Pastoral Visit of His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian to Gatineau

- a moment of recognition of accomplishments -

On Sunday, February 23, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish of in Gatineau had the joy of receiving a pastoral visit from His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian. The community was blessed with an archpastoral service, during which the hierarch served alongside Father Ciprian Augustin Purcărea and Deacon Iulian Amohnoaie, thus uniting the faithful in prayer and spiritual communion.

In his sermon, the hierarch stated: "As today's Gospel tells us, God has prepared for us the Kingdom of Heaven, Paradise, from which Adam distanced himself through falling away and the temptation of the devil. From the very beginning, God prepared this dwelling for us, this spiritual space in which we can live in His presence.

We also see that every good deed done to our neighbor, to the suffering in this world, is a deed done for God, as Scripture says: ‘Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to Me.’ Man was created in the image and likeness of God, and when someone comforts or performs a good deed for someone in need, in sickness or weakness, it means they are doing a good deed for Christ suffering for God Himself.

In this way, Christ identifies with each of us. We are in solidarity with the concrete person who is suffering, and at the same time, we are united with the suffering of Christ, who suffers alongside the poor, the sick, the hungry, the thirsty, the imprisoned, and the victims of various conflicts in the world and society. We, as human beings, are made in God's image, and we are called to reach for His likeness. Through His incarnation, Christ made Himself our brother, one of us."

The hierarch further spoke about the importance of Christ and the Church in human life: "The Church is the only one that proposes to us this path of forgiveness, of meeting with God, of leaving behind the weight of sin accumulated by our humanity over time. This path cannot be walked by man on his own. Through faith, a person adheres to God's work; however, the One who bears the weight of our sins is Christ. No matter how hard a person tries to do good by himself, without God, he will not succeed.

We can see this clearly in the communist period, a time that proposed good, equality, and justice in society but ultimately led to 94 million victims worldwide. All these circumstances only confirm the words of the Gospel, which tell us that we know a tree by its fruit. Therefore, we must return to ourselves and analyze everything proposed from the outside through the prism of faith, tradition, and the values of the Church.

The Church is the one through which we can radiograph the reality of today’s world. We can see good and evil through the power of God's grace, through everything the Church offers us in the context of the Holy Liturgy, the Holy Sacraments, and its sanctifying work."

During his homily, His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian emphasized the significance of the canonization of 16 new saints by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church. These saints, who lived in times of great trials, were witnesses to faith and spiritual resilience, and their canonization is proof that Orthodoxy is alive and active today through their unwavering testimony of faith. These saints are contemporaries with us and show us how Orthodox faith continues to thrive through their sacrifice and devotion.

The hierarch urged the faithful to live and confess their faith visibly and courageously: "We, as Christians, need to confess our faith and make it visible in the environment where we live. We cannot live in a closed environment of faith; we cannot be double-minded people, living our faith only within the Church, where we come to pray, and then leading completely different lives once we exit its doors. In this way, we are not true in either of these circumstances. A spiritually healthy person is one who remains upright in all that they do, regardless of conditions and risks."

On this occasion, the Romanian hierarch of Canada appreciated the involvement of several parish members, highlighting their dedication to the service of the Church. In a gesture of gratitude, he presented diplomas and anniversary medals to some members of the community, thanking them for their faithfulness and spiritual efforts.

At the end, Father Ciprian Purcărea expressed his gratitude to the hierarch for his words and the gift of his presence, which encouraged the entire community to live their Christian faith more intensely and to strengthen their communion in Christ.

The visit concluded with a fraternal agape, a moment of deep communion that reinforced the bonds among all present, in the spirit of love and unity in Christ.

Father Ciprian Augustin Purcărea