Feast of St. Andrew and Romania’s National Day#

Published on 02 December 2017

The Romanian Orthodox community in Düsseldorf celebrated Romania’s spiritual patron, St. Apostle Andrew, in the Greek Orthodox Church in Düsseldorf, which bears his name and has housed a relic of the saint since 2016, brought from Mount Athos.

The reliquary with the Holy Relic was placed for veneration on the evening of 30 November 2017 through the kindness of Fr. Teofanis Lappas and Fr. Ioannis Psarakis, bringing great joy to those present.

Thus, the Feast of St. Apostle Andrew became an occasion of pilgrimage and veneration of his relics for the Romanian Orthodox in the area. The Akathist to St. Apostle Andrew, Apostle of the Romanians, who preached the Gospel in the lands between the Danube and the Sea, was served by Protopresbyter Iosif-Cristian Rădulescu together with Fr. Siluan Cârstea and Deacon Ovidiu Marius Cioară.

On Friday, 1 December 2017, dozens of faithful gathered again in the midst of the “Sfânta Treime” Parish in Düsseldorf for the Sacrament of Holy Unction. In his homily, Fr. Iosif-Cristian Rădulescu, parish priest, urged gratitude toward our people and country—toward all who, through tireless effort strengthened by much sacrifice, made a united Romania possible, preserving the Romanian language and Orthodox faith alive as a bond over mountains and valleys, across centuries and souls.

Gratitude, the priest emphasized, is how we learn to value the gifts we have received from God, from our parents and forebears, from our nation.

At the end of his address, the serving clergy conveyed well-wishes to Romanians in the diaspora and at home and invited those present to a surprise agape lovingly prepared by Mrs. Georgeta Dombrovsky.