His Grace Bishop Macarie Drăgoi of the Orthodox Diocese of Northern Europe conducted during the Pentecostal celebrations a rich missionary activity. Thus, on May 25th and 26th, His Grace Father Macarie traveled with missionary purpose to the Svalbard Archipelago in Norway, six hundred kilometers away from the continental shore in the Arctic Ocean. The Romanian hierarch, surrounded by priests Andrei Pop and Dumitru Chiorbeja from Norway, celebrated the first Romanian Divine Liturgy for the summer commemoration of the departed in Longyearbyen, the capital of the Svalbard Archipelago, commemorating those who are asleep in the Lord among the generations and the heroes who made the Great Union possible a hundred years ago.

On this occasion, Father Bishop Macarie said:

“We came with the will of God in the Svalbard Archipelago, where we celebrated the first Orthodox Divine Liturgy and raised the Romanian flag here, hundreds of kilometers away from the continental coast of the Arctic Ocean. In anticipation of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, we pray to Him Who is everywhere, and makes everything complete, to draw near the distances that separate us, to melt the ice that encircled our hearts and to enlighten the darkness that envelops us all.
We think of sorrow and love for the fate of the whole of Europe, but especially of the fate of our country in these truly decisive times that we cross, the times of assortment that are being redeemed with sacrifice to the end.” said the Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Northern Europe.

On Sunday of Pentecost on May 27, 2018, Father Bishop Macarie celebrated the Divine Liturgy united with the Vespers of the lowed knees in the church of the Romanian parish in the town of Bergen on the west coast of Norway. Finally, His Grace Macarie blessed the faithful present at the church, gave gifts to the little ones, and spiritually strengthened their parents. On the second day of Pentecost, May 28th, 2018, Father Bishop Macarie will explore other Romanian communities in Norway, serving the Divine Liturgy in the Haugesund fjord.