In Bethsaida – the “house of the winds” – a small fortress in the north of the Holy Land, in the family of the fisherman Iona, saw the light of the day St. Andrew the Apostle, brother to Simon-Peter, who was to become, in turn, a fisherman. at the call of the Savior. It is likely that Christ preferred the poor city on the shore of the Sea of ​​Galilee, since from here he chose three more disciples, calling on the apostolate: John and James, the sons of Zevedei, and Philip. Fishing, it seems, was a favorable premise in his choice: fishermen are generally patient, learned in harsh times, with long waiting times, often with failure or danger. Perhaps not by chance this son of Iona from Bethsaida bore the name of Andrei, which means “the brave”.

Not infrequently, the journey on the water or the patience turns some “people of the sea” into contemplative ones, helping them to temporarily separate themselves from daily worries and worries and to approach a higher world, in which the sorrows and sorrows numb. No doubt Andrei was a contemplative. If his brother, Peter, founded a family, he was particularly concerned about the concern for the soul. That is why we find him as a disciple of Saint John the Baptist, “trapped” by the “brooks” of his preaching that prepared the world to meet the Savior of the world with the exhortation: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Thus, Andrew was somewhat prepared and eager to meet Christ. Shortly after baptizing the Savior in the Jordan River, when Jesus passed through their face, St. John said to Andrew, his disciple, “Behold the Lamb of God, He that taketh away the sin of the world.” Hearing these words and realizing that Jesus was the one who had been waiting for the people for centuries, as Savior, Saint Andrew became the first of the twelve close disciples of the Lord. Although Peter appears first in all the New Testament apostle enumerations, yet his first calling was his brother, Andrew. When the Baptist showed Jesus of Nazareth saying, “Behold the Lamb of God,” he understood that Jesus is greater than Saint John, being the anointed of God who came into the world to save those who believe in him. That is why he followed and gladly answered the call to become a “fisherman of people”, participating with the Savior in the entire activity presented in the four Holy Gospels.

The humility of St. Andrew was evident not only for as long as he stayed with the Lord, and did not become involved in any controversy, but throughout his existence. Although present at so many miracles or words of the Savior, he wrote nothing. It remains a secret that Andrei left no written word. Certainly, however, he wrote with the corner of his glowing heart, lit by the words and deeds of the Lord, unforgettable “pages” that “were born” in the history of Christian people, as was the case with our nation.

After the Resurrection and Ascension to Heaven of the Lord and after the Ascension of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Andrew preached with great faith the faith in Christ, the Savior of the world, in the parts of Pontus, Bithynia, Thrace and Scythia, that is in Dobrogea today. There is numerous evidence attesting the presence of St. Andrew in this ancient and arid Romanian land, cradle of our Christianity: the testimonies of Saint Hippolytus, the Bishop of Rome, of the church writer Origen, and in the fourth century, of Eusebius of Caesarea of the Constantinopolitan Church which more broadly depicts the life and martyrdom of Saint Andrew the Apostle. Beside them, the mission of evangelizing the Scythians by Saint Andrew is presented by other church writers of the later period. Thus, the monk Epiphanius, from the eighth century, refers to the fact that the Scythians were christened by Saint Andrew. Byzantine historian Nichifor Calist (14th century) points out that the Apostle Andrew preached in the “Scythian deserts”, that is, in the Dobrogea region. His missionary work in Dobrogea also finds confirmation in the popular tradition, the folklore and toponymy of the place: the cave of St. Andrew, the stream of St. Andrew, the carol of St. Andrew.

By the time Saint Andrew arrived in Dobrogea, the Roman Empire had already encompassed this region, so the Dacians from the Euxin Bridge were in the process of Romanization. That is why we could conclude that St. Andrew’s sermon targeted not only the Dacians, but also the Romanians who were here. In fact, all the Balkan region knew Christ and through Andrei the Apostle, because not far from the Danube, in Odessos, Varna today, he ordained a bishop to Saint Amplie, one of the 70 disciples of the Lord. He also preached in Thrace and Byzantium, where he placed bishop St. Stahia, as well as in Macedonia, where he appointed bishop St. Urban. All these three disciples of St. Andrew are celebrating October 31st. Given the proximity of Dobrogea to the fortress of Odessos, it is not excluded that Bishop Amplie was the first bishop of the Dacians from the Dobrogea region.

Traveling from the Sea of ​​Galilee to the Black Sea, St. Andrew remains for us, the Romanians, the Christian, the Protector of Romania, because he started the Christianity of our Dacian-Romanian ancestors. That is why he is considered the Apostle of the Romanians, enjoying a great honor not only in us in the country, but also in all the Eastern Orthodoxy.

Let us therefore, therefore, protect us and ensure that the Romanian people do not depart from Christ and the light of His gospel.