Iași, Romania, October 11, 2022
Tens of thousands of Romanian Orthodox faithful came out for a procession with the relics of two of the most beloved Romanian saints through the streets of Iași on Sunday evening.
The feast of St. Parascheva, October 14, is traditionally one of the largest religious events in Romania, drawing pilgrims from throughout Romania and beyond over the days leading up to her feast.
Her relics have resided in Bulgaria, Serbia, and Constantinople, and she is greatly loved throughout the Balkans and the entire Orthodox world, but they have remained in the cathedral in Iași, working countless miracles, since 1641.
The relics of the great St. Paisius (Velichokovsky) of Neamț are also in Iași for the feast of St. Parascheva this year. 2022 marks the 300th anniversary of his birth and was officially proclaimed the commemorative year of the hesychast saints Simeon the New Theologian, Gregory Palamas, and Paisius by the Romanian Holy Synod.
According to authorities, more than 50,000 people have come to venerate the relics of Sts. Parascheva and Paisius since the annual St. Parascheva pilgrimage began on Saturday, reports the Basilica News Agency.
“We rejoice for the many, we rejoice for the few, in the hope that they have their hearts turned to God and find support and strength in His saints to overcome the obstacles in our lives, in the life of the country, and before the world,” His Eminence Metropolitan of Teofan of Moldova said at the end of the procession.
The pilgrimage for St. Parascheva continues through Saturday, October 15.
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