With the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Atanasie, on Friday, 19 December 2025, the faithful of the Parish of `Holy Great Sovereigns Constantine and Helen, Equal to the Apostles` gathered in prayer and spiritual communion to take part in the celebration of the Holy Mystery of Anointing of the Sick, officiated by a group of priests, in the presence of a significant number of believers.
This rite of healing and spiritual strengthening placed the hearts of those present in a state of peace, recollection, and openness, preparing the proper setting for the teaching that was to follow.
After the celebration of the Holy Mystery of Unction of the Sick, the catechetical conference entitled `The Divine Liturgy – Life in Christ` took place, delivered by Rev Hieromonk Dionisie Stan, counsellor within the Catechetical–Educational Department of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
During the conference, Father Dionisie brought before the faithful the profound meaning of the Divine Liturgy as the centre of christian life, emphasising that participation in the liturgical life is not a formal act, but a calling to real communion with Christ the Living One. The presentation included theological, liturgical, and historical landmarks, as well as aspects of practical liturgics, meant to help the faithful understand more deeply the mystery of the Holy Eucharist and the responsibility of preparing themselves to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord.
Excerpt from Father Dionisie’s address:
`The Divine Liturgy is the gift that flows from the boundless love of God for us. It is the actualisation of the sacrifice of Golgotha, a work filled with divine mystery, in which bread and wine are transubstantiated, through the work of the Holy Spirit, into the Body and Blood of the Lord.
And according to the words of the Holy Confessor Elder Arsenie of Prislop, <<The Blood of the Lamb in Holy Communion still keeps the soul within the bones and the world standing.>> This uninterrupted bond, lasting for more than two thousand years, makes us direct heirs of the Holy Apostles and contemporaries of Jesus Christ.
The greatness of the moments that compose the Divine Liturgy is of divine origin, since they surpass human nature and our power of understanding when relying solely on rational human abilities. Thus, in the Divine Liturgy we transcend with and in God, and earthly actions reflect heavenly mysteries, making us a living Church.
The believer restored in God becomes a microcosm (Saint Maximus the Confessor), and the entire universe becomes a liturgical space, a Liturgy of praise offered to God, through its significant moments, arranged in two complementary parts – the Liturgy of the Word (of the catechumens – instructive) and the Eucharistic Liturgy (of the faithful – sanctifying):
The Liturgy of the Word:
- The Great Blessing, through which our Trinitarian God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – is glorified;
- The Small Entrance, a sign, symbol, and testimony that recalls the Lord Christ’s going forth to preach – the beginning of His public ministry;
- The Trisagion Hymn, which recalls the unceasing chant and praise of the angels offered to God;
- The reading from the Apostle, as a sign of the sending of the holy Apostles to preach;
- The reading from the Holy Gospel (the manifestation and public preaching of the Saviour), the moment in which the Word of God is proclaimed;
- The Litany of the Catechumens, the moment when the unbaptised were invited to leave the church, because although they had received the truth of faith, they had done so only at an intellectual level, not yet being baptised – living members of the mystical Body of Christ.
The Eucharistic Liturgy:
- The Litany of the Faithful – the moment that opens the Eucharistic Liturgy;
- The Cherubic Hymn, a chant that speaks about the Heavenly Powers and about the union between us and them, as we all stand before Christ the Great King, as taught by Saint Germanus of Constantinople;
- The Great Entrance, a liturgical act that reveals the final journey of the Saviour, from Galilee to Jerusalem, before His Passion. According to the words of Saint Symeon of Thessalonica, it also shows the second coming of Jesus Christ in glory from heaven;
- The Symbol of Faith (the Nicene–Constantinopolitan Creed) – formulated by the Holy Fathers during the first two Ecumenical Councils – Nicaea 325 and Constantinople 381; it was introduced into the Antiochian Liturgy towards the end of the fifth century by Peter the Fuller, Patriarch of Antioch, and into the Byzantine Liturgy at the beginning of the sixth century by Timothy I, Patriarch of Constantinople. The entire Church is called to proclaim the Confession of Faith, which is true wisdom (Saint Nicholas Cabasilas);
- The Liturgical Anaphora – which begins with a pre-anaphoral dialogue (Prefatio) and includes several moments (the Anamnesis, the Epiclesis, and the Diptychs). During the Epiclesis, the great miracle of the world takes place, for this is the prayer through which the bishop or priest invokes the Holy Spirit upon us (who form the living Church) and upon the Gifts set forth, transforming them into the Body and Blood of the Lord;
- The Axion of the Mother of God – the commemoration of the Mother of God within the Divine Liturgy, and throughout the entire worship of the Church, began in the fifth century (the Third Ecumenical Council, Ephesus 431), with the Church’s victory over the Nestorian heresy; thus, the Mother of God is recognised and named as the Theotokos (Birthgiver of God);
- The Lord’s Prayer (Our Father) – through the most holy and venerable invocation of the Great and Blessed God and Father, we show, together with all the saints, our status as children of God, teaches Saint Maximus the Confessor;
- The Holy Eucharist (the Communion of clergy and faithful) – the most significant moment of our liturgical life – leading us to the ultimate goal, our deification (Theosis). <<He who has found love eats Christ; he eats Christ every day and every hour and thus becomes immortal,>> says Saint Isaac the Syrian.`
In the final part of the conference, practical aspects were also addressed regarding the faithful’s participation in the Divine Liturgy, the proper attitude within the church, and the importance of authentic liturgical living, in which inner transformation (metanoia) takes precedence over external formalism, without neglecting the order and discipline of church life.
The evening concluded with a session of questions and answers, in a spirit of openness and dialogue, which contributed to the clarification of topics of interest and to the strengthening of communion between the clergy and the faithful present.