In Romania, over 60,000 venerate relics of St. John Chrysostom
Faithful bid farewell to the relics of St. John. Photo: basilica.ro
From July 11 to 16 in Bucharest, more than 60,000 faithful from all over the country venerated the relics of St. John Chrysostom, according to the website of the Romanian Patriarchate.
The saint’s relics were brought from Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos and placed in the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest next to the relics of St. Demetrios Basarabov, the heavenly patron of Romania’s capital, as well as Saints Constantine and Helen, Equal to the Apostles, and St. Nectarios of Aegina.
The pilgrimage was timed to coincide with the summer celebration of St. Demetrios’s feast. According to clergy and authorities, up to 7,000 people venerated the relics every four hours.
Families came together; many waited in line for hours to pray for health, peace, and spiritual comfort. Some venerated the holy relics multiple times.
During the pilgrimage, many of the sick asked the saint for healing. The abbot of Vatopedi Monastery, Archimandrite Ephraim, recalled that ancient manuscripts from the monastery preserve testimonies of miracles worked when the saint’s holy head was transferred.
According to priests, the presence of the relics in Romania revived the faith of many people:
“We see that people have not forgotten God. Even young people are standing in line to venerate the relics,” noted Archpriest Adrian Medesan.
The arrival of the relics coincided with the 251st anniversary of the translation of St. Demetrios Basarabov’s relics to Bucharest.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Romanian Church is set to canonize 16 contemporary saints.
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