Bishop Timotei: St Anne’s relics are a ‘great blessing’ for families hoping for children

Assistant Bishop Timotei of Prahova of the Archdiocese of Bucharest said on Wednesday that the presence of St Anne’s relics in the Romanian capital represents “a great blessing for the entire country and especially for families who do not have children but hope to have them”.

The Divine Liturgy was celebrated at St George the New Church in Bucharest, where the faithful can venerate a fragment of the relics of the Holy and Righteous Anne brought from Koutloumousiou Monastery on Mount Athos.

‘Profound faith in God’ His Grace spoke about the lives of the Holy and Righteous Ancestors of God Joachim and Anne and the patience with which they awaited the fulfilment of their prayer.

“We should remember God’s wonderful work in the lives of these two righteous, God-fearing and long-suffering people.”

The Assistant Bishop recalled that, according to Church tradition, Sts Joachim and Anne prayed for many years to be granted a child and emphasised their steadfastness in faith.

“Both of them were therefore of noble descent, but more than that, through their lives they demonstrated profound faith in God.”

“Who among us would wait with such patience, without losing hope, 50 years…