Chicago, August 3, 2023
Photo: mitropolia.us
Hierarchs of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia recently concelebrated for the second time in less than a month in Chicago.
On July 12, the feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul, hierarchs of ROCOR, the Orthodox Church in America, and the Romanian and Serbian Churches concelebrated at the ROCOR Cathedral of the Protection of the Mother of God in Chicago in honor of the 20th anniversary of the episcopal consecration of Archbishop Peter, the local ROCOR hierarch.
And on Sunday, July 30, Metropolitan Nicolae of the Romanian Metropolia and Bishop James of Sonora, Vicar Bishop of the Western American Diocese of ROCOR, concelebrated at the Romanian Cathedral of Sts. Constantine and Helen.
Bp. James is a frequent guest of the Romanian cathedral, having previously visited in January 2021 and May 2022, the Romanian Metropolia reports.
Photo: mitropolia.us
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, Bp. James offered a homily on the Gospel reading of the multiplication of the loaves (Mt. 14:14-22):
The miracle of the multiplication of the loaves reveals a quantitative difference between the daily food and Eucharistic bread. The Savior multiplied the loaves to feed the multitude of men, women and children. A crumb of His Body and Blood is sufficient for us as spiritual food. Proof of the fact that through bodily food the multitude of human persons is manifested, while through spiritual food their unity in the Body of Christ, the Church. God takes care of everything. The condition for us to be partakers of this spiritual unity in material multitude is to put our concerns in their proper place according to the Savior’s command: Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these thinks will be added to you (Mt. 6:33).
Met. Nicolae thanked Bp. James for concelebrating with him, and “expressed his wishes for a beautiful continuation of Bishop James’ mission in San Francisco where he welcomes the multitude of pilgrims desiring to venerate the relics of St. John (Maximovitch), a beloved saint by all Orthodox in America and beyond.”
Bp. James is the rector of the Old Holy Virgin Cathedral, where St. John initially served during his time in San Francisco, and where his episcopal mantia is preserved.
In honor of the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Sts. Constantine and Helen Cathedral, Met. Nicolae offered Bp. James and icon of the holy royal saints.
A delegation from Romania’s Putna Monastery also visited the cathedral in June in honor of its anniversary, bringing with it a piece of the holy relics of the recently canonized St. Jacob of Putna for the people to venerate.
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