On Sunday after the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, September 15, 2019, His Grace Ioan Casian, the Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Canada, was in the midst of the faithful of the Descent of the Holy Spirit Parish in Windsor, Ontario.

At dawn, the Romanian hierarch was greeted with flowers by the youngest members of the parish. Later, he celebrated the Divine Liturgy having beside Protos. Corneliu Andrașco, visitor from Romania, and Rev. Fr. Nicolae Codrea - doyen. At the end of the Divine Liturgy, a memorial service was celebrated in memory of those who were part of the Reunion of the Ladies who trespassed and who over time have dedicated an important part of their life to the church, as well as for the founding members of the parish.

In his sermon, His Grace Ioan Casian, said:

We are at the beginning of the church year and in this period we have two important holidays which for us are significant as meaning for our life in the church. It is the feast of the Birth of the Virgin Mary from the beginning of September, and the second one was the one of yesterday in which we participate today, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (...)

The Holy Cross reminds us, as the Apostle Paul tells us in the Epistle to the Galatians, that salvation is not obtained from the works of the Law but from faith in Jesus Christ. This means that the Holy Apostle Paul reiterates the same idea that appears in the Gospel of Mark, which repeats the words of our Savior Jesus Christ: the man who wants, to come after Me let him deny himself, let him to take up his cross and follow Me! Here are three steps that the Savior specifies as important steps that one must follow if he wants to follow in His footsteps. Of course, the Savior address an invitation to follow Him. The Christian faith is an invitation, it is a free choice. St. Paul says that salvation is not obtained from our simple deeds. The deeds accompany the faith, the facts manifest the faith

We are glad to be here at the beginning of the year, at this community event in the church around a significant event. It is not unimportant that we gathered around the event of the Holy Cross. Each of you, of us, is looking at the same reality and this brings us all to unity.

Subsequently, the social hall of the parish proved to be unfit for the members of the Romanian community who were present in large numbers at the festive meal organized by the Reunion of the Ladies. Finally, Rev. Fr. Nicolae Codrea thanked first His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian, for the presence in the small Church of Windsor, the guests as well as all the believers who were involved in the celebration. At the same time, he urged all those present to continue to support the social events organized within the parish, as in the next period the parish church will enter into an extensive restoration process.