The series of priestly conferences continues in the Archdiocese of Suceva and Rădăuților with the meeting in the Fălticeni Deanery. With the blessing of His Eminence Calinic, the pastoral-missionary meeting took place today, November 1, 2022, at the Monastery of Sihăstria Râșcăi. At the event, whose theme was given by the specificity of the year 2022 in the Romanian Patriarchate, „The Homage Year of Prayer in the Life of the Church and the Christian” and „The Commemorative Year of the Isihatic Saints Simeon the New Theologian, Gregory Palamas and Paisios of Neamt”, all the clergy from the Balticeni Deanery participated.
The beginning of the day was spent in prayer, at dawn the Holy and Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the church of the Monastery of Sihăstria Râșcăi with the patronage of „St. Hierarch John of Râșca and Secu” by the priests of the Protopopiat Fălticeni, under the protection of His Most Eminent Father Archbishop Calinic, together with His Eminence Archbishop Damaschin Dorneanul, Bishop-Vicar, arch. Paraschiv Dabija, administrative vicar, and Fr. Adrian Dulgheriu, protoireu.
At the appointed time, the two hierarchs of the Eparchy of Suceava ordained as a hieromonk the monk Iustin (Ilie) Ungureanu and as a hieromonk the hieromonk Nectarie (Robert) Șuhan.
At the end of the Mass, the hierarch ordained as Stavrophorus Iconon Fr. Cojocaru Daniel, from the Parish „The Assumption of the Mother of God” Lămășeni and Fr. Agafiței Mihail, from the Parish Siliștea Noua, Dolhasca.
The clerics who have distinguished themselves by an outstanding pastoral-missionary activity were highlighted, Fr. Constantin Oprea, counselor of the Cultural Sector, reading the titles of the distinctions offered by His All-Honorable Father Archbishop Calinic. Order „Bukovina Cross”, the highest distinction of the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuților, was awarded to Fr. Adrian Dulgheriu, protopriest.
Order „St. Great Martyr John the New of Suceava”, presented by His Eminence the Most Reverend Father Damaschin Dorneanul, was offered to some worthy servants of the holy altars, as well as to the winners of the Eparchial Contest „The most well-kept cemetery”, because they followed the example of „the young man, wise in the ways of God, who fulfilled his service with devotion and based his Orthodox faith on the understanding of the Gospel, courageously witnessing it to his fellow men by deed and word”. Pr. Dimitrie Horga presented the rankings, while His Eminence Calinic presented the prizes to the priests Pavel Norocel, from the Parish „St. Elijah” Suha, Vasile Lupu, from the Parish Găinești and Adrian Pintilie, from the Parish „Holy Emperors” Lămășeni. Georgian Rotar, parish priest of the Church „Sfinții Mucenici Ecaterina și Mercurie” and secretary in the Chancellery of the Balticeni Deanery, Fr. Dănuț Maftei, from the parish of Mănăstioara, and Fr. Florin Grigorescu, from the parish of Uncești.
Along with those who took part in the Holy Mass, during the conference chaired by His Eminence Archbishop Calinic, the representatives of the relevant sectors of the Suceava Eparchial Center joined the conference in the „St. John of Rosca” Hall in the monastery.
After the recitation of the prayer followed the roll call and the word of welcome by His Beatitude Archbishop Calinic. The conference of the clerics of the Balticeni Deanery started with the presentation of the work of Fr. Iustin-Vasile Vrabie from the parish „Cuvioasa Paraschiva” - Dolheștii Mari, „The teaching of St. Paisios of Neamț - about prayer”. The presentation highlighted the most important moments in the life of St. Paisie Velicicovschi, in particular his teaching about The Jesus Prayer, contained in a six-chapter epistle addressed to those opposed to the Church. At the same time, it listed the methods by which the monastic order in the monastic orders that the Saint led over the centuries bore fruit in terms of the appropriation Prayer heart.
„By this recollection of mind in holy prayer, many of the God-bearers, our Fathers, being kindled by the seraphimic fire of love for God and after God, for his neighbor, have become the most fervent keepers of the commandments of God, and, cleansing their souls and hearts from all the sins of the old man, have become worthy to be chosen vessels of the Holy Spirit. Being filled with his manifold divine gifts, they appeared in their lives as lights and pillars of fire to the whole world, and working countless miracles, by word and deed they brought to salvation a multitude of human souls. Many of them, being moved by a mysterious divine inspiration, have written books about this prayer of the mind, with their holy teachings full of the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, according to the power of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. And this was done out of a special providence of God, lest this divine work should be forgotten in the latter times. Many of these books, by God's mercy for our sins, have been destroyed by the poor men who plundered the kingdom of the Greeks, but some of them, by God's loving care, have been preserved to our own times.”
The meeting continued with a talk entitled „Prayer in the Holy Scripture. The main prayers presented by St. Luke the Evangelist in the third Gospel”, given by Fr. George Constantin Balmoș from Roscani Parish. His Holiness drew attention to the prayer of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the prayer of praise of the angels, the prayer of the Just Simeon, The Lord's Prayer, the prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, the prayer of the thief on the cross, but also the importance of prayer.
„When we pray privately, we can also use our own words, telling God freely what is on our hearts. Prayer is the breath of the soul. That is why we need to call upon it with a certain rhythmicity. Let us pray in the morning, let us pray in the evening, let us pray when we sit down to eat. A short but rhythmic prayer keeps us in a good frame of mind. Prayer is one of the Christian's weapons against the temptations and tribulations he experiences, becoming a permanent communion with God and an act of openness to the divine love which Christ pours out on us at every invocation of his name. It therefore fills man's life with divine grace, so that he comes to live everything as a prayer, has a liturgical attitude towards everything around him which he comes to see through the spiritual light of true prayer, thinks in the logic of prayer, lives in the spirit and breath of prayer. Prayer is considered the summit or summit of life and fulfillment, the measure of our closeness or distance from God, the source of life and love.”
This was followed by the screening of the movie „Prayer in the life of the Church and of the Christian”, a TRINITAS TV program, which presents a series of interviews with prominent personalities from our country and from the Holy Mount Athos, both in the field of theology and in other fields of activity such as medicine, journalism and sports. Testimonies of the miraculous outpouring of God's grace in different moments of life were brought to light by teachers from the Faculties of Orthodox Theology in the country, including Fr. conf. Ioan Bizău, pr. lect. Paul Siladi, Pr. Petru Moga, arch. lect. Sorin Mihalache, conf. Adrian Lemeni and Prof. Teofil Tia. Among those who spoke about the saving power of prayer and about the fulfillment of the requests of those who pray together for the man/sufferer in need were neurosurgeons acad. Leon Dănăilă and Prof. Alexandru Vlad Ciurea, journalist Răzvan Bucuroiu, as well as former soccer player Mihai Neșu. Priests, abbesses and clerics shared the extraordinary stories and experiences with which God has blessed those who have opened their hearts to receive saving gifts, acquired through the humble and faithful prayers: Fr. Petru Moga, Arch. Melchisedec Velnic, Ambrozia Rucăreanu, pr. Ionuț Butoiu, pr. Efrem Vatopedinul, abbot of the Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos.
As in the priestly conference in the Diocese of Câmpulung Moldovenesc, in the second part of the conference, proposals, suggestions and requests of the relevant sectors of the Suceava Eparchial Center regarding the work of parishes were presented in Fălticeni.
Sector Administrative-Church, Dimitrie Horga, diocesan counselor, spoke, among other things, about the observance of procedures regarding the hiring of non-clerical staff in the houses of worship, as well as about the timely submission of documents aimed at solving administrative problems.
Arch. Ionuț Isopescu, counselor at the Sector Educational-Theological (Education), announced that he will ask for the support of parish priests to promote the two new specializations at the Orthodox High School Theological Seminary „Mitropolit Dosoftei” Suceava, as well as the specialization in Pastoral Theology. Along with other aspects related to the activities carried out by the relevant sector, it was also presented that, as regards Religion, It is recommended to develop a friendly and warm collaboration with the Religion teacher(s) in the parish, regarding the activities initiated by the County School Inspectorate, in partnership with the Suceava Eparchial Center. Administrative issues related to the courses for obtaining professional clerical degrees were also brought to attention.
On behalf of the Sector Cultural, Constantin Oprea, the publication of studies or scientific articles by clerics who have defended doctoral dissertations was encouraged, as well as their co-option to collaborate with the journal Candle. It was also proposed that in the future as many clerical and non-clerical staff as possible should be trained in specialized courses or take undergraduate or master's degree courses on the restoration of textiles and icons.
Next, the representative of the Pastoral Mission and Christian Actuality, Filaret Ruscan, a councilor, brought a thought of appreciation and gratitude for the loving welcome, in the diocese, of the delegation that accompanied the relics of St. John the New from Suceava during the procession through the diocese. The importance of intensifying pastoral and missionary work in the current context was also emphasized, encouraging the preparation of the priest's sermon, as well as the care of the church, home and cemetery.
Fr. Laurențiu Stamatin, diocesan church inspector, recommended to pay more attention to the correctness of the divine services and urged the parish clergy to put in order the objects of worship in the places of prayer.
The Councillor Media and Communication Sector, Ștefan Mihalcea, Fr. Ștefan Mihalcea, recommended increased attention to the content of materials posted on the social networks of the houses of worship, as well as the need to obtain the archiepiscopal blessing in case of media appearances, on their own initiative or at the invitation of a press trust.
Sector Catechization, Youth and Education for Life, coordinated by Prof. Cristi Gabriel Hurjui, presented the most important projects carried out in the 12 months of activity and invited the parishes to join the future projects of the diocese, aimed at young people willing to get involved in volunteer activities, organizing Bible study circles and catechetical sessions, camps and other social-charitable actions, carried out within the future projects of the diocese.
Pr. Dan Gheorghiță, counselor of Internal Prevention and Protection Service, emphasized the importance of conducting religious activities safely. His Holiness also announced that in the near future there will be training sessions on protection and safety at work for the leaders of the religious establishments.
Sector Economic-Financial, Viorel Ilișoi, diocesan counselor, sent to the heads of the houses of worship information on the bookkeeping, as well as the procedures for its verification by the relevant inspectors. At the same time, it was suggested to identify, in the parishes of the diocese, the cases in which the winter period makes it difficult to pay utility bills.
Pr. Ion Bârsan, Counselor of the Sector Legal and Consulting, provided information on the property rights over parish real estate and on the land registration procedure. At the same time, His Holiness recommended the cooperation with the representatives of the Eparchial Center for a good development of the sector's activity and for a quick resolution of legal issues.
Sector Legal Affairs of the Romanian Orthodox Church Fund of Bucovina, Bogdan Ionuț Pricop, represented this time by Fr. Counselor Bogdan Ionuț Pricop, highlighted the advantages of making an inventory of movable and immovable objects owned by parishes.
Sector Monuments, Heritage and Church Architecture, led by Arch. Vasile Demciuc, reiterated the importance of respecting the legislation on the protection of cultural heritage. At the same time, priests were asked to pay special attention to the monuments inscribed on the national heritage list. Last but not least, the importance of inventorying the assets of places of worship was also discussed.
Pr. Adrian Popa, counselor in the Sector Church-Church News, spoke about the sale of objects of worship at the pangare according to the decisions of the Statute of Organization and Functioning of the Romanian Orthodox Church. It was also emphasized that through the purchase of peddling products, support and assistance is given to the entire missionary activity of the Church.
On behalf of the Sector Publishing and Printing, Ciprian Blaga, the opening of the Crimca Publishing House of the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuților to the publication of various materials signed by the clergy of the Balticeni Deanery was mentioned.
The spokesperson of the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuților, Fr. Alexandru Flavian Sava, recommended decency and responsibility in the posts on the personal pages of social media platforms, including positions on certain current issues. These should be expressed in accordance with the decisions taken by the Permanence Council or assumed by the Patriarch, in order not to mislead the faithful and public opinion with various points of view.
During the event, the clergy present were invited to the Archiepiscopal Mass on November 6, 2022, an event that marks the culmination of the anniversary series dedicated Jubilee Year, „The Muscat Heritage - faith, culture, history”.
At the end, Adrian Dulgheriu thanked His Eminence Archbishop Calinic, His Eminence Archbishop Damaschin Dorneanul, members of the permanent Eparchial Council, the hosts, and all the ministers present at this special event for the Diocese of Falticeni.
Each participant received as a gift two of the most recent volumes published by Editura Crimca of the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuților, „Prayer - the foundation of life and spiritual growth of man”, a work that brings together the lectures of the clergy of the diocese dedicated to this anniversary year, and the book „Happiness in unhappiness. A commentary for the man in a hurry” signed by His Eminence Archbishop Calinic.
From October 31 to November 10, 2022, pastoral-missionary priestly conferences will be held in the five dioceses of the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuților.
Irina Ursachi
Photo album: HERE
