My dear ones, we propose to you for reading the fourth issue of our Magazine – Drops of Wisdom.
Here you will find information on the religious program of our Church, as well as on the events that take place within our Community.
The resumption of publishing this parish magazine came with the signing of the Church’s deeds of purchase, as a gesture of gratitude and thanks to God, the Holy Hierarch Varlaam, and the Holy Pious Parascheva. To read it, please access the line below.
FIRST DAY IN OUR CHURCH
With God’s help and the goodwill of some believers, yesterday we have worked with love and vigor in our Church.
We removed the carpets, from the two levels, We started reconditioning the benches and leveling the level of the altar area.
Certainly Saint Varlaam is happy that we are preparing his house and making him new clothes.
We thank all those who have given a helping hand and we look forward to seeing all of you who want and can support us in preparing the church to serve in it as soon as possible. It is such a beautiful and holy thing to know that you are giving God and your community a small part of your soul.
Every afternoon, starting at 6.30PM, you will find us there – at our Church.
We are waiting for you.
July 25th, 2020 – Signing the purchase documents of our Church
July 25, 2020 – HISTORICAL MOMENT
Dear ones, we are glad to inform you that on Saturday, July 25th, our Saint Protector Varlaam finally found his own house of prayer and remembrance.
On this day, God guided our steps and sent us a Church, only ours, of the faithful of our Romanian community, from the Province of New Brunswick.
On this day, a dream of decades has come true, so that we, the Romanians of this Province, can have a place of worship, which we can leave as a legacy to our children and grandchildren.
On this day, we have inscribed our name in history and in the Kingdom of God.
We are still at the beginning, we still have a lot to do, but we can. All together and with God we will succeed, from now on, to adorn and beautify the House of the Lord.
Soon we will serve the Holy Liturgy in OUR CHURCH!
The location of our Church is 28 River Glade Road, River Glade, Thank God and thank you all.
June 18 – The Second Sunday after Pentecost – Calling the First Apostles
The Apostle
Brethren, glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality. All who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law. For it is not the hearers of the Law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the Law who will be justified. When Gentiles who have not the Law do by nature what the Law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the Law. They show that what the Law requires is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or perhaps excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. (Rom. 2:10-16)
Brethren, glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality. All who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law. For it is not the hearers of the Law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the Law who will be justified. When Gentiles who have not the Law do by nature what the Law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the Law. They show that what the Law requires is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or perhaps excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. (Rom. 2:10-16)
The Gospel
At that time, as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. And going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. And He went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the Kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people. (Matt. 4:18-23)
- For it is not the hearers of the Law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the Law who will be justified. Here, the Lord is very categorical. It is not enough just to hear what God says (of course it is not bad). It is so important to do what we hear God says. In another place, Christ says again clearly: Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 7:21). So let us remember this, such that Christ shall not say to us in the judgment: „If I had not told you …, you would not have had sin …”
- We are all called, but not all of us have the same call. From the Scripture, we learn that there were more people who would have wanted to follow Christ as the disciples followed him, but the Lord gave them another direction. For example, a man haunted by the Devil and saved from this infirmity, when Christ entered into the ship to cross to the other side of Lake Ghenizaret, this man went to Him and told Him that he wanted to follow Him wherever He went. But Christ the Lord said to him: Return to your own house, and say how great things God had done to you (Luke 8.39). These words are guiding words. Just as Christ called some of them and said to them, Follow Me!, he said to others, as he said to that man, ”Go back to your own house, and say how great things God had done to you; Tell them how well God had done to you and how he had loved you”. That’s their call. There was one who also said to the Lord: Master, I will follow You wherever You go. And Jesus sad to Him: Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has not where to lay his head (Matthew 8.19-20). As if he would have said: “Be careful, do you want to follow Me? Do you know what that means? It means you will not have a place for yourself”. Of course, these are exceptional things; We have not to imagine that it is wrong, if we have a house, if we have a household, if we have a place in this world, if we work, prepare food for ourselves and for others. There are the ordinances of God, but He calls some of us in some way, others in another way. What is important? Let us respond to the God`s call, as much as we have the power. Of course, if we want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven … if not ……….
June 4 2017 – DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Pentecost)
JESUS, THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
Texte liturgice:
Acts 2:1-11
John 7:37-52; 8:12
John 7:37-52; 8:12
At that time of the feast Jesus stood up and proclaimed, “If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This is really the prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the scripture said that the Christ is descended from David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” So there was a division among the people over him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. The officers then went back to the chief priest and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this man!” The Pharisees answered them, “Are you led astray, you also? Have any of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, who do not know the law, are accursed.” Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and you will see that no prophet is to rise from Galilee.” Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
- What does Jesus tell us to do if we are thirsty?
- If we believe in him what do we get to do?
- What will happen to a believer’s heart?
- Who is living water?
- What kind of thirst is Jesus talking about in this gospel?
- What does it mean to drink of the holy spirit?
- How does this satisfy our thirst?
Our Mission
The beginning of our Mission does not go too deep in the past. The thinking and the need for a place of worship where the Romanians living in the province of New Brunswick could gather and unite in prayer, under the protective hand of God, started to materialize in 2012, when it was initiated the dialogue with the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America in the perspective of appointing a permanent parish priest.
At the beginning of 2014, Rev. Fr. PhD. Cezar Pelin, from Iasi, Romania, expressed his willingness and availability to serve under the jurisdiction of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America. In this regard, the first invitations to serve in the diaspora were addressed by the His Eminence Archbishop Nathaniel on May 27, 2014.
This initiative materialized on 12 August 2014, through the official request made by Fr. Cezar, to be accepted within ROEA.
In the meeting of the Eparchial Council on September 5, 2014, Fr. Cezar was accepted at the ROEA, with the destination New Brunswick, and also was agreed for the future Mission to be dedicated to “St. Hierarch Varlaam, Metropolitan of Moldavia”, the missionary residence being the city of Moncton.
On September 22, 2014, ROEA addressed to the believers from NB a Letter of Invitation to an informal meeting for the establishment of the Romanian Orthodox Mission in this province.
This Assembly of believers of NB took place on October 11, 2014. The meeting took place after the celebration of the Holy Liturgy, at the Saint George’s Anglican Church in Moncton, and was chaired by Rev. Fr. Dean Ionel Cudriţescu. Also, Rev. Fr. Vicar Dan Hoarste participated on behalf of ROEA. 43 believers in total attended this meeting. The provisional Parish Council was elected in order to continue the administrative actions until the arrival of the parish priest.
On 27 October 2014, the mission was registered with the Canada Revenue Agency as a nonprofit Organization.
The following year, during the meeting of May 2nd 2015, the Mission “St. Hierarch Varlaam” was accepted under the jurisdiction of ROEA.
On July 20, 2015, Fr. Cezar Pelin registered the file to obtain the Permanent Residence. One year later at the beginning of December, the permanent residence was granted to the priest and his family. During this period, with the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Nathaniel, several Holy Liturgies were accomplished in the cities of Moncton, Fredericton and Saint George, through the work of Fr. Vicar Dan Hoarste and Fr. Cosmin Vinţ, priest at the Parish “Acoperământul Maicii Domnului”, Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan.
On December 20, 2016, the reverend Cezar Pelin and his family (wife and three children), arrived in New Brunswick and reside since then in Moncton.
The first liturgy took place during the Christmas Day 2016 and since then, Fr. Cezar Pelin officiate the Holy Liturgy on every Sunday alternatively in one of the main cities of the province – Moncton, Fredericton and Saint George. Also, the Holly Liturgies are addressed not only to the Romanian believers, but also to all the orthodox believers, as the liturgical language is in Romanian and English equally.
July 25, 2020 – HISTORICAL MOMENT. On this day, the Saint Hierarch Varlaam found a house of prayer and remembrance, by signing the offer to buying a place of worship. The location is 28 River Glade Rd., River Glade, New Brunswick.
On August 6, the Service of water blessing and the Service of the Akathist of Saint Hierarch Varlaam were officiated in the new location.
On August 9, for the first time, the Holy Liturgy was celebrated in Our Parish Church.
Thanking God for all the achievements so far, we have a sacred duty to build the mysterious Church within us and among ourselves, as well as to take care of and beautify the place of worship that he has brought in our way.
Let us grow our spiritual life by active participation in the Holy Liturgy, by bringing our children and youth to the Church, teaching them the principles of our faith – love and forgiveness.
May Good Lord bless our Province and our Community so that we live in peace, joy and harmony, and deliver us from the evil.
Parish Priest
Born in 1976, in the town of Barlad, Vaslui County, on September 23, as a son of Cezar and Genovia PELIN, between 1991-1995, he attends the “Mihai Eminescu” Theoretical High School in Barlad, Mathematical-Physics section. Between 1997 and 1999, he attended the School of Church Singers in Husi, where he held two years of study (II and III) in one calendar year. In 2000, she meets Miss Gabriela Teletin, with whom she marries and has three children – Teodora, Sofia and Cezara. On January 5, 2008, he is ordained into Deacon by His Beatitude Daniel, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, and on July 4, 2011, is ordained into Priest, by His Eminence Teofan, the Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bucovina. Over the years, she has gained a wealth of experience in the field of administration, academia, media, as well as in the development and implementation of projects with European funding. After a period of about 10 years of priestly experience, in the winter of 2016, he establishes, with his family, in Moncton / New Brunswick where, with the blessing of His Eminence, Archbishop Nathaniel, is appointed to serve the Romanians in the Canadian Maritime Provinces. After having served in Romania in a church in Iasi, built by the martyr Miron Barnovschi and sanctified by Metropolitan Varlaam, by the care of God, the Church of the Romanians in the province of New Brunswick will be protected by the same Metropolitan Varlaam, a promoter of the Romanian language and a worthy defender of the right faith.
Education and Training
– CPR & First Aid Certificate – YMCA Moncton 2017
– Graduation Certificate – Youth Worker – World Vision Romania 2014
– Diploma – Pharmacy Assistant – EAF Iaşi 2011-2014
– Diploma – Doctor in Theology – Iasi University 2009-2012
– LLP – ERASMUS – Marc Bloch University of Strasbourg, France 2008 – 2009
– Diploma – Master Historical and Practical Theology – University of Iasi 2007 – 2009
– Graduate Certificate – Department for Teacher Training 2003 – 2007
– Bachelor – Pastoral Theology – Iaşi University 2003 – 2007
Professional experience
– Secondary Youth Worker – Alternative Suspension – YMCA Moncton 2017 – Present
– Role Model – Beyond the Bell Program – YMCA Moncton 2017 – Present
– Volunteer – Plusone Mentoring Program – YMCA Moncton 2017 – Present
– Parish Priest – Saint Varlaam Romanian Orthodox Church – New Brunswick 2016 – Present
– Regional Coordinator (Social Relations Specialist) – Project Choose School!, in the West, South-West Oltenia and North West Development Regions POSDRU / 162 / 2.2 / S / 136275, Bucharest (Romania) 2014 – 2015
– Educational Center Administrator – `Choose School’ Project, POSDRU / 162 / 2.2 / S / 151500, Iasi (Romania) 2015 – 2016
– Communication and Public Relations Assistant – The Project Chooses School!, in the West, South-West Oltenia and North West Development Regions POSDRU / 162 / 2.2 / S / 136275, Bucharest (Romania) 2014 – 2015
– Servant priest – St. Nicholas Church, Iasi 2014 – 2016
– Gestionar – SC Bohemia SRL Iaşi 2013 -2014
– Cult Councilor – World Vision Iasi / Romania 2012 – 2014
– Servant priest – The Beheaded of St. John the Baptist Church, Iasi 2011 – 2014
– Associate Professor Assistant – Iasi University, Faculty of Orthodox Theology 2009 – 2014
– Deacon – The Beheaded of St. John the Baptist Church, Iasi 2008 – 2011
– Editor – Trinitas Radio Station 2006 – 2013
– Church Singer – The Beheaded of St. John the Baptist Church, Iasi 2003 – 2006
– Church Singer – Holy Emperors Constantin and Elena Church, Barlad 1999 – 2003
– Editor – Unison Radio Station, Barlad 1995 – 1997
Scientific activity
– “Liturgical Concerns in the Work and Work of the Patriarchs of the Romanian Orthodox Church” – PhD thesis, appearing
Volume Coordinator (Collaboration)
– „Studia Theologica Doctoralia”, vol. I, Ed. Tehnopress, Iași, 2010, 185 p., ISBN 978-973-702-842-6
– „Studia Theologica Doctoralia”, vol. II, Ed. Junimea, Iași, 2011, 542 p., ISBN 978-973-37-1525-2
– Melchisedec Ștefănescu, „Teologia Pastorală”, 1862, re-edition (transliteration, notes and comments), Ed. Doxologia, Iași, 2011, 227 p. ISBN: 978-606-8278-31-5.
– PhD Prof. Petre Semen, „Meditatii la Psalmi”, vol. I and vol. II, Ed. Sf. Mina, Iasi, 2014. This book is putting in writing the „Atlas Biblic” Show, produced and presented by me, at Trinitas Radio Station
Translations of Volumes
– Sfântul Firmilian,Episcop al Cezareei Capadociei, „Scrisoarea LXXV” adresată către Sf. Ciprian al Cartaginei (translation, notes and comments), in „Studia Theologica Doctoralia”, vol. I, Ed. Tehnopress, Iași, 2010, pp. 111-130, ISBN 978-973-702-842-6.
– Robert Cabié, La Pentecôte: l’évolution de la Cinquantaine pascale au cours des cinq premiers siècles (translation and introductory study), appearing.
Studies
– „Simbolul de credință baptismal preniceean”, in vol. „Autocefalia Bisericii şi mărturisirea credinţei”, Ed. Doxologia, Iaşi, 2010, ISBN: 978-606-8117-70-6
– „Preotul nonagenar Nicolae Rusu – mărturii despre Facultatea de Teologie din Cernăuți”, in vol. „Învăţământul universitar vocaţional la ceas aniversar – 2010. Studii şi cercetări”, Ed. Doxologia, Iaşi, 2010, pp. 49-66; ISBN 978-606-8117-89-8
– „Învățătura despre Patimile lui Hristos în cea de-a XIII-a cateheză baptismală a Sfântului Chiril al Ierusalimului”, in „Studia Theologica Doctoralia”, vol. II, Ed. Junimea, Iași, 2011, 542 p., ISBN 978-973-37-1525-2
– Elemente de ordin liturgic în lucrarea „Iconografia și întocmirile din internul bisericei răsăritene”, a Patriarhului Miron Cristea, în „Studia Theologica Doctoralia”, vol. III, Ed. Doxologia, Iași, 2011, pp. 425-434, ISBN 978-606-8278-52-0
– Episcop Nicodem, „Călăuza creștinului la Biserică sau Cum se cuvine să stea creștinul în Biserică la Slujba Sfintei Liturghii”. Aspecte liturgice, în „Studia Theologica Doctoralia”, vol. IV
Articles, chronologies, notes
– „Cursuri de Pastoraţie urbană susţinute la Facultatea de Teologie „Dumitru Stăniloae” din Iaşi, 20-23 mai 2008, in „Candela Moldovei”, XVII, nr. 5-6, May-Jun 2008, pp. 29-30.
– „Darurile Înălțării vin să-i mângâie și pe înaintașii noștri – Despre sărbătoarea Înălțării Domnului”, in „Lumina Magazine”, Thursday, Jun, 2nd, 2011
– „Cele 12 Vineri”, in „Lumina Magazine”, Monday, October, 17, 2011, p. 7
– „Care sunt și ce semnificație au veșmintele slujitorilor Sfintelor Altare”, in „Lumina Magazine”, Wednesday, July, 11, 2012, p. 3
Scientific communications, conferences, symposiums (organization and participation)
– National Symposium „Dinamica Spirituală a Ortodoxiei românești: de la Crez, la Autocefalie (325 – 1885)”, Botoșani, Seminarul Teologic Liceal Ortodox „Sf. Gheorghe”, November 24-25, 2010
– International Symposium „Studia Theologica Doctoralia”, edition 1, Iași, Facultatea de Teologie „Dumitru Stăniloae”, December, 10, 2009
– International Symposium „Anul omagial al Crezului și autocefaliei Bisericii Ortodoxe Române”, Iași, Facultatea de Teologie „Dumitru Stăniloae”, October, 15-16, 2010
– International Symposium „150 de ani de la întemeiere şi 20 de ani de la renaşterea învăţământului teologic modern”, Iași, Facultatea de Teologie „Dumitru Stăniloae”, October, 28, 2010
– International Symposium „Studia Theologica Doctoralia”, edition 2, Iași, Facultatea de Teologie „Dumitru Stăniloae”, December, 13-14, 2010
– International Symposium „Studia Theologica Doctoralia”, edition 3, Iași, Facultatea de Teologie „Dumitru Stăniloae”, May, 16-17, 2011
– International Symposium „Studia Theologica Doctoralia”, edition 4, May, 16-17, 2012
– International Symposium „Tainele Bisericii – pelerinaj spre sfințenie”, Iași, Facultatea de Teologie „Dumitru Stăniloae”, October, 16-18, 2011.