These days, His grace Bishop Macarie of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Northern Europe looked after the Romanians from several parish communities in Norway and Sweden.

On Friday, February 8, 2019, the Romanian hierarch served the Holy Unction, and on Saturday, February 9, the Divine Liturgy in the Romanian parish in the town of Kristiansand in southern Norway, pastored by priest Mihai Liculescu.

On Sunday, February 10, 2019, Father Bishop Macarie celebrated of the Liturgy of the patronage of the church at the Orthodox Parish of Kalmar, Sweden, at the feast of the Holy Martyr Haralambios, surrounded by a group of priests and deacons. On this occasion, the hierarch baptized the first child in the family of parish priest Andrei-Valerian Dănilă and his wife Mirela-Gabriela.

In the word of teaching, the hierarch referred to the meanings that come out of the Sunday Evangelical pericope about the healing of the daughter of the Canaanite woman and the strong faith of the Holy Martyr Haralambios. “I heard how Christ addressed the canaanite woman: “Great is your faith!” After she passed all the “tests” she was subjected to by the apparent rejection of her requests by the Savior. And the same thing, of course, can also be said of the Holy Martyr Haralambios: great was the faith of this 113-year-old altar servant, who faced persecution and brave tortures, causing some of his tormentors to convert to Christianity and to become martyrs as well. St. Haralambios, at the age of more than 100 years, has reached an age from which there is no waiting, but not only that we see a lamentation that is out of the ordinary, but also a very vivid presence, a belief that “contaminates “Even the torturers, a belief that increases as the persecution gets more fierce, more wild. A faith that works and does miracles. Because this is true faith: it changes people, changes the face of society, moves mountains out of place.”

The minors present at the ministry received more gifts from the hierarch and at the end of the Liturgy a memorial service was held for priest Milică Văsuianu from the neighboring parish of the Swedish town of Växjö, passed to the Lord following a tragic road accident.