Moldova: in a land of missionEaster set against the background of Christian spring, as experienced by Catholics faithful in Moldova. During the period of Lent, several parish churches organized days of retreat and popular missions that were attended by a large number of faithful. The morning of April 9 the clergy of the diocese along with many religious and lay faithful gathered around bishop Anton Costa for the Holy Mass during which he administered the sacrament of Confirmation. During the Holy Mass celebrated in the “Divine Providence” Cathedral in Chisinau, the 24 priests who attended the celebration renewed their priestly promise in this land of mission. In fact, many of the 28 priests that serve in the diocese of Chisinau come from foreign countries like Poland, Ukraine, Germany, Italy and Romania. On April 9, during the Eucharistic celebration held the evening of Holy Thursday, in the Episcopal Cathedral of Chisinau, seven adults received the First Communion, and on Easter evening four adults were baptised. And since the Church is a large family, on April 12, the day of Easter, a meeting with the families was organised in the parish of the Cathedral of Chisinau with the support of the diocesan Caritas. Many families – parents, children and grandparents – convened for a traditional Easter supper that included red-painted eggs and traditional Easter cakes. Bulgaria: the poor and the children of Sofia and Ruse The Parish of the Saint Joseph’s Cathedral in Sofia organized a lunch for the poor on April 13, Easter Monday. As many as 44 adults, including sick and lonely parishioners, convened in the Pastoral Center of the parish of the cathedral for the traditional Easter Lunch. The parish priest of the Cathedral, Fr. Marius Poltsin Ofmconv, blessed the attendants and thanked the donors, the organizers and the volunteers who contributed to the initiative on behalf of the diocesan Caritas. The Easter lunch was funded with the sums collected on Palm Sunday by Franciscan tertiaries of the parish of the Cathedral. On the eve of the Feast of Easter the Caritas chapter of Ruse launched an initiative for the town’s children, to enable them to enjoy “a happy Easter and the warmth of a family”. With this initiative, called “Ruse for the children of Ruse”, Caritas plans to offer 100 children living in situations of extreme poverty a beautiful vacation and the warmth of a family, in the Christian hope of resurrection. “Each child has the right to grow up in a safe and sound family environment”, states a note by Caritas. The purpose of the campaign is to raise public-awareness, involving also companies and Ruse’s local authorities into granting funds and cooperation that will enable the social integration of the children in need while preserving family values.Romania: on the roads of Cluj-NapocaOn the afternoon of Wednesday April 15, during the Holy Week for the faithful of Byzantine rite, a group of young artists performed the Via Crucis along the streets of the city of Cluj – Napoca. The actors representing Jesus, the soldiers, Pilate, Mary, and the pious women, were accompanied by a procession of several hundred Greek-Catholic faithful. Among them was also the Greek-Catholic bishop of Cluj-Gherla, Msgr. Florentin Crihalmeanu. It’s the fifth year that the Via Crucis is staged along the streets of the city. “It’s a moment of prayer”, explained Fr. Ioan Maties, in charge of the pastoral care of the laity in the Eparchy of Cluj-Gherla. Some of the passers-by stopped to watch the actors’ while others joined in the procession. “I decided to do this to make people understand that Easter doesn’t mean filling shopping-bags. It’s the Feast of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, who redeemed the world with his death, thus he also redeemed us”, said Dan Les, the young artist who played Jesus.
