Bishop Ioan Casian of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada congratulated women and mothers and said they should be examples in contemporary society.
“On the festive moment of civil society, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, and with deep devotion to the Mother of God, a perfect model of the Christian woman and mother, we send congratulations, thanks and blessings to all Christian mothers and women, presbyteras and catechists who cultivate through prayer, word, and deed, faith in Christ the Crucified and Risen One providing much light, care, and comfort in the life of our Church, family, and secular society.
May the model of prayer, discretion, elegance and sacrifice of the Mother of God and of Myrrh-bearing women be a help and strength to all to overcome adversity, to raise and educate the children of the great family which is the Church but also of the natural family in the faith, in generosity and love for each other.
The courage and deep faith of Christian women who confessed and followed Christ against the vicissitudes of time must be landmarks for today’s women and mothers who are the ones who pass from generation to generation, in time of peace or war, the spiritual, cultural and moral values of the Orthodox faith.
Like the pattern set by saints, martyrs, and myrrh-bearing women, here in Canada, we meet faithful and sacrificial women in universities, churches, and schools, in industry, in hospitals, and in nursing homes, caring and comforting souls, showing and sharing light, faith, hope and love for God around them.
We thank all of them, mothers, grandmothers, and Christian women for their sacrifice and care. We, in turn, will remember them in prayer and wish them health and salvation, peace and joy for many blessed years!”.
