On Monday, 7 April 2025, His Eminence Metropolitan Vladimir, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Moldova, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Nativity of the Lord in Chișinău, on the occasion of the glorious Feast of the Annunciation.
On this day, which commemorates a pivotal event in Christian history, the faithful gathered at the cathedral to attend the divine service, giving due glory to God, who through His Archangel announced to the Most Pure Virgin Mary that she would, in purity, give birth to the Saviour of mankind.
During the Small Entrance, His Eminence promoted Hieromonk Agafanghel (Pleșca), parish priest of the “Holy Trinity” Church in Grătiești, Chișinău, to the rank of Archimandrite.
Thus, the congregation, together with the Primate and the clergy of the Cathedral, prayed in Christian love and unity, asking the Lord to bless, guide, and strengthen them to receive with open hearts the spiritual joy of this holy day.
At the conclusion of the service, with the blessing of the Archbishop, pastoral message on the Gospel and the feast was offered by Archpriest Vadim Cheibaș, Metropolitan Secretary and Cathedral Eclesiarch. He exhorted the faithful to continue the Holy and Great Lent in prayer and purity, receiving the Life-giving Sacraments of Christ, and to return to their homes with prayer in their hearts and minds.
The Feast of the Annunciation is a joy for both heaven and earth. Above all, it is a feast of joy, for the first word spoken by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, as he brought the greatest message in human history, was “Rejoice!” And indeed, after an initial moment of awe and uncertainty at such an unexpected message, understanding that the messenger had come with power from God (for the name “Gabriel” is interpreted as “my strength is God”), the Virgin Mary was overwhelmed by an indescribable joy, filled with grace, especially when the Archangel said to her: “Rejoice, O full of grace!”
Sector for Institutional Communication and Media Relations of the Synod