Pastoral visit of HG Bishop Ioan Casian on the 103rd anniversary of the founding of St. George's and St. Andrew Saguna's Cathedral in Windsor

On the 103rd anniversary of its founding, the faithful of St. George and St. Andrew Saguna Cathedral in Windsor experienced moments of spiritual joy by participating on Saturday and Sunday, October 30-31 in the Vespers and Divine Liturgy officiated by the Diocesan Bishop of Canada HG Ioan Casian being seconded by the parish priest Dragoș Giulea.

The Hierarch of Canada, in his sermon, spoke in the opening part about the importance of Sunday as the day of the Resurrection. Speaking about the real presence of Christ as Eucharist in the life of the Church, the hierarch stressed that: “In the Divine Liturgy we have materially, visibly, we could say, Christ present in the life of the Church in the Holy Eucharist.”

Then the hierarch shows that the finality of the Divine Liturgy is the communion with Christ in Holy Communion. HG Bishop Ioan Casian also shows that:

“The Divine Liturgy is not a service of praise in which we come to hear beautiful songs. It is a Sacrament in which we first listen to the Word of God, and the second part, after Cherubikon, which is a more concrete part, the gifts of bread and wine carried on the Holy Altar, due to the invocation of the Holy Spirit and the prayers of the clergy and believers, are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ.”

The hierarch then continued with an exegesis of the Gospel text, presenting in detail the complex picture that focuses on the rich man and poor Lazarus, emphasizing the importance of philanthropy in the Christian life and talking about eternity and the abyss between heaven and hell.

At the end, HG Bishop Ioan Casian blessed those present.