The first Sunday of Great Lent, called the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, was celebrated at the Nativity of the Lord Cathedral in Chisinau with the Divine Liturgy officiated by Metropolitan Vladimir of Chisinau and all Moldova.
Assisted at the service by the Cathedral clergy, the arch-pastor prayed for the unity of the Church and peace in the world.
The Feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy marks the day when the Church prays for the returning to the apostolic faith of all those who separated through schisms and heresies. Initially, the feast celebrated the resolutions of the 7th Oecumenical Council in 787, confirmed in 843, putting an end to the iconoclast movements in the Byzantine Empire. The event became a triumph of Universal Orthodoxy, restoring the worship of icons as images of Christ – the incarnate God, of the Theotokos, His Most Pure Mother and Virgin Mary, of saints and their relics.
The Sunday service was unique in its significance for deacon Dionisie Tonu, who was ordained priest for the Monastery of Cuselauca. Metropolitan Vladimir congratulated Fr. Dionisie on this important day, mentioning that this is a significant milestone in his ascension the heavenly service.
A molieben was officiated after the Divine Liturgy, specific to the day of the Triumph of Orthodoxy.
Numerous church-goers partook in the Holy Eucharist, sharing the spiritual joy of the day.
Synodal Sector of Institutional Communication and Mass-Media Relations