12302017

News and Events - December 2017

NEWS AND EVENTS - Saturday, December 30, 2017

THE RELICS OF ST. MARDARIJE IN MISSISSAUGUA

The week of December 16-23, 2017 will leave its eternal trace to the faithful of the Mississaugua parish and all the Orthodox in metro Toronto. The Cathedral of the Synaxis of Serbian Saints in Mississaugua welcomed the incorrupt relics of the great Serbian saint of the North American continent - St. Mardarije, the first bishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Canada. Upon welcoming their ruling hierarch, His Grace Bishop Dr. Mitrophan of Canada, the prayers of the over six hundred faithful were directed at the relics of St. Mardarije, which were piously brought into the church by Archimandrite Athengoras and Protosindjel Vasilije.

While the chanters sang the tropar and the kondak to the saint, Bishop Mitrofan censed the relics, the icon, and the bishops, and the serving clergy bowed their heads to the first hierarch of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of America and Canada. The Holy Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was officiated by His Grace Mitrophan, Bishop of Canada, with the concelebration Archbishop Irenee, Archbishop of Ottawa and the Archdiocese of Canada (OCA), Bishop Andrew (Ukrainian Orthodox Church,Patriarchate of Constantinople), and Bishop Georgije, retired Bishop of Canada and 16 representatives of all canonical Orthodox jurisdictions in Canada. The cathedral choir sang the responses together with St. Demetrios Ukrainian choir, students of the Theological School of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Toronto and a chantors at the chanters stand from the host parish.

Also participating in the service was Vasilije Petkovic, the General Consul of the Serbian Republic in Toronto.

During the liturgy Bishop Mitrophan ordained Deacon Milorad Delic, a graduate of Theological Faculty in Belgrade, to the priestly rank, advising Fr. Milorad and all gathered of the responsibility, but also the blessing, which he bears each day.

The clergy of the Canadian Diocese alternately anointed the faithful with oil from the lampada of St. Mardarije, and dozens of families offered candles in their prayerful petitions to the Lord. All the faithful were given paper icons of St. Mardarije, a copy of the same icon written at Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Monastery in Jordanville for this cathedral. In his homily, Bishop Mitrophan described the life of St. Mardarije calling all of us to follow his example of faithfulness to the Church and our Lord Jesus Christ, that through our prayerful endeavors we be made worthy of God who is great in His Saints. The cathedral dean, Fr. Jovan Marjanac, thanked all those gathered for their participation in this historic meeting, gifting the serving hierarchs hand-made crosses.

Following the liturgical celebration the faithful moved to the church hall where the hard working sisters of the parish, the Kolo Srpskih Sestara, prepared lenten refreshments for all the faithful, and a humble lunch for the serving clergy. This great liturgical meeting confirmed once more the important role of the Synaxis of Serbian Saints Cathedral for all of Orthodoxy in Ontario.

During the entire following week, Divine Liturgy was served every day before the relics of the saint and the church was open for the faithful to offer their prayers to the righteous one of God. We were honored to have priests offered the bloodless sacrifice in our church in Greek, Romanian, Arabic and Church Slavonic, in honor and glory of St. Mardarije.

During the entire week a special grace of the Holy Spirit was present on all who came to the Saint in the church. His presence among the faithful in Mississaugua will remain through the iconographic image of his radiant face, which will be displayed everyday to the glory of God.