his sermon, HE Nicolae spoke to the believers about the life of St. Gregory, about his zeal as a hierarch and his grace as a theologian. The faithful were urged to follow the model of St. Gregory in the authentic experience of the faith through study and participation in the divine services. The Hierarch spoke to those present about the joy of discovering, through lecture, the mysteries of the Christian faith and of living as a Christian family, as a community of brothers and sisters in Christ.
On Saturday evening at Vespers and on Sunday at the Divine Liturgy, His Eminence Nicolae was in the midst of the Romanian Orthodox community in the Atlanta area, at St. Mary Romanian Orthodox Church dedicated to the Protection of the Mother of God in Dacula, Georgia. Surrounded by a group of priests, HE Nicolae brought archpastoral blessings to the community of Romanians placed under the protection of the Mother of God. In the word of spiritual edification, HE Nicolae advised the believers not to remain mere spectators at the Divine Liturgy, but to desire to meet Christ in the Church through icon, the word of the Gospel and in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist: "Zachaeus’ meeting with Christ changed his life. His meeting is repeated in the Church at the Divine Liturgy and at the holy sacraments. Christ reveals Himself and is offered, which is why we should prepare ourselves to receive Him, not to be onlookers like those who criticized Christ for entering the house of a sinner. Christ wants to enter the house of each one of us, if we receive and want to meet Him.” The Hierarch concluded that this attitude is the right one for an Orthodox Christian who knows his faith and confesses it to his family, acquaintances and the world.
The visit of Metropolitan Nicholas to Greenville and Atlanta (Dacula) ended with a meeting with the parish council of each parish. Pastoral and administrative issues specific to each community were discussed. The fraternal agape continued the communion that began in the church at the Divine Liturgy.
Father Nicolae Clempuș
