Feast of the Protection: 180,000 venerate relics in Iași, humanitarian work noted

The post opens with a greeting for the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos on October 14, asking that the Theotokos cover the faithful with her honorable omophorion, keep them in peace and love, and intercede before her Son and God. It reports that a pilgrimage in Iași, Romania, where the relics of St. Paraskeva and St. Paisios of Mount Athos rest, drew about 180,000 faithful from October 8 to the feast day.

Over 28,000 attended the festal Liturgy. The author, Jelena Vukićević, founder of the page "pojedinac_porodica_i_drustvo," thanks the 58,000 followers for living love, peace, and fellowship together and for manifesting benevolence through works of mercy. She notes their participation in 72 one-time humanitarian actions across Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina over three years, and that many also actively help people in Kosovo and Metohija.

She specially thanks those who, through the "Measure of My Soul" personal development model based on work in the spirit of Orthodox dogmatics, have witnessed how much it is possible to change oneself, grow spiritually, and become a better person. The message closes with three Scripture verses: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Mt. 5:7), "Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me" (Mt. 25:40), and "Little children, love one another" (1 Jn. 4:7), urging that these words remind the faithful to become better people day by day and confirm love by deeds wherever possible.

The post is signed by Vukićević, Isaiah, Christina, and Nikola, with iconography credited to Rada Nestorović and Branka Raković.