Assumption in Romania

Assumption in Romania just celebrated a wonderful moment in its history this past Sunday, June 24, 2007. Three of our brothers were ordained priests in three different sites : Catalin Florea in Cachan (France), Iulian Prajescu in Lille (France) and Ovidiu Robu in the beautiful cathedral of our own diocese here in Iasi. Both of our communities were well represented.

Only Fr. Bernard Stef who remained in Blaj because of his age and Fr. Iosif Gal, who was in France with Catalin family, were not present.

Our Oblate Sisters, who are very numerous in Romania, were also very well represented.

So it was a day of joy for our entire religious family.

The priestly ordination in Iasi was very special : there were 30 young men ordained !!!

What could be better? What cathedral in the world could have boasted of such an event that day?

In the face of such a harvest, what else could be done but to call in three other bishops to lend a hand to our own shepherd, Bishop Petru Gherghel.

It was a perfectly organized ceremony and with British precision, starting at 11 AM and ending at 1:30 PM. In Brazil I have seen it take the same amount of time for one priest!!!!

To be sure, most everything is different here......so well planned and so well implemented. There were, as I said, 30 ordained ----- 14 for the diocese of Iasi, 3 for Bucharest, 10 Conventual Franciscans, 1 Capuchin, 1 Scalabrini, and our own Brother Ovidiu. There was also a wonderful assembly of priests approximately 200.

And on a Sunday!! With the religious, family and friends, the cathedral was woefully inadequate for this crowd, not to mention the fact that they had to endure a scorching sun (that was almost Brazilian) while they waited in the church plaza.

Fr. Guy Clerc from Toulouse, superior of the community where Ovidiu did his diaconate, represented the provincial.

At the end of the ceremony there was great joy. It is the custom in Romania to offer flowers to the newly ordained. Ovidiu didn know where to put them all as he greeted his family, friends, and religious community with big smiles and signs of affection.

My sense is that that evening, after such a beautiful day, Ovidiu, in the secret recesses of his heart, cried out with the psalmist, love you, Lord, my strength, my rock, my fortress (the verse he used in his invitation letter to us all).

May God bless our brothers Ovidiu, Catalin, Iulian, Assumption in Romania and th entire Mission to Eastern Europe.

In September Ovidiu will rejoin his community of the Eastern rite in Blaj, in the region of Transylvania.

Fr. Gwenal