From Bucharest to Kinshasa and the Alaskan wilderness, October brought fresh reminders that the Church is alive, growing, and drawing hearts to Christ in every land.
In Bucharest the relics of Saint Demetrius the New were carried out of the Patriarchal Cathedral and placed for veneration. For eleven days, despite cold rain, 121,000 faithful of the Romanian Orthodox Church stood patiently in line, many for hours, to kiss the holy relics before they were returned inside the cathedral on the evening of October 28. That same month the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria consecrated its new cathedral of Saint Mark in Kinshasa with splendor and deep reverence. In America Serbian faithful marked a quarter-century since their church was consecrated, while in Zalău a new temple was given to the people. From the far north came the story of Saint Innocent teaching the Aleuts to abandon old cruelties, and from Bulgaria the solemn return of the relics of Tsar Samuel after a thousand years. Together these accounts painted a single picture: the Orthodox faith quietly, steadily, putting down roots and lifting hearts toward heaven in cities, villages, and distant mission lands.
Stories of the month
Romanian Orthodox Church · Oct 30
121,000 at the Relics of St Demetrius the New
The Romanian Orthodox Church welcomed thousands of pilgrims to the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest for the feast of Saint Demetrius the New. From October 18 to 28 the holy relics were placed for public veneration. Despite unfavorable weather, 121,000 men, women, and children patiently stood in line to pray and kiss the relics. On Wednesday evening, October 28, the relics were solemnly returned inside the historic Patriarchal Cathedral, bringing the pilgrimage to a close. For every believer the long, orderly queues were a living sign that love for the saints still draws the Romanian people together around the mercy of Christ.
Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) · Oct 3
Saint Innocent and the Aleuts of Unalaska
In the early nineteenth century Saint Innocent of Moscow arrived on the island of Unalaska as a young priest. The Russian Orthodox Church remembers how he immediately began building a church while his own family lived in a half-dug earthen hut. With patience and love he taught the Aleut people, convincing them to give up the old practices of polygamy and the killing of slaves. His example of humble endurance and clear teaching still speaks to every missionary heart and to every family that struggles to live the Gospel in a difficult place.
Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria · Oct 20
New Cathedral of St Mark Consecrated in Kinshasa
With great splendor, ecclesiastical dignity, and profound compunction the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria consecrated the Holy Cathedral of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark in Kinshasa. Metropolitan Theodosius of Kinshasa presided at the Sunday morning liturgy. The new cathedral now stands as a visible sign of the Church’s growing presence in central Africa and a house of prayer for the faithful of the growing Orthodox community in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
On Sunday, October 11, the faithful of Saint Archangel Michael Serbian Orthodox Church in the Diocese of New Gracanica–Midwestern America gathered with joy to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of their church’s consecration. The temple had been consecrated on August 11, 2001, by the late Metropolitan Christopher of blessed memory. Parishioners gave thanks for God’s faithfulness over a quarter-century and for the steady spiritual home the church has provided to Serbian families in America.
On October 3 thousands of Bulgarians welcomed the earthly remains of Tsar Samuel back to Sofia more than a thousand years after his death. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church took part in the solemn state ceremony held in the capital under the title “Bulgaria Receives Her Tsar.” For many faithful the return of their medieval ruler’s relics stirred a deep sense of continuity with the Christian history of their land and a prayer that the Lord would again grant strength and peace to the Bulgarian people.
The Romanian Orthodox Church rejoiced as the new Church of Saint Apostle Andrew in the Sărmaș district of Zalău was consecrated on Sunday. A synod of hierarchs served the liturgy, led by Metropolitan Andrei of Cluj, Maramureș, and Sălaj, together with Bishop Iustin of Maramureș and Satmar and Bishop Benedict of Sălaj. Local residents now have a beautiful new house of worship in their neighborhood, a concrete sign of the Church’s care for the spiritual life of every corner of the land.
At the invitation of His Holiness Patriarch Shio, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Bishop Vasily of the Orthodox Church in America traveled to the Republic of Georgia. He represented His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon at the celebrations marking 1,700 years of Christianity in that ancient land. The visit reminded American Orthodox believers of the deep bonds of faith that unite all Local Churches in the one Body of Christ.
The month wove together feasts kept on both calendars. On the Julian side came the Protection of the Most-Holy Theotokos, the repose of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, and the memory of the Holy New Martyrs of Alaska. The Gregorian calendar brought the feast of Saint Innocent of Moscow, the Apostle Thomas, Saint Tikhon the Patriarch, and Greatmartyr Demetrius. The faithful also remembered the Apostle and Evangelist Luke twice and the Apostle James son of Alphaeus. These days quietly call believers to imitate the courage of the martyrs, the gentleness of the Theotokos’ protection, and the missionary zeal of the saints who carried the Gospel to distant lands.
Looking ahead
November will open with the feast of the Holy Archangels and soon bring the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple. The Church also looks forward to the beginning of the Nativity Fast, a time of prayer and preparation for the coming of the Savior.
May the saints whose memory we kept this month pray for every reader and every parish. Until next time, walk in peace.
For the curious: the numbers behind the week
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Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) · Church of Greece · Romanian Orthodox Church
Written by the editors of Orthodox House from the news of the Local Orthodox Churches published during the period; every story links to its source. Photographs belong to the source publications. · All reviews · Article →
