Fall Feast Day 2025

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By God’s grace, our monastery hosted its fall feast day in honor of its patron saint, St. Dimitrie the New, on Sunday, October 19. The feast was rich in spiritual blessings. As in years past, His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae was present amid the faithful. Another reason for rejoicing was the presence of the Father Abbot of Holy Putna Monastery, Archimandrite Melchisedec Velnic.

The feast day began on Saturday evening with the celebration of Hierarchical Great Vespers. Following Vespers, His Eminence blessed the “Holy Hierarch Jacob of Putna” Guest House, which the monastery acquired and remodeled this year in order to receive more pilgrims and special guests.

On Sunday morning, there gathered a synaxis of clerics and a large number of faithful, led by His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae. First, His Eminence consecrated the iconography in the monastery church cupola. The new iconography contains beautiful frescoes of the Pantokrator, the heavenly hosts, and the holy prophets. The iconography project was completed this summer by Protosyngellos Pavel Niga, egumen of Holy Putna Monastery, who was present beside Father Abbot Archimandrite Melchisedec for the feast day.

After consecrating the iconography, His Eminence Nicolae celebrated the Divine Liturgy with a synaxis of 6 priests and 3 deacons. Then, as in years past, the departed were commemorated at a memorial service.

At the end, Metropolitan Nicolae comforted the hearts of those gathered with his homily. First, His Eminence recalled several miracles recorded by the Patriarchal Cathedral clergy, which were performed by Saint Dimitrie the New through his holy relics. The Saint especially helped by resolving difficult family conflicts and by healing several people who were suffering from chronic illnesses. Afterwards, His Eminence encouraged the faithful to look deeper and to ask Saint Dimitrie to intercede for their spiritual healing: “A clergyman from the Patriarchal Cathedral bears this testimony: ‘The Saint’s miracles are many, but beyond bodily healing, what is more important is the mystical healing which Saint Dimitrie works in a person’s soul, because very many faithful come and kneel before his holy relics, and when they rise, they are peaceful, luminous, with repentance, and straightened through the Saint’s blessing.’ Many times, we Christians seek bodily healing from cancer or other afflictions, but we all too often forget about the mystical workings of grace, by which God acts in our lives through these hidden miracles of the saints. And most important is being made straight, set on the correct path. After venerating the relics of Saint Dimitrie the New, you cannot remain as you were before.”

During the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, the abbot of our monastery, Protosyngellos Ieremia Berbec, was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite. This crowned 5 years of a fruitful abbacy, during which he sacrificed himself day in and day out for his monastic community and for all the faithful. His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae congratulated Father Abbot Archimandrite Ieremia on the occasion of his elevation, encouraging him to continue shepherding his monastics and faithful pilgrims.

After his homily, His Eminence presented the certificate and medal of the Romanian Patriarchate Centenary to Mrs. General Consul Mihaela-Simona Florea, who was present at the feast day together with all the members of the diplomatic staff at the Romanian Embassy in New York, for the organization of the cultural events earlier this year. Likewise, Father Abbot Archimandrite Ieremia thanked all the volunteers and visitors, but especially Father Abbot Archimandrite Melchisedec, who deigned to come on his third pastoral visit to our monastery.

The feast day finished with a festal agape meal, where God’s blessing was intertwined with fraternal love between all those present. Glory to God for all things!