On Saturday and Sunday, January 20 and 21, 2018, His Eminence Archbishop and Metropolitan Nicolae was in the midst of the Romanian Orthodox faithful of St. Mary's Romanian Orthodox Church of Atlanta. The Protection of the Mother of God parish received with great love and hospitality their hierarch. HE Nicolae’s visit was a special one also for the fact that a copy of the wonder-worker icon of the Mother of God from the Nicula Monastery in Romania was brought for veneration.

On Saturday at 4:00 pm the icon was placed in the middle of the church, and the Orthodox faithful, Romanians and others, began to gather and say prayers in front of this beautiful and symbolic icon of the Mother of God. At 5:00 pm, Fr. Nicolae Clempus, the parish priest, began the Acathist of the Mother of God, where all those present were mentioned in prayer. At 6:00 pm, HE Nicolae with several priests celebrated the Great Vespers. After Vespers, everyone present had the opportunity to watch the documentary about People’s Salvation Cathedral in Bucharest, and another one about the miraculous icon from Nicula monastery, both produced by Trinitas TV.

On Sunday, January 21, HE Nicolae served the Divine Liturgy and then gave a beautiful sermon about the encounter with God and the fruits of such a spiritual experience. "Like Zacchaeus, each of us has the chance of meeting Christ in the Church, in the icon, in the Gospel, and in the Holy Communion. And this encounter can change our lives, as in the case of Zacchaeus, if we approach Him with humility and desire for spiritual ascension," His Eminence said. Everyone present received an icon of the Mother of God as a token of hierarchical love and appreciation. After the Divine Liturgy, HE Nicolae and Fr. Nicolae Clempus met with the faithful of the new established Mission in Greenville, South Carolina.   

For St. Mary’s Parish this weekend was a memorable and a special one. More than 400 people have crossed the threshold of the church and came to venerate the icon of the Mother of God and pray the beautiful words of the Transylvanian song: "I came dear Mother to see you ... Let's tell you the trouble we have..." The presence of the Mother of God icon at St. Mary's Parish in Dacula, GA concluded the pilgrimage with this icon organized in the parishes of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of the United States of America since mid-November 2017.