Mono, Ontario, Canada, September 24, 2025
The outdoor altar at the Romanian Orthodox Monastery of the Holy Cross and St. Ephraim the New in Mono, Ontario, Canada, was consecrated on Sunday, September 21.
The service was celebrated by His Eminence Metropolitan Mitrofan of Canada of the Serbian Orthodox Church and His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian of the Romanian Orthodox Church, reports the Basilica News Agency.
The monastery began construction on the outdoor altar in the summer of 2022. It is dedicated to Sts. Paisie and Cleopa of Sihăstria, who were canonized during the Romanian Patriarchate’s Centennial, and to St. Irodion of Lainici.
Bp. Ioan Casian noted that the outdoor altar represents years of work at Mono Monastery. “We rejoice because it is, as you can see, a place where we can pray outdoors in much larger numbers during these times. It’s consecrated to some of the newest saints you've heard mentioned this year, Sts. Cleopa and Paisie of Neamț."
The bishop recalled that Metropolitan Mitrofan studied in Romania and met saints such as Dumitru Stăniloae and Sofian of Antim.
“His Eminence, as you’ve already seen, speaks Romanian remarkably well still. As you know, he studied for four years in Romania. He met Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae and many other saints, such as St. Sofian and other holy people from Romania. So he is, I believe, familiar with our Romanian tradition and, of course, with Orthodoxy in general.”
The faithful were able to venerate fragments of holy relics from the patrimony of the Canadian Diocese.
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