Metropolitan Arsenios of Austria visited the recently established parish of St. Nicholas in Mödling, which will also include the faithful of Traiskirchen, on Sunday, November 7, 2021.
The congregation from the surrounding area welcomed the Metropolitan with joy during this first visit. Metropolitan Arsenios presided over the Divine Liturgy, along with the Priest of the Parish, Protopresbyter Sladjan Vasic, the priest of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Tencho Veselinov, and the Archdeacon of the Holy Metropolis of Austria, Fr Maximos.
On the occasion of the Sunday evangelical passage, the Metropolitan referred to the unwavering faith in God, which leads to divine intervention.
The steadfast faith of the Christian, stressed Metropolitan Arsenios, unites not only with Christ himself but also with His Church, with the living who support and with the Saints who intercede. Close to the Lord, we find new strength to overcome every disease, every weakness. By obeying the Gospel, we live daily the change of the course of our lives and we are strengthened for the various trials, said the Metropolitan and called on the faithful to remain with deep trust in Christ, connected with His Church, as members of a family.”
The Metropolitan of Austria also thanked Fr. Sladjan for his tireless efforts for the establishment of the Parish as well as the Mayor of Mödling for the noble concession of the Holy Temple of the Orphanage as a place of worship of the Orthodox of the Holy Metropolis of Austria. He also expressed his gratitude to the members of the local ecclesiastical communities for their assistance to the new Parish.
A procession of the Holy Icons around the Holy Temple followed and a prayer for the sick and for all people. According to the Metropolitan of Austria, the Parish is called to be a pole of attraction for all Orthodox believers, regardless of their origin, but also a place where Divine Providence will unite people and heal their needs.
Protopresbyter Fr. Sladjan, excitedly presented to Metropolitan Arsenios as a gift of the Parishioners for his 10-year Hierarchy in Austria an Episcopal Egolpion. “It is a great pleasure for a Bishop to see his children walk in the Gospel and get closer and closer to Christ”, concluded Metropolitan Arsenios, thanking the believers who remained in the area for discussion and mutual acquaintance.