Romania: Relics of St Demetrius the New visit church medical centre on World Health Day
The historic pilgrimage with the relics of Saint Demetrius the New continued on Sunday in Bucharest’s Sector 2.
On this occasion, his venerable relics arrived at “St. Nectarios” Palliative Care Centre, a medical unit operating within Bucuria Ajutorului Foundation of the Archdiocese of Bucharest.
Since its founding in 2012, the “Saint Nectarios” Centre has provided spiritual support and medico-social services to individuals afflicted with intractable diseases, including end-stage cancer.
After visiting the “Saint Nectarios” Centre, Saint Demetrius the New also toured Doamna Oltea Parish and Christiana Monastery.
“In today’s world, marked by illness and suffering, loneliness and poverty, the Church and the whole society are called to contribute more to the relief of suffering”, said the Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Paisie of Sinaia in his speech.
The Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop explained that illness and suffering “are part of our human experience. But they can become inhuman if experienced in isolation and abandonment; if they are not accompanied by care and compassion.”
“Suffering, disease, and death are alien to those intended by the divine plan for mankind and other creatures, as shown from Creation to eternity.”
Additionally, His Grace emphasised the inability of humanity to adapt to disease and suffering.
“In life, we can discover everything, know everything, and learn everything. But not suffering! We think we know what suffering is, that we can no longer have surprises, that we have gone all the way. But it’s not like that! Suffering is forever new. It always takes us by surprise.”
“Not even the Saviour Christ, Who came into the world not to be served, but to serve, did not escape suffering, but went through it in all its depth.”
“There is, however, a much greater suffering than earthly suffering. It is the suffering of those in hell, of those who willingly chose to separate themselves from God, the Source of Life,” His Grace Bishop Paisie concluded.
The Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Paisie of Sinaia expressed Patriarch Daniel’s gratitude to the entire medical personnel and coordinator of the palliative care center, Professor Adriana Căruntu.
A meeting of the Saints
On Sunday morning, the relics of St Demetrius the New were carried to St Demetrius—Colentina Church, Plumbuita Monastery, and St Sylvester Church.
At Saint Sylvester Parish, Bishop Paisie spoke about the meeting between Saint Demetrius and Saint Sylvester, whose relics are kept by the parish.
“With God’s help, today, a venerable saint, an ascetic with a simple life, meets here a holy hierarch, a bishop from the golden age of the Church.”
His Grace noted that the highest level of dignity in the Church “is not the hierarchical, administrative one, but the level of holiness to which all people are called, regardless of their rank and service.”
“Thus, the two saints are united by the same faith and a similar saintly lifestyle,” he added.
Photography courtesy of Basilica.ro / Raluca Ene
Source: basilica.ro
