On the first Sunday after the Nativity of the Lord, His Eminence Metropolitan Vladimir officiated the Divine Liturgy at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Chișinău.
Joining the Primate in prayer were Protopriest Vadim Cheibaș, Metropolitan Secretary and Ecclesiarch of the Metropolitan Cathedral, along with a group of priests and deacons.
The Sunday following the Nativity of the Lord marks the final Sunday of the calendar year, according to the Julian calendar (Old Style).
During the Divine Service, His Eminence ordained Deacon Capiton Catan to the priesthood for the Chișinău Deanery.
The Church prescribes that on this Sunday, the Gospel reading recounts the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt.
With the blessing of the Metropolitan, Father Vadim reflected on the Gospel passage from Matthew 2:13–23, “The Flight into Egypt,” noting that Egypt was a land where the Jewish people experienced slavery and humiliation, often viewed as cursed and filled with idols.
The Gospel passage also describes the return of the Holy Family from Egypt. Joseph intended to return to Bethlehem in Judea, as it was the ancestral home of the Davidic line to which Joseph belonged. However, upon learning that Archelaus, the son of Herod, was ruling in Judea, Joseph chose to settle with the Holy Family in Nazareth.
This demonstrates once again that the Saviour was a pilgrim on this earth, travelling from Bethlehem to Egypt, returning to Galilee, and later visiting Capernaum, Jerusalem, and other places in the Holy Land. His journey reveals that He came as a pilgrim to proclaim the Gospel of Salvation. Similarly, humanity is a pilgrim on this earth, called to understand that no earthly city is permanent, and to seek instead the Kingdom of God, which has been promised and prepared for us.
The service concluded with a Christmas carol concert performed by students from the Alexei Stârcea School of Arts in Chișinău. The performers included the “Cristalini” Choir, directed by Tatiana Panaghiu, the “Crizantema” Ensemble, led by Ludmila Țurcanu, and the “Vivace” Choir, conducted by Elena Gorincioi. They were joined by Ms. Irina Bogataia, Director of the aforementioned institution.
At the end of the event, His Eminence expressed gratitude to all participants for proclaiming the joyful news of the Nativity of the Lord and presented gifts to everyone involved in this beautiful occasion.
Synodal Sector for Institutional Communication and Media Relations