On the Sunday of Holy Fathers of the First OEcumenical Council, His Eminence Metropolitan Vladimir celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Metropolitan Cathedral, assisted by priests and deacons, in the presence of a big number of Christians
During this service, young monk Efrem (Romaniuc) was ordained hierodeacon. His Eminence Vladimir congratulated the young clergyman and called him to obedience, total devotion to the service of the Holy Altar – virtues that embellish the life of a monk giving him the image of a monk. The Metropolitan also called the newly ordained hierodeacon to follow the Holy Apostles, who, following the command of the Savior to go and preach the right faith to the margins of the earth, did so without sparing their forces, many of them giving their own lives for their love for Christ – and it is this kind of life that a monastic should live, with self-denial and absolute love for God.
Thanking His Eminence for advice and wishes, hierodeacon Efrem vowed of sonly obedience and devotion, for the prosperity of faith and salvation of Christians.
Although Paschal holidays are over, the atmosphere of Divine services is persistently solemn, the faces of believers present in the church radiate with pure joy and love for the Lord, which is most important, because the Feast of the Resurrection of the Lord should not be limited in time, but lived permanently, in the hope of salvation and eternal life. Besides, the services celebrated by His Eminence Vladimir are, probably, the most eloquent examples of this spiritual living, because through the love for the church-goers, and through their faith and piety, this elevated state of souls and faithful living, close to Lord, is transmitted to all people around.