“The obedience entrusted to me brings a new experience to my life — that of embracing the flock, of carrying on my shoulders, with paternal responsibility, a very large spiritual family, whose shepherd, guardian, and servant I am now appointed to be,” said His Grace Bishop Nectarie on Saturday during his enthronement as Bishop of Ireland and Iceland.
The historic event, marking the enthronement of the first Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Ireland and Iceland, took place at the Church of St. Columba, Dublin II Parish.
“The Church is a place of hope, light, and communion, present in all times, places, and circumstances. The path I begin today is one of mission and self-giving, but also of unceasing service,” the hierarch emphasized.
In his address to the Romanian faithful in Ireland and Iceland, Bishop Nectarie highlighted that the foremost characteristic of a bishop must be spiritual fatherhood.
“Thus, all his missionary work must aim to become a father, laboring tirelessly for the flock entrusted to him. By the mercy of the Lord, the gifts that aid a bishop in his mission are patience, kindness, and paternal comfort,” he stated.
The event was attended by Romanian and foreign hierarchs, representatives of embassies and Irish state institutions, along with clergy and faithful from Ireland and Iceland.
Patriarch of Romania: An event of great and blessed joy for entire Romanian Orthodox Church
Patriarch Daniel sent a message on the occasion of the enthronement of His Grace Bishop Nectarie Petre as the first Bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Ireland and Iceland. The event took place at St. Columba’s Church of Dublin II Parish.
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel reminded Bishop Nectarie that he has “the duty to promote dialog and collaboration with the hierarchs of the other Orthodox Churches in Ireland and Iceland, as well as with representatives of all Christian denominations in these two countries, in order to bear common witness, by word and deed, to show that the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are the spiritual solution to the many challenges of the contemporary world”.
The enthronement of the first Romanian Orthodox bishop in Ireland and Iceland is “an event of great and blessed joy, not only for the Romanian Orthodox community in the two island countries of Western and Northern Europe, but also for the entire Romanian Orthodox Church”, emphasized the Patriarch.
“The entire European continent is today marked by numerous spiritual, economic, social and political crises, and our Christian and Orthodox witness needs to be strengthened and affirmed with even greater wisdom and fidelity to the saving truth of the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ”.
The message was read by the Patriarch’s delegate to the event, His Eminence Hon Metropolitan Nifon, Archbishop of Targoviste and Patriarchal Exarch.
Read the full text:
“Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account” (Hebrew 13, 17).
Your Eminences, Your Graces,
Your Grace Bishop NECTARIE,
Most Reverend and Venerable Fathers,
Esteemed audience,The enthronement of His Grace Bishop Nectarie Petre as the first bishop of the newly established Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Ireland and Iceland is an event of great and blessed joy, not only for the Romanian Orthodox community in these two island countries of Western and Northern Europe but also for the entire Romanian Orthodox Church.
In its working session on February 29, 2024, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church approved the establishment of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Ireland and Iceland, with its headquarters in Dublin, as a suffragan diocese of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of Western and Southern Europe. Then, on October 25, 2024, His Grace Nectarie of Brittany, Auxiliary Bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Western Europe, was elected hierarch of this newly established diocese.
The establishment of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Ireland and Iceland marks the culmination of the efforts made by the Mother Church in caring for the Romanian Orthodox priests and faithful who have settled, either temporarily or permanently, in these two European countries.
Thus, during this solemn moment of the Enthronement, His Grace Bishop Nectarie Petre is entrusted, in cooperation with all the clergy within the newly established diocese, with the noble mission of labouring – “whether the time is favourable or not” (2 Tim. 4, 2) – to shepherd the Romanian Orthodox Christians in Ireland and Iceland on the path of salvation, as well as to preserve their spiritual unity and ethnic identity.
His Grace Bishop Nectarie Petre is one of the youngest hierarchs of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Nevertheless, His Grace is very knowledgeable of the religious realities and pastoral and missionary challenges in Western Europe, both through his contact with the Western context and culture during his years of spiritual and theological formation at the Saint Serge Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris, and especially through the experience gained while serving as Auxiliary Bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Western Europe.
Your Grace Bishop Nectarie,
Serving the people of God in the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Ireland and Iceland means assuming a great responsibility, especially since the diocese entrusted to you today is one that is in the process of organization and consolidation.
However, we are fully convinced that Your Grace, as a worthy and wise servant of God’s Mysteries (cf. 1 Cor. 4, 1), will devoutly serve the Romanian Orthodox community in Ireland and Iceland, faithfully fulfilling the new mission to which you have been called, in cooperation with the other members of the Metropolitan Synod and in full communion with the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Moreover, the entire European continent is today marked by numerous spiritual, economic, social, and political crises. This is why our Christian and Orthodox testimony must be strengthened and affirmed with even greater wisdom and faithfulness to the saving truth of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, Your Grace, as the bishop of the newly established diocese, you have the duty of promoting dialogue and cooperation with the hierarchs of the other Orthodox Churches in Ireland and Iceland, as well as with the representatives of all Christian denominations in these two countries, with the aim of offering a common testimony, both in word and deed, to show that the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ represent the spiritual solution to the multiple challenges of the contemporary world.
On this blessed day, we extend to Your Grace our paternal wishes of health, peace, and help from God, praying Christ the Lord to guide you in the pastoral and missionary work entrusted to you. We also pray that Christ may bestow His sanctifying grace upon all the clergy and faithful of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Ireland and Iceland, as well as upon all those who support Your Grace in the holy activity that you carry out.
With fraternal love and paternal blessing in Christ the Lord,
† DANIEL
Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
Photo credit: Basilica.ro / Photo: Facebook “Biserica Ortodoxă “Sfântul Columba” Dublin II”
