Friday, 17 September 2021, the Monastery of Great Martyr George in Suruceni, Ialoveni district, hosted the liturgical celebration of Holy Hierarch Dionisie Erhan, Bishop of Cetatea Alba-Ismail.
Early morning, Nun Epistimia (Goncearenco), together with the monastic community, greeted the first hierarch of the Orthodox Church of Moldova, Metropolitan Vladimir, inviting the arch-pastor to conduct the celebration of the Divine Liturgy.
Metropolitan Vladimir shared the liturgical celebration with His Eminence Sava, Archbishop of Tiraspol and Dubasari, His Eminence Nicodim, Archbishop of Edinet and Briceni, His Grace Ioan, Bishop of Soroca and Metropolitan Vicar, His Grace Siluan, Bishop of Orhei and Metropolitan Vicar. The arch-pastors were assisted at the Liturgy by archpriest Vadim Cheibas, metropolitan secretary, and numerous priests and deacons.
Liturgical responses were provided by the choir of nuns of the Monastery of Suruceni.
During the Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan Vladimir officiated the priesthood ordination of deacon Iulian Lai, and diaconal ordination of subdeacon Dionisie Chiriac. Both clerics were appointed to ministry in Chisinau parish of the Meeting of the Lord.
The incorrupt relics of St. Dionisie were discovered in 2018 in the crypt of the Monastery of Suruceni, and placed for veneration in the monastery’s church of St. Nicholas.
Thanks-giving litany was officiated after the Divine Liturgy, with prayers to St. Dionisie, who was a prominent spiritual leader of Basarabia.
After the service, Metropolitan Vladimir addressed a message of arch-pastoral guidance to the liturgical community, speaking about the life and acts of St. Dionisie, a devoted pastor of the Church in the territory between rivers Prut and Dniester.
Nun Epistimia, the mother superior of St. George monastic community, thanked the arch—pastors and clergy for the service and spiritual celebration.
Mother Epistimia presented the Metropolitan with a shrine containing a particle of the relics of Holy Hierarch Dionisie, to be placed in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Chisinau.
Synodal Sector of Institutional Communication and Mass-Media Relations