The Romanian Orthodox Church in Las Vegas warmly welcomed the visit of His Eminence Nicolae, Metropolitan of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas. Every year, on the feast of St. George the Great Martyr, His Eminence Nicolae brings his blessing and spiritual guidance.
On Saturday April 20, 2024, Metropolitan Nicolae was welcomed with the traditional bread and salt ritual by the parishioners of the church. Saturday's program included evening Vespers, as well as a memorial service for the founders of our church, those who have contributed to the development of our community in a positive and memorable manner through the Church. The service was followed by a lovingly prepared dinner of Lenten food by the ladies of the AROLA association.
On Sunday, April 21, 2024, the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was conducted followed by the agape meal sponsored by Mrs. Lia Roberts, Honorary Consul General of Romania in Las Vegas and President of the Parish Council of the Church, on which occasion we graciously thank her for her generosity and tireless philanthropic contributions. As usual, Mrs. Flori Constantin, president of the Ladies' Committee, spoiled us with a tasty menu: appetizers, green bean soup, stuffed peppers, salad, and for dessert, we were served a beautiful arrangement of fruit meticulously created by the youth of the church. After the blessing of the food, the parishioners in the social hall "Panta Stanciu" participated in a series of activities aimed at bringing gratitude to all those who contributed to the development and growth of the church community. Next, His Eminence Nicolae was presented with a certificate of gratitude from the Nevada state officials for his unwavering support and devotion to our Church over the past two decades. Afterwards, the children of the Sunday School program performed an impressive artistic program of poems in Romanian.
His Eminence Nicolae's visit emanated not only an act of prayer and blessing, but also a moment of teaching, as our Metropolitan shared in his sermon about the life and learnings of St. Mary of Egypt, commemorated on the 5th Sunday of Great Lent:
"Her life of long repentance is an example to us all, for it is appropriate for everyone to consider their position with God. If we find ourselves in sin, let us turn to God and if we wish to find the answer to the question of who or what can make this change in our lives, as happened in the life of St. Mary of Egypt, we find the answer in the second Holy Gospel we read today. This also refers to a sinful woman, who finds Christ dining in the house of a Pharisee named Simon, came and washed his feet with her tears, anointed them with myrrh and wiped them with the hair of her head. Christ Himself reveals the mystery of this love. The fact that she felt called to repentance by God, that she felt the love of God who raised her from sin: Forgiven are her many sins, says Christ, for she loved much. And to whom little is forgiven, little is loved (Luke 7:47)."
Metropolitan Nicolae also spoke to us about service in the Church, interpreting the first Sunday Gospel:
"If you wish to be first, be servants of all, Christ teaches us. In the Church it is important to serve one another, according to the words of St. Paul the Apostle: 'Bear one another's burdens and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ' (Galatians 6:2). The Church is different from the world. In the Church we do not speak of rule and dominion, but of service. The bishop is the first minister, and his ministry together with the ministry of priests and deacons is about guiding the people on the way of salvation. Our ministry is about finding our way to salvation together. Christ has called some of us to ministry. This means that we are invested with a certain grace to serve the mysteries, to preach the word, that we may be servants and guides to salvation, following his personal example."
His Eminence Nicolae's visit was also an opportunity to strengthen the faith, to teach and to bring communion among the faithful, bringing light and blessings into the hearts and homes of all those who had the privilege of attending the feast day of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Las Vegas. Peaceful Great Lent!
Mihaela Gliga
