The pastoral-missionary conferences of the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuților, held from October 31 to November 10, 2022, ended today with the meeting of all the clergy of the parishes of the Rădăuți Deanery. The theme of the four clerical meetings 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”.
During these days, the meetings in the five diocesan parishes of the diocese were an occasion of communion in prayer, with those present also taking part in spiritually relevant lectures and enlightening dialogues.
The approximately 150 clergy from the Rădăuți Deanery began the day in prayer, at dawn, at the Sihăstria Putnei Monastery, with the celebration of the Holy and Divine Liturgy by the priests of the diocese, under the patronage of His Most Eminent Father Archbishop Calinic, together with His Eminence Archbishop Damaschin Dorneanul, Bishop-Vicar, Archbishop. Paraschiv Dabija, administrative vicar, and the parish priest Ionel Constantin Maloș.
At the event held in the large church of the monastery dedicated to the „Fountain of Healing“ and „St. Seraphim of Sarov“ were present and abbots and abbesses from monastic establishments within the Rădăuți Deanery.
The liturgical responses were given by the Orthodox Men's Choir „Saint Hierarch Leontie”, conducted by Mr. Costel - Ovidiu Foca.
At the end of the Mass, His Eminence Calinic ordained several clerics from the diocese as Stavrophor Iconon, and His Eminence Damaschin Dorneanul ordained two priests as archdeacons.
Priests who have distinguished themselves by an outstanding pastoral-missionary activity were then highlighted. Paraschiv Dabija reading the text Order „Bukovina Cross”, the highest distinction of the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuților, offered by His Most Eminence Archbishop Calinic Archbishop of Suceava to Archimandrite Iustin Tănase, diocesan counselor in the Sector of Social and Medical Assistance, Father Constantin Oprea, cultural counselor of the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuților, Father Ionel Constantin Maloș, protoprio of the Rădăuți Deanery, and Father Dumitru Valenciuc.
Order of the Muscatines„ was awarded by His Eminence the Most Reverend Father Damaschin Dorneanul to some clergy from the Eparchial Center of Suceava for their efforts in serving their fellow men, „following (thus) the lords of Moldavia and other worthy founders of country and nation” - Fr. Nicu Spînu, Sector Counselor Digitalization and IT, Fr. Mihai Cobziuc, counselor in the Department Minorities, Fr. Florin Lupu, Director of the Sector External and Internal Funds, and Fr. Viorel Cozmei, a referent in the same sector.
During the event, His Eminence Archbishop Calinic conferred Order „St. Hierarch St. James James the Putnean” Father Ioan Paul Valenciuc and Mr. Costel - Ovidiu Foca, conductor of the Choir „St. Leontie from Rădăuți”, „since they followed the example of St. Hierarch Iacob Putneanul, brilliant teacher and founder of schools, whose name is linked to the printing of the first ABC Romanian and the printing in Romanian of books of worship and other soul edifying works, tireless spiritual shepherd and defender of the faith, who assumed as his mission the cultural and spiritual help of Romanian Orthodox Christians within the Carpathian arc.”
Order „St. Great Martyr John the New of Suceava”, presented by His Eminence the Most Reverend Father Damaschin Dorneanul, was offered to some worthy ministers 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 Archbishop Calinic presented the diplomas to Frs. Petru Prelipcean, from Costișa Parish, Dorin-Ioan Puiuleț, from Băncești Parish, Fr. Constantin Chimiuc, from Lupcina Parish, and Mihai Fediuc, from „Sfântul Ilie” Parish in Rădăuți.
Along with those who took part in the Holy Mass, the conference chaired by His Eminence Archbishop Calinic was attended by representatives of the relevant sectors of the Suceava Eparchial Center, in the conference room of the Sihăstria Putnei Monastery.
After the recitation of the prayer followed the roll call and the welcome address by His Eminence Archbishop Calinic. The priestly conference began with the presentation of two papers on the theme of the year 2022 in the Romanian Patriarchate.
Pr. Ioan Cîrstean, from Gropeni Parish, gave a talk entitled „The Isishatic Saints - models of personal prayer for Christians”. The paper addressed several topics, including Prayer and the responsibility of eternity, The Other - responsibility and role model and Need for role models. The second part of the study highlighted testimonies of people who have gained peace from within.
„It is time to turn our eyes to the communist dungeons. Towards the burning embers of a golden generation, the interwar Romanian intelligentsia. From the victims of communism - the self-declared system of mediocrity and mediocrity - rise the great contemporary Romanian martyrs and saints. With a stellar spiritual density, the elite of the inter-war Romanian intelligentsia will come face to face with the elite of the Orthodox Church. With the great living saints, priests and hierarchs, new constellations of saints will appear in the Romanian sky, in their cries of pain and humiliation. So close to us, contemporary saints help us and speak to us so Romanian, so warmly, that we yearn for their protection like children with the same steadfast hope and unwavering determination. How could they have withstood the tortures without Lord Jesus? Although not all of them had a vocation for prayer, they sublimated the cry of pain into poetry. Prison literature in Romanian communist prisons is a unique phenomenon. In this rhetoric, intellectuals became isihaists, the living became poets. Simple people became encyclopedic personalities. Crooked paths were straightened, ladders to Heaven were raised.”
Pr. Filip Coca, from Putna Parish, spoke to the clergy present about some of the types of prayer found in the Holy Scripture, glimpses summarized in „Prayers of Praise, Thanksgiving and Petition”. By presenting excerpts from both the Old and New Testaments, His Holiness emphasized that it is through prayer that people dialogue with God.
„Man, with the fall of the prophets into sin, and the breaking of the link between himself and God, has constantly felt the need of reconciliation with the divinity. Thus, the whole of Scripture abounds with examples of people offering prayers to God in different situations. (...) It must be reiterated that God created man out of love. Man carries within him the breath of God, and thus becomes practically Teofor and thereby he received the ability to enter into dialog with God. The answer to the call to experience dialog with God is prayer, and the need to practice prayer was felt immediately after the Fall, throughout the years after the Fall, and is felt to this day, all the more so as sin has progressively expanded. In man is kept the longing for Him Who created him (expression: nostalgia for Paradise Lost - Mircea Eliade). The whole of Holy Scripture shows us different people who pray to God. They remain models of prayer in our lives.”
This was followed by the screening of two films made by TRINITAS TV „Prayer, the way to perfection” and „Prayer in the life of the Church and of the Christian”, materials that synthesize edifying words of great spiritual leaders of the last decades, but also testimonies of outstanding personalities from different fields of activity such as medicine, journalism and sports, regarding the power of prayer.
In the second part of the meeting, as in every conference held this fall in the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuților, proposals, suggestions and requests of the relevant sectors of the Eparchial Center regarding the work of the parishes were presented.
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 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 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.
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 dioceses of Suceava was mentioned.
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.
Pr. Iustin Tănase, Sector Counselor Social and Medical Assistance, he thanked all those involved in supporting Ukrainian refugees. Since the beginning of the war, the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuților has organized two fixed points of social-philanthropic assistance to distribute food, direct people to places of accommodation, provide information on travelling to Romania, and offer spiritual assistance to those who are struggling during this period, with a word of comfort and encouragement. On a permanent basis, at the Siret border crossing point and at the Burdujeni train station in Suceava, volunteers offered tea, coffee and food to Ukrainian refugees, as well as guidance in finding the best accommodation and transportation solutions. Clergy and lay people, some of them Ukrainian speakers, were present in each center. Fr. Tiberiu Bardan, director of the „Anastasie Crimca” Association, presented some of the activities carried out by the sector and recommended stepping up social activities in the parishes.
Next, the representative of the Pastoral Mission and Christian Actuality, Filaret Ruscan brought a thought of appreciation and gratitude for the loving welcome of the delegation that accompanied the delegation with 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.
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. Adrian Popa, counselor in the Sector Church-Church News, spoke about the sale of religious objects at the pangare according to the decisions Statute of Organization and Functioning of the Romanian Orthodox Church. It has also been emphasized that the purchase of the colportage products provides support and backing for the entire missionary activity of the Church.
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.
On behalf of the Sector Legal Affairs of the Romanian Orthodox Church Fund of Bucovina, Bogdan Ionuț Pricop, legal counselor, emphasized the advantages of making an inventory of movable and immovable property owned by parishes.
Sector Monuments, Heritage and Church Architecture, led by arch. Vasile Demciuc, emphasized 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.
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 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.
The Agro-Forestry Sector, led by Councillor Ciprian Muscă, encouraged those present to get involved in the afforestation of the lands of the cult units.
The question sessions during the meetings ended with the advice of His Eminence Archbishop Calinic on the pastoral-missionary mission that every minister of the Holy Altar should fulfill.
At the end, Pr. Protopriest Ionel Constantin Maloș 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.
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.
It followed the commission of a Trisaghion at the tomb of His Eminence Archbishop Pimen, hierarch of Bukovina for almost three decades. At the age of more than 90, after 38 years of service in the Romanian Orthodox Church in the dignity of archpriest, His Eminence Archbishop Pimen passed away on May 20, 2020.
At the end, the hierarchs of the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuților blessed, by anointing with holy oil and sprinkling with holy water, the „Saint Nectaria” Social Day Center, dedicated to social, educational and pastoral-missionary activities. Various workshops will be held with young people, the elderly and religion teachers.
Irina Ursachi
