The city of Iasi is preparing to welcome, as every year, pilgrims from the country and abroad for the feast of Saint Parascheva. Along with the holy relics of the Patroness of Moldavia, the holy relics of Saint Andrew the Cretan will be brought this year for worship from the Metropolitan Cathedral of Arkalochori (Crete, Greece). An important motivation for choosing this Saint nicknamed “the exarch of church singers” was conferred by the fact that 2023 is declared by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church as “the commemorative year of hymnographers and church singers (psalts)”.

Schedule October 7-15, 2023
Saturday, October 7
• 6.00: Reading of the Akathist of Saint Pious Parascheva
• 6.30: Departure in procession with the holy relics of Saint Pious Parascheva. IPS Teofan, Archbishop of Iasi and Metropolitan of Moldova and Bucovina will participate
• 7.00: Placement of the holy relics, for worship, in the canopy on the plateau in front of the “Holy Great Martyr Gheorghe” priest’s Home
• 7.00-7.30: Consecration of water (Small Aghiasma) – near the C1 body of the Diocesan Center
• 7.00-11.30: Miezonoptica, Matins, Holy Liturgy and Akathist of the Holy Hierarch Andrei the Critean (in the Metropolitan Cathedral)
• 16.00-18.00: Vespers, Litia and the Chapel of Saint Pious Parascheva (in the Metropolitan Cathedral)
Sunday, October 8
• 6.30-12.00: Miesonoptica, Matins, Holy Liturgy and Akathist of Saint Pious Parascheva (in the Metropolitan Cathedral)
• 16.00-18.00: Vespers, the Chapel of the Mother of God and the Chapel of the Holy Hierarch Andrei the Critean
• 19.00-20.30: The “Path of the Saints” pilgrimage. Procession with the holy relics of Saint Pious Parascheva.
• 20.30: The play Iona by Marin Sorescu. Actor: Lari Georgescu (Sala Unirii, former Cinema Victoria)
Monday, October 9
• 6.45-11.30: Miesonoptica, Matins, Holy Liturgy and Akathist of Saint Pious Parascheva (in the Metropolitan Cathedral)
• 16.00-18.00: Vespers, Chapel of Saint Pious Parascheva
Tuesday, October 10
• 6.45-11.30: Miesonoptica, Matins, Holy Liturgy and Akathist of Saint Pious Parascheva (in the Metropolitan Cathedral)
• 17.00-18.00: Chapel of Saint Pious Parascheva
• 19.00-23.00: Vigil service, Vespers, Litia and Matins of the Holy Hierarch Andrei the Critean (in the Metropolitan Cathedral)
Wednesday, October 11
• 6.45-11.30: Miezonoptica, Akathist of Saint Hierarch Andrew the Critean, Holy Liturgy and Akathist of Saint Pious Parascheva (in the Metropolitan Cathedral)
• 17.00-18.00: Chapel of Saint Pious Parascheva
• 19.00-23.00: Vigil service, Vespers, Litany and Matins of the Holy Great Martyr George (in the Metropolitan Cathedral)
• 19.00: Reception of the holy relics of Saint Hierarch Andrei the Critean at the Metropolitan Cathedral
Thursday, October 12
• 6.45-11.30: Miesonoptica, Akathist of Saint George the Great Martyr, Holy Liturgy and Akathist of Saint Pious Parascheva (in the Metropolitan Cathedral)
• 16.00-16.30: Chapel of Saint Pious Parascheva
• 16.30-18.30: The metropolitan stage of the national competition “Praise the Lord!” (in the Metropolitan Cathedral)
• 18.00: Presentation of works from the Andrei Criteanul series (Doxologia Bookstore)
• 19.00-23.00: Vigil service, Vespers, Litany and Matins of Saint Andrew the Apostle – bringing his holy relics to Iași (in the Metropolitan Cathedral)
Friday, October 13
• 6.45-11.30: Miesonoptica, Akathist of Saint Andrew the Apostle, Holy Liturgy (in the Metropolitan Cathedral)
• 17.00-18.00: Chapel of Saint Pious Parascheva
• 19.00-2.00: Vigil service – Vespers, Litany, Matins and Holy Liturgy (in the Metropolitan Cathedral)
Saturday, October 14
• 7.00-9.00: Miezonoptica, Akathist of Saint Pious Parascheva, Clocks and Great Slavoslovia (in the Metropolitan Cathedral)
• 9.30-12.30: Holy Liturgy (on the podium on the Stephen the Great and Saint Pedestrian Street. The answers will be given by the choir of the Iasi Philharmonic)
• 16.00-18.30: Chapel of Saint Pious Parascheva
• 19.00-23.00: IX Hour, Vespers, Litia and the Chapel of Saint Pious Parascheva (in the Metropolitan Cathedral)
For those who will not be able to be present near the arranged area, we announce that the service will be able to be watched from a distance, on several large screens placed by the Iaşi City Hall in several locations.
Sunday, October 15
• 6.30-9.00: Miezonoptica, Matins (in the Metropolitan Cathedral)
• 9.00-12.00: Holy Liturgy (Metropolitan Cathedral)
• 8.30-12.00: Reconsecration of the “Saint Archdeacon Ştefan” church in Ţicău (Iasi municipality)
• 16.00-18.00: The Chapel of Saint Pious Parascheva and the Chapel of the Mother of God (in the Metropolitan Cathedral)
• 19.00-23.00: Vigil service, Vespers, Litia and Matins (in the Metropolitan Cathedral)