After the celebration of Passion Week, at the end of which our voices open to the glorious song "Christ is Risen" and as a people we respond: "Truly He is risen", filling our existence with joy and hope, we find ourselves in the midst of "Bright Week" with another week of work and preparation, for the first feast in honor of the young Martyr St. John the Valahite. The celebration was attended by Fr. Daniel Ene, secretary of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolitanate of the Americas, and in charge, with permission by His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae, of the Romanian communities in Latin America, Fr. Antonio, parish priest of the Church of St. Constantine and Helen in Caracas, Venezuela (a wooden church brought entirely from the Maramureș region of Romania) and the Romanian Ambassador to Colombia, His Excellency Manuel Pleșa and his distinguished wife Violeta Pleșa.
Several activities were organized on this occasion:
On Saturday, May 11, in the afternoon, the social action "Food of Love" was carried out with the delivery of 100 plates of food in the neighborhood "La Cangrejera", in the La Playa sector. There we shared a moment of fraternity and prayer. It is now the fourth time that we are carrying out this action through the contribution of the faithful and friends from Colombia and abroad, especially the Honorary Consul of Romania in Las Vegas: Lía Roberts. On this occasion we were accompanied by our distinguished guests, including the Ambassador, his wife and Fr. Daniel who came directly from the airport to participate in this activity.
In the evening of the same day, at 6:00 p.m., the Divine Liturgy of the Unction service was celebrated, at the end of which all the faithful present were anointed with holy oil. Prayer was offered both for the healing of the body and the healing of the soul, as an aid of the Church to the faithful to remain steadfast in the midst of the world and its problems. On Sunday, May 12, at 8:00 a.m., four new Orthodox believers were welcomed into the Church: Sara, Javier, Carolina and Gabriel who received the Holy Baptism, then partook of the Holy Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ . At 10:00 a.m. the Holy Liturgy was performed, with Gabriel, the church singer of the Church of St. Constantine and Elena in Caracas, leading the choir. Next, a lunch was offered, organized by priestess Sophia, to all those present who could stay, given that it was Mother's Day in Colombia and not all faithful could be present.
On the morning of Monday, May 13, the Parish Council meeting was held in the presence of two young people from Puerto Colombia, who have applied for scholarships to Romania for higher education. With God's help they will leave Barranquilla for Bucharest to study at the Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest in August. We also had with us Abraham Olaya Tahán, who presented his work and experience in social and educational activities to work together with members of the church for the most needy in Barranquilla. We were also accompanied by the Honorary Consul of Romania in Barranquilla: Joseph Daccaret, who also presented his work in promoting Romanian culture and traditions in various institutions in the city.
They also talked about the possible change of the space where the chapel functions and finding a new place of worship, as well as the realization of the Divine Liturgy according to the custom and tradition of the Romanian Orthodox Church, emphasizing that the building of our own church is a priority.
On Tuesday morning, May 14, a protocol meeting was held with the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Barranquilla, Monsignor Pablo Emiro Salas. This meeting was attended by the Romanian Ambassador to Colombia, His Excellency Mr. Manuel Pleșa, the Honorary Consul of Romania Mr. Joseph Daccaret, as well as Fr. Daniel and Fr. Esteban. In the name of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan of the Americas and on behalf of our Archbishop and Metropolitan Nicolae, an icon of the Mother of God was given to the Catholic Archbishop of Barranquilla.
Later, there was a meeting with the International Affairs Office of the Barranquilla City Hall. Immediately afterwards we went to the headquarters of the Atlantic Government where the Governor Eduardo Verano himself welcomed us. There we discussed the possibility of twinning the city of Barranquilla with the city of Tulcea, in Romania, due to their hydrographic similarity, thus establishing the twinning of the county of Tulcea with the department of Atlantico. The new Governor of the Colón region of Panama was present in the same location, and since Ambassador Manuel Pleșa is also responsible for Panama and the Dominican Republic, a few words were exchanged.
In the afternoon, a meeting was held with the Executive President of the Barranquilla Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Manuel Fernández Ariza, where various trade topics were discussed. During these last two visits, icons of the Blessed Mother were gifted, which also provided an opportunity to discuss the Orthodox faith in an atmosphere of deep respect and receptivity.
Thanks be to the Good Lord for all that has been accomplished in less than a year of work under the jurisdiction of the Romanian Patriarchate, under the omophorus of our Father and Archpriest, His Most Eminence Archbishop and Metropolitan Nicolae.
May this beautiful feast of St. John the Valakite inspire us to work towards new horizons, fulfilling the divine exhortation: "Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). Most Holy Mother of God, save us!
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