St. Dumitru Monastery Celebrates Annual Feast Day in New York

MIDDLETOWN, NY — St. Dumitru Monastery of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas celebrated its annual feast day on Oct. 24, with Met. Nicolae of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas presiding at the Divine Liturgy.

The celebration began with Great Vespers on Friday evening and continued Saturday morning with the hierarchical Divine Liturgy. The service was attended by clergy from several Orthodox jurisdictions and featured the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God, brought to the monastery by Fr. George Temidis with the blessing of Metr. Nicholas of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR).

In his homily, Metr. Nicolae spoke about the miracles attributed to St. Dumitru the New, the monastery’s patron saint. He recalled accounts of the saint’s intercessions during outbreaks of plague and periods of drought in Bucharest in the 19th century.

“St. Dumitru the New has protected the city of Bucharest on numerous occasions from dangers and calamities. . . . During the reign of Prince Ioan Voda Caragea, the city was struck by a severe plague epidemic. At the request of the ruler, the holy relics of St. Dumitru were carried in procession around the city, while prayers and intersession were offered to the saint for deliverance from the plague. From that very day, the plague ceased to claim new victims,” Metr. Nicolae said.

Fr. George Temidis also spoke about the history of the Kursk Root Icon, recounting its discovery in 1295 near the Russian city of Kursk and the miracles associated with it. According to the account, the icon was found at the root of a tree, where a spring of water began flowing from the ground.

At the conclusion of the celebration, the monastery’s abbot, Archimandrite Ieremia, thanked the clergy, pilgrims, and volunteers who took part in the festivities. He also presented Metr. Nicolae with a hand-embroidered epitrachelion and omophorion set in recognition of the 10th anniversary of his elevation to the rank of metropolitan.

The monastery also held a memorial service for the founders of the monastery and Mr. Dumitru Minciu, who gave the plot of land to the monastery. The celebration concluded with a communal meal.

Previously, the UOJ reported that Holy Cross Parish of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America marked its 120th anniversary of parish life.