Source: Basilica News Agency
December 15, 2015
St. Eleftherios church, a patriarchal chapel, celebrated on Wednesday December 15 the feast of its patron saint – Hieromartyr Eleftherios. His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania, was present among the faithful of this parish on the feast day. The primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church celebrated the blessing service of the restored iconography of the chapel, and also blessed the new church bells and the new Cultural and Pastoral Center, located in the basement of the church. His Grace Varlaam of Ploiești, vicar bishop to the Romanian Patriarch, was also present together with His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel at the blessing service. His Grace had officiated the Divine Liturgy prior to the blessing service, being surrounded by an assembly of priests and deacons.
Church iconography invites us to look for the imperishable beauty of the Heavenly Kingdom
In his homily, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel spoke about the purpose of Church iconography:
“This iconography invites us to confess the true faith, it urges us to pray more. When a church is painted, we never feel alone, because we pray together with the saints. The painting calls us to receive the holy Fathers as our teachers and intercessors; it invites us to look for the imperishable beauty of the Heavenly Kingdom. This is the purpose of iconography in the Orthodox Church,” His Beatitude said, according to Radio Trinitas.
The bell is the voice of God calling us to prayer
In his homily the Romanian Patriarch also spoke about the significance of Church bells.
“The bells call the living to prayer, mourn the departed and scatter the clouds. But from all these beneficial functions of Church bells we firstly have to remember that the bell is the voice of God calling us to prayer,” His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel said.
Next, His Beatitude granted different awards to those especially involved in the completion of the works at this church.
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One of the few Romanian churches dedicated to the hieromartyr St. Eleftherios, St. Eleftherios church in Bucharest is also one of the most beautiful in the capital city of Romania. The foundation stone was laid in 1935. During the Second World War construction was interrupted, and thus the church was consecrated only in 1971.
