Saint Dumitru Monastery in Middletown, New York, hosted its annual celebration of its patron saint on Saturday, October 28, 2023. The joy of the feast began on Thursday evening, when the Vigil service in honor of Saint Dimitrie the New was served. Many faithful gathered at the monastery beginning on the next morning, Friday, October 27, in order to attend the Divine Liturgy followed by the Mystery of Holy Unction.
After the conclusion of the services, there took place a blessing of five of the eight icons that will adorn the spire of the monastery’s pavilion, whose protector is Saint Jacob of Putna, a piece of whose holy relics is kept in the monastery’s church. These icons will serve as a Christian witness to the presence of our Lord and His Saints for everyone who visits the monastery.
The joy of the feast day proper began on Friday evening with the service of Great Vespers and continued the next day with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. Like in past feast days, His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae brought great joy by being present amidst the faithful. The grace of the Divine Liturgy was multiplied by the presence of a large sobor of clergy and by the prayers of everyone who participated in the feast day, likewise in great numbers.
In the homily, His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae highlighted Saint Dimitrie the New, relating the history of the Saint’s protection beginning from 1774, the year when his relics were transferred to Bucharest, unto the strengthening of hope that Saint Dimitrie is a speedy helper for us, just as has been proved throughout the years. “I will remind you in this short presentation of several events in which the Saint’s holy relics truly revealed themselves to safeguard Bucharest. The first is perhaps in 1802, when there was a large earthquake in Bucharest and the city’s tallest tower, belonging to Colțea Monastery, collapsed. Metropolitan Dositei resolved to carry Saint Dimitrie’s relics in procession. Later, in 1813, there was a terrible plague epidemic, infamously remembered as ‘Caragea’s Plague’ after the ruler of Wallachia at the time. In one year’s time, 90,000 Romanians in all of Wallachia perished, from which 40,000 were from the capital. Again, the Metropolitan took out the relics of Saint Dimitrie as well as those of Saint Gregory the Decapolite, brought from Bistrița Monastery of Oltenia. According to the data, the Saint’s blessing was seen immediately because the number of those who succumbed to disease gradually decreased until the plague died out. Later, in 1847, there was a fire, the “great fire” as it is remembered, on the very Sunday of Pascha. A quarter of the city was engulfed in fire. 2,000 buildings and 12 churches were consumed by the flames. Through the prayers of Saint Dimitrie and the procession with his relics for relief of the inhabitants, only 15 people died even though over 2,600 suffered great losses. Another sad event in the history of these relics took place in February 1918, when many Bulgarian soldiers entered the cathedral and stole the reliquary. The Metropolitan Conon Avrămescu asked that all the bells be rung and the thieves were eventually caught after two days and the reliquary was placed once more on the Metropolitan Hill. Another tragic event took place in the year 1940, during the tenure of Patriarch Nicodim Munteanu. Alongside the afflictions of losing population and territories, of the political crisis that followed the abdication of King Carol II, there was also the affliction caused by an earthquake in November of that year. Again, the relics were taken out in procession and they brought peace to the city’s inhabitants. In 1944, the relics protected the cathedral from the German bombing raids. Later, we can recall the boldness of Patriarch Iustinian who in October 1955, the communist regime being in full swing, declared the canonization of many Romanian saints, among whom was also Saint Dimitrie the New. That was when Saint Parascheva and other saints were also canonized, who had previously enjoyed local veneration in Wallachia, Moldavia or Transylvania. After the 1977 earthquake, the communist regime desired to move the Patriarchate from the Patriarchal Hill to a monastery on the outskirts of Bucharest. This idea was intensified in 1981-1984 with persistent pressures upon Patriarch Iustin to move the cathedral to Văcărești Monastery which, in the final days of the communist regime was completely destroyed. Neither Patriarch Iustin nor Patriarch Teoctist gave in, but rather they withstood the lobbying and pressures from the communist regime with great courage. You probably don’t know that in October 1989, on the very day of the Saint’s commemoration, the communist regime organized its great party meeting at the exact time of the procession with the relics. They asked for the relics to be moved from the cathedral, so as not to provoke the party officials. Patriarch Teoctist accepted to move the relics to the foot of the hill, in the Saint Nicholas Church. After two months, the communist regime fell. This history of the protective presence of St. Dimitrie the New was presented by HG Paisie of Sinai, Patriarchal Vicar Bishop, at the Vigil service on October 26 at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest.”
His Eminence concluded his homily with an edifying message: “It is good not to forget our history, because history teaches us how to be Christians. History teaches us how our parents and grandparents lived in a Christian manner. History teaches us how we were protected by Saints, how we passed through great tribulations and through periods of oppression under the Turks and under the communists, how the Saints are those who protected us and who received our prayers. These are things we learn from history. Knowing history is essential for each Christian so that he/she can learn something about the Christian life. Whoever doesn’t know his history doesn’t know his roots, nor his parents, nor his nation, and he won’t know how to pass down our Orthodox Faith and national history to his children and grandchildren. Without these things, we lack identity, we are uprooted people. Therefore, let us not forget our history, let us not forget our faith, let us not forget our ancestors who struggled to remain both Orthodox and Romanian, in that region where many nations trampled us underfoot. Behold, Saint Dimitrie the New offers us this exhortation.”
His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae’s homily was followed by a word of gratitude from Father Abbot Ieremia, addressed to all the clergy present at the feast, as well as to all those who helped the monastery.
Just like times past, those who had reposed in the Lord were not forgotten, being commemorated at a Panikhida service. The celebrations were capped off by a festal agape meal offered by several devoted pilgrims of the monastery. Although one week ago, it was predicted to rain on this day, through God’s love it proved to be a sunny and beautiful day in which, as Father Abbot mentioned, “Saint Dimitrie gave grace, but that grace was maintained through the sacrifice and love of the faithful.”
Rassophore Bogdan Manga
